The Witness Chronicles, August 22, 2024
Day three observations
DNC Day Three, This Thing Has Been Fun
Walz impresses in a different way than I expected
Before I get into my brief thoughts about day three of the DNC convention, I want to waste a few sentences on the third most pitiful man in politics, RFK Jr. Apparently he is in talks with the number one most pitiful man, Trump, about dropping out of the race and endorsing the orange guy.
This just reinforces my idea that RFK Jr has some kind of desperate need to be in the news, no matter what it takes. It is apropos that he go to another narcissist and try to cut a deal in exchange for something or other. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Btw, number two most pitiful of course is JD Vance, a guy who gets more and more creepy the more we see of him.
So, Tim Walz. His speech was surprising in its calmness and his down to earth but tough manner is exactly what we need. I think he has been done a disservice by the emphasis on what a nice guy he is when what I heard is a man who should not be underestimated. And if I was Vance, I’d be rethinking debating the guy. Walz can eat guys like Vance in one bite.
I was really struck last night by how entertaining this convention has been and the general quality of the speeches. Oration used to be a fine art in America and men like Frederick Douglass made their livings and reputations through public speaking. Douglass, by the way, lived part of his life two blocks from where I write these words.
The animating force behind these speeches is a combination of joy backed by a growing sense of power. It is a cliche to say the room has been on fire, but sometimes cliches tell us the truth. Seeing Stevie Wonder segue from a speech to singing Higher Ground was a perfect example, with his band, dancers and a DJ appearing out of thin air. It was a great example of how well this convention is organized, especially given it was completely upended by Biden dropping out just four weeks ago. The organizers have really nailed it.
Oprah Winfrey, known for avoiding politics and endorsements, walked out, to the surprise of everyone there, and gave a powerful speech, ratcheting up the excitement level. Best variety show on TV.
The convention is not just a show for political junkies. Democrats are raising five times as much money as Trump and signing up volunteers by the thousands. States that were not in play, like Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia, are looking increasingly viable for the Harris campaign and they now have to resources to test the waters there.
Without getting too wonky, it looks like the Latino vote is also in play. I saw an interview on PBS earlier this week with the leader of a demographic company that that tracks Latino political data. It turns out that, as a group, Latinos tend to make up their minds after the conventions are over. Indicators, taken with a grain of salt, are that Harris could see a significant bump in support in the coming weeks.
I an cautiously optimistic. Kamala Harris has some hard acts to follow tonight, which just tells us how deep the Democrat bench is and how united they are, something exceedingly rare in Democratic politics. We should be looking towards the down ballot races because there are real coattails for the House and Senate races.
Trump is doubling down on his threats to democracy once again and laying the groundwork for claiming the election was stolen, but he may be making a strategic mistake in doing so publicly. Americans were not thrilled by the insurrection on January Sixth last time, no matter what Trump in his bubble might think. Telegraphing his intent this far out from the election isn’t fooling anyone and when he loses he won’t be in office to call for another riot.
If there is any concrete realization from this convention, it is how unsubstantial the Trump message is in comparison with the Democrats. He is flailing, trying to find some magical insult that will take Harris and Walz down. It’s not working and he knows it.
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Thank you for your commentary of the convention. Have also been following Heather Richardson. Found you on Medium. Am following you off
Trump never has had a legitimate message. His support has come from the manipulation of the downtrodden, the disgruntled, the anti-suit masses who have been down for too long and lost for sake of an apparent antithesis to the 'Washington swamp."
Those who, in delusion, have followed and supported Trump are, in my view, mostly not 'bad' or 'stupid' people, though many may not be highly educated, articulate or capable of more than relatively simplistic analysis and a strong susceptibility to peer group pressure and what seems to be a movement in line with their grievances. However, there is much validity underlying their despair and feelings of being left behind or used. They have been conditioned for decades to a belief in the great American dream, prosperity, (of a sort), and pride in a nation that, (apparently), stood for decency, freedom and 'right' in a World of dictators, autocrats and such.
In reality, the mirage that Trump created for them in 2016 and is trying to replicate is the worst of what he does and represents for it deliberately creates hope and belief and even excitement of anticipation only to then abuse and misuse the trust given him. The reality is that he has been and would again be a demagogue, indeed an even greater one than in the past for, after his stacking of the Supreme Court and the appalling decisions made in relation to presidential immunity, should he be elected, the size of his ego will know no bounds. - Then, (though I have no religion so no belief that there's any chance of it), God help us all.
Unfortunately, even many well educated and knowledgeable people have chosen to support Trump. Not least, of course, virtually the entire Republican Party and its representatives, whether federally or at state level. Ironically, this fact is the very evidence that ought to convince anyone of how fraudulent and unrepresentative any Trump administration would be. I say that because it clearly demonstrates that at least the majority of those Republicans place themselves over their responsibility and duty to the people they are supposed to represent and, what may be even worse, place themselves over the principles on which American democracy was founded and the Constitution.
Unfortunately, the nation has become so polarised by Trump's political adventures and perfidy that it has diverted attention from what is the real issue. It is not Trump. It is not the apparent madness, ignorance, anger, aggression or irresponsibility of Trump supporters. The real issue is the historical setting, cultural degeneration, false values and ever widening disparity between 'haves' and 'have nots' that has created a fertile environment for this polarisation and the perversion of judicial and economic systems to come about.
I am now even reading critics of the joy and jubilation that is the Democratic Convention. These critics are suggesting that this is wrong and even representative of uncaring, unsympathetic, lack of compassion and such, because the Biden Administration has continued to supply arms and backing to Israel. I am appalled at that, too. There is no doubt in my mind that regardless of the wrong perpetrated by Hamas fighters on 7th October 2023, the response of Netanyahu and his cohorts has been and is a crime of much greater malevolence and atrocity than that of Hamas in October 2023. That the USA has continued to support Israel by supplying arms is beyond the pale.
That, however, is not in my view a valid justification for the interpretation of the Democrat Convention as callous and uncaring. I don't know but I doubt very much that there would have been any significant difference in US policy towards Israel had Trump been in power during the last ten months.
Leaving aside the likelihood or otherwise of that possibility, the fact is that this venomous outrage at the jubilation exhibited by those at the Democrat Convention is effectively the common confusion of correlation as causation.
Yes, we should protest against arming and defending Netanyahu's genocide. However, surely it is reasonable for the Democrats, within their own convention, to feel boosted, optimistic and celebratory that they now have a solid chance of preventing the demagogue Trump from becoming the dictator president that he inevitably will be should he be elected. Surely it is not irresponsible for them to feel good that they now have a fighting chance to preserve the best of American democracy, restore the rights of women to control their own bodies and place the nation above the desires of a small elite.
No, the election of Harris will not introduce a sudden Utopia. There will always be positive and negative in any administration. Lincoln's famous comment aptly summed up that reality. There is much work needed to rectify racism, inequity, gun violence, injustices and more that exist across the nation. However, Biden attempted to bring people together to achieve that after inheriting the appalling disaster of a Trump presidency. His administration has achieved many successes. That it has not stopped Israel ought not to negate all the good that his administration has achieved.
The nomination of Harris and Waltz is probably the best news the nation has had in the last decade. That the Democrats choose to celebrate it is not unreasonable. I celebrate it, too, yet if I had the power I would have had Netanyahu arrested when he arrived in the US to address Congress and I would have stopped any support for Israel's military aggression and undoubted attempt at genocide against the Palestinian people.
As I've