Recapping the DNC Day 2

Republican speakers, roll call, and retro speakers

Day 2 of the DNC continued the strong launch from Day 1 and ran on the themes of Republican speakers, roll call, and retro speakers. Once again, we have a lot to cover so let’s dive in. Your support makes my advocacy possible. So, if you are in a position to invest a cup of coffee a month, please do subscribe! Let’s Address This.

My view of the DNC last night

Republican Speakers

Day 2 of the DNC began with invocations from Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR, and Imam Dr. Talib M. Shareef of The Nation’s Mosque—a unique shout out to interfaith unity. The day made a strong showing of Republican speakers committing to put country over party. Mesa, Arizona mayor John Giles declared:

I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who like me are in the political middle: John McCain’s Republican Party is gone… let’s turn the page. Let’s put country first.

Giles is a self-describe life long Republican, a Mormon, and mayor of Mesa, the most conservative city in Arizona.

Trump’s former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham added a scathing critique of Donald Trump, stating in part:

I wasn't just a Trump supporter; I was a true believer and one of his closest advisors. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters, calling them "basement dwellers." He has no empathy, morals, or fidelity to the truth. As Press Secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now, here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth, respects the American people, and she has my vote.

Additional Republican speakers included former Trump supporters and Republican media personality Ana Navarro. Prominent conservative pundit Bill Krystol tweeted:

What we saw last night in Chicago was a healthy political party. Which is good, and important. Healthy political parties make effective governance in modern democracies possible. Healthy political parties make a functional political system possible. What we saw at the Republican convention last month, by contrast, was a weird cult of personality, a crowd in thrall to a demagogue.

The overall message from Republican speakers was clear: If you are a Republican, it is okay to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, because doing so won’t violate your patriotic values, it will exemplify them.

Roll Call

The 2024 DNC Roll Call was the most memorable one I’ve ever seen. Every state was represented by the music of a musical artist hailing from that state, including icons like John Legend and Alicia Keyes. In cases of Georgia, Lil John showed up and conducted the roll call himself. NPR published a helpful list of what musician represented each state. As a proud Illinoian and a life long Chicago Bulls fan, I was excited that Illinois was represented by Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project. For the non-Bulls fans out there, "Sirius" was the walk-on music for the Chicago Bulls.

Rapper Lil Jon (R) performs with the Georgia delegation during Roll Call on DNC Day 2. CREDIT: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

And while not exactly a roll call, I feel compelled to mention Doug Emoff’s powerful shout out to America’s blended families. As our nation continues to grow and diversify, and as American families continue to blend an infusion of cultures and ethnicities, it was meaningful to hear Doug Emoff talk about his children, his divorce, and his marriage to Kamala Harris. His ‘roll call’ of families often ignored was a valuable contribution to the national discourse on bridging the national divide.

Retro Speakers

Finally, while including a host of popular speakers like Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, MD Senate Candidate Angela Alsobrooks, and Pennsylvania House of Representatives Member Malcolm Kenyatta, day 2 of the DNC concluded to loud applause to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and President Barack Obama.

Bernie Sanders spoke on his usual platform of fighting for working families above the billionaire class. But perhaps his strongest and loudest applause came when he demanded an immediate end to Israel’s siege on Gaza and release of all hostages. As I wrote yesterday, polling is explicitly clear that Kamala Harris dramatically improves her chances of winning with a ceasefire, release of hostages, and cessation of offensive arms to Netanyahu—a plan moderate Democrats like Nancy Pelosi loudly support as well.

Unfortunately, I do not believe the Democratic Party is giving this issue the due consideration it needs to meet the urgency of the moment. Instead, as The Intercept reports, pro-peace protestors suffered arrest and injury outside the DNC, requiring hospitalization of at least three people. We have an opportunity to uphold international human rights law, uphold U.S. Leahy Laws, end this genocide in Gaza, and better elevate Harris’s chances to win in November. I am hopeful the Party will respond to the will of the American people with the immediate urgency it deserves.

The final two speakers of the night were Michelle and Barack Obama, respectively. In my view, the speech of the night went to former First Lady Michelle Obama. Among her remarks was this gem, a direct shot at Donald Trump, at his racist policies, at his arrogant privilege, at the stifling wealth and income inequality decimating our nation, and saying all that without needing to so much as mention his name.

Michelle Obama powerfully declared, ““[Kamala] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.” My perhaps minority opinion is that for as much as Barack Obama gets praised for his oratory skills, Michelle is as good if not better. But maybe that’s just me.

Speaking of, President Obama closed out the night with a crucial message reviving his 2004 DNC speech about unifying America. He spoke of the need to reject Donald Trump’s “us vs them” rhetoric, and instead remember that “we don’t have to always agree with each other, to learn to live with each other.” He’s right, and I hope the American voter listens.

Barack Obama at the 2004 DNC and at the 2024 DNC

The DNC Day 2 was another eventful and effective day. I’ll be at the DNC for Day 3 today. As always, come by and say hi if you see me.

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