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The Guardian view on the US Democrats: Biden seized his moment | Editorial
There have never been two campaign gatherings like this week’s US Democratic convention and next week’s Republican one. Stripped to their essentials by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 conventions cannot match the energy of normal years. Yet the big speech by the presidential candidate at the convention remains a defining campaign moment, and this year is no different. The greater severity imposed by the virtual convention is also appropriate. For this is not a normal US election year. It is one in which the central contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will define the future of the United States and the world like few others.Because of the constraints, the Democratic convention lacked true razzmatazz. In that respect it was tailor-made for Mr Biden’s decent, stubborn but markedly unexciting political message. And yet the lack of glitz had certain advantages. It meant that the nightly coverage offered to American voters this week was more serious-minded. The televised broadcasts were full of ordinary people’s video accounts of what they are going through as a result of the pandemic, recession and racism. The format also meant that Mr Biden could use his acceptance speech to cut to the chase about the issues at stake in November’s election, rather than play up the rhetoric that would have been expected in a packed hall. In any case, Barack Obama had powerfully supplied that form of oratory the previous evening.Mr Biden nevertheless delivered an effective and successful speech. He did not mention Mr Trump by name at any point. Yet everything he said in his 25-minute address was completely explicit about the profound contrast between the two candidates. America was experiencing “too much anger, too much fear, too much division”, he said. In the heart of the speech, he zeroed in on four policy crises which together define the choice voters must confront – the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the 1930s, the biggest movement for racial justice since the 1960s, and the “undeniable” threat of climate change. Together, these crises faced America with a perfect storm, through which Mr Biden promised “a path of hope and light”. Such language can sound vacuous, but Mr Biden was absolutely right about the four great issues. He has also usefully cast himself as the candidate of optimism.The Democratic leader made much of his claims to be a unifier. His choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate has helped. The convention also went some way to unite this party for the task to come. There were significant speeches from defeated rivals, notably Bernie Sanders, who has rallied behind Mr Biden since the primary season ended and played his hand well during subsequent policymaking processes. Elizabeth Warren made a strong and humane contribution too. Mr Obama’s speech was a stirring reaffirmation of his belief in an American system of democracy and justice which Mr Trump has done so much to undermine and in which the faith of many natural Democrats has been deeply challenged by events including police killings. Although Mr Biden is a candidate from the heart of old Democratic politics, it is worth noting that this year’s convention had a watershed feel because it was the first for decades not dominated by the Clintons.Mr Biden will not be an inherently exciting Democratic candidate. There are good reasons for asking whether he has either the vision or the capacity to turn post-Trump America around successfully. He is instinctively happier reaching out to the middle ground than driving the new radical agenda that the times also demand. But he came through this week much better than some feared. His campaign, like his life, has shown resilience and judgment. His offer of hope and light is well crafted for such dark times. Now Mr Biden must also beat Mr Trump. Now it gets harder. The world is willing him on. More
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses NBC of spreading misinformation after DNC speech
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Congresswoman says NBC tweet about her endorsement of Bernie Sanders ‘sparked an enormous amount of hatred’
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praises Bernie Sanders in DNC speech – video
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused NBC News of spreading an “incredible amount of damage and misinformation” overnight on Tuesday after the network construed a routine procedural speech by her as a snub of the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
Speaking on the second night of the Democratic national convention (DNC), Ocasio-Cortez was assigned to second the nomination of Senator Bernie Sanders as president. Sanders ended his presidential bid and endorsed Biden last spring, but he was in line for a formal nomination as part of the process of transferring his delegates to Biden.
Ocasio-Cortez had originally endorsed Sanders for president during the primary season before switching her support to Biden.
“In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment and lack of healthcare,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a short speech on Tuesday, “en espíritu del pueblo and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of America.”
Soon after, NBC News sent a tweet that seemed to impute some intrigue to the fact that Ocasio-Cortez had not endorsed Biden for president. Such endorsements are not typically conferred in the convention setting and there was no reason or expectation for Ocasio-Cortez to do so.
But an NBC News account tweeted: “In one of the shortest speeches of the DNC, Rep Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse Joe Biden: ‘I hereby second the nomination of Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of America.’”
Hours later, the tweet was deleted and an editor’s note was appended reading, “This tweet should have included more detail on the nominating process.”
But Ocasio-Cortez and others were dissatisfied, accusing the news outlet of stoking false controversy at a time when the Democratic party faces a generational divide between leaders like Ocasio-Cortez, a 30-year-old progressive, and Biden, a 77-year-old who won his first Senate race 17 years before she was born.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted three times at NBC, starting after midnight:Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(@AOC)
You waited several hours to correct your obvious and blatantly misleading tweet.It sparked an enormous amount of hatred and vitriol, & now the misinfo you created is circulating on other networks.All to generate hate-clicks from a pre-recorded, routine procedural motion. https://t.co/crDlEymgMDAugust 19, 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(@AOC)
This is completely unacceptable, disappointing, and appalling.The DNC shared the procedural purpose of my remarks to media WELL in advance. @NBC knew what was going to happen & that it was routine.How does a headline that malicious & misleading happen w/ that prior knowledge?August 19, 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(@AOC)
So @NBCNews how are you going to fix the incredible amount of damage and misinformation that you are now responsible for?Because a 1:15am tweet to slip under the radar after blowing up a totally false and divisive narrative across networks isn’t it. https://t.co/zf6WqiotvvAugust 19, 2020
As of this writing NBC News had not released further comment.
Sanders was also nominated for president at the 2016 Democratic national convention, before his delegates were passed to Hillary Clinton. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard nominated Sanders, and the nomination was seconded by a state campaign director and a spokeswoman for an election watchdog group.Topics
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Ocasio-Cortez praises Bernie Sanders in DNC speech – video
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The New York congresswoman seconded the nomination of the Vermont senator and praised his ‘historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy’ in convention address
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Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and anti-Trump Republicans: day one at the DNC – video highlights
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At the first day of a Democratic national convention unlike any other in history, Michelle Obama urged voters to head to the polls ‘like their lives depend on it’. She was joined by many other speakers attacking Donald Trump’s presidency. Speaking online because of coronavirus restrictions, the former first lady’s words were echoed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who likened Trump to tyrannical Roman emperor Nero. The first day of the convention was hosted by actor Eva Longoria and featured contributions by George Floyd’s family, voters and politicians from across the country and even a former Republican governor
Michelle Obama’s rebuke and anti-Trump Republicans: key takeaways from the DNC
A pandemic DNC: telethon, commercial, and awkward family Zoom call in oneTopics
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Bernie Sanders slams Trump at DNC: 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The president golfs' – video
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In his convention remarks, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders strongly urged his supporters to vote for Joe Biden in the November election, warning that Trump represents a severe threat to US democracy. “Our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment,” Sanders said, describing this election as the “most important in the modern history of this country”
‘It is what it is’: Michelle Obama picks Trump apart in gripping DNC speechTopics
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A pandemic DNC: telethon, commercial, and awkward family Zoom call in one
Democratic national convention 2020
What it lacked in showy applause, it made up for by highlighting diversity and the stories of ordinary citizens More
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Michelle Obama’s rebuke and anti-Trump Republicans: key takeaways from the DNC
Democratic national convention 2020
The opening night of the virtual Democratic convention saw the former first lady and John Kasich warn against re-electing Trump
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‘In over his head’: Michelle Obama delivers rebuke of Trump in DNC speech – video
Monday marked opening night of a Democratic national convention that will be like no other in US history, as four days of events and speeches are held almost entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 170,000 lives so far and continues to rage across the country.
Here are the main takeaways from the evening’s program:
Michelle Obama stole the show. The former first lady delivered a searing rebuke of Donald Trump in a keynote speech, arguing the president is incapable of leading the country during this moment of profound crisis due to the pandemic, its economic fallout and the national reckoning on racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May.
“If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it,” the former first lady said. The pre-taped speech attracted instant widespread praise, with many Democrats saying Obama offered an eloquent and urgent call to action.Kamala Harris
(@KamalaHarris)
A powerful call to action by @MichelleObama. Register to vote now at https://t.co/MykJL0X5gt. #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Zp9qSnyFlYAugust 18, 2020
An everyday American who lost her father to coronavirus upstaged many Democratic lawmakers. Kristin Urquiza specifically blamed Trump for misleading her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, who voted for Trump in 2016 about the seriousness of the virus.
The president has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, instead championing the reopening of the economy and schools.
“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” Urquiza said. “His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.”Play Video
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Kristin Urquiza blames Trump for her father’s coronavirus death in DNC speech – video
Urquiza’s words struck a chord with many viewers, and commentators compared her speech to that of Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who memorably criticized Trump at the 2016 Democratic convention.
George Floyd’s family delivered a plea for changes in policing. “George should be alive today,” Philonise Floyd said of his brother, a Black man who was kill by a white Minneapolis police officer in May. Floyd listed some of the African Americans killed by police in recent years and said: “When this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying their names.”
Bernie Sanders called on his supporters to rally around Biden. A theme of the convention, and this night in particular, was unity. The progressive Vermont senator, Biden’s former rival for the presidential nomination, acknowledged his policy differences with the Democratic nominee, but Sanders argued Trump’s disastrous handling of the pandemic demanded that all Americans come together to elect Biden. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned,” Sanders said. “Trump golfs.”Play Video
1:29
Kasich among anti-Trump Republicans backing Joe Biden at DNC – video
Anti-Trump Republicans warned against the dangers of re-electing the president. The former Ohio governor John Kasich, a frequent Trump critic, delivered his speech endorsing Biden alongside a literal fork in the road, attracting some mockery on Twitter. “America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.” Like Sanders, Kasich acknowledged he does not agree with Biden on every issue, but he described his vote for the Democratic candidate as a matter of necessity amid a historic time of crisis.
The virtual convention, while not seamless, still produced some memorable moments. The night saw some glitches and timing misses, but overall the event went as planned, despite the unprecedented nature of this year’s conventions. However, certain lawmakers’ Zoom backgrounds did prompt questions, such as, where did Bernie Sanders find all that chopped wood to stand in front of?Topics
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