28 August 2024
Reflections from the Democratic National Convention 2024
What I learned over four days at the greatest political show on earth.
What I learned over four days at the greatest political show on earth.
By Alva Finn, Executive Director, European Liberal Forum
On 19-22 August, I had the privilege to attend the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. I was invited as part of the National Democratic Institute for International Affair’s (NDI) International Leaders’ Forum along with a couple of hundred other international politicians and civil society representatives from across the world.
This year’s DNC was already a historic one given the assassination attempt on Republican nominee and former President Trump. The stakes got even higher when President Biden decided to step down as the democratic nominee and hand in the mantle to Vice-President Kamala Harris. What I had not expected was the atmosphere, which was nothing short of jubilant nor to bear witness to one of the most successful rebrandings in modern political history.
During the day, I attended an excellent programme set up for us by NDI with a focus on US leadership in the world on foreign policy, on tech, on security and defence and on Ukraine. We also listened to some fascinating panels on polling and the role of media in US elections, which taught me so much about how the game of American politics is played. In the evening, we made our way to United Centre – the home field of the Chicago Bulls – and waited in line, often for hours, to gain access to an oversubscribed space to watch the greatest political show on earth. Watching this extraordinary political spectacle, I came back to Brussels with many reflections.
At several moments during the convention, I wondered about the cost of this massive event. The security alone cost approximately 75 million USD, which was clear from the sheer number of Secret Service and Police officers all over Chicago. I was incredulous about the high quality of the promotional material that the campaign team managed to create in the short weeks since Biden made his decision to step down. Every speaker’s intervention felt like they had been trained for years to speak on this global stage, with not even a quiver in the voice of any of the citizens who spoke. All speakers spoke authentically but from the same hymn sheet, with an impressive rollout of a total shift in tone in one of the most exciting campaign turnarounds. Joy was on the menu and people were buying it. I was concerned about whether the electorate would respond to the mood, but Harris’s team seem to have understood implicitly that many voters want a break from the non-stop negativity and oft-repeated ‘chaos’ of American politics since Trump entered politics.
The role of money is not benign, there are little limits to how much can be given to PACs (Political Action Committees) which are tax-exempt organisations who run political campaigns including from corporate actors. Being able to control the narrative and get out or strategically turn off voters requires enormous amounts of money to run political ads, which are often negative and targeting opponents, run targeted social media campaigns and pay for the political spectacle of the DNC. In a tight race, every extra million combined with the right narrative could turn the tide for either candidate.
The democrats paraded ‘the people’, high profile democrats and celebrities during the four-day convention. Oprah Winfrey, the Obamas, the Clintons, Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria, guest musical interludes from Lil John, the Chicks and Pink were all mixed with everyday citizens who talked about kitchen table issues at the Convention and channelled the mood at the DNC on social media and on talk shows. Reproductive health was made a kitchen table issue with ordinary people talking about their harrowing experiences. A familiar tactic for me as we used it during abortion referendum campaign in Ireland. If they went too much in one direction with too many celebrities and not enough ‘normal people’, it would seem outlandish, but this is American politics where celebrities have influence and, at least in the room, the balance seemed right.
Trump, another celebrity who has redefined American and global politics, was probably the biggest talking point during the convention. A republican who attended one of the NDI panels is right in his contention that Trump has redefined both the Republicans and the Democrats. The cult of celebrity and shift from celebrity to politician is growing in Europe and recent elections bear the proof. Liberals are wary of populism in all its forms but should pay particular attention to this trend and how to create a narrative against the entrance of such divisive and populist figures into politics.
Diversity, rather than identity politics, was showcased at the podium and in campaign material. The sheer range of speakers -Latino, LGBTI, Imams, Rabbis, Priests and preachers of all hues, the balance between men and women was an incredible testament to the story of American immigration and diversity. Different often intersecting identities were not put in opposition to each other but exemplified ‘the People’ and the American dream, a key theme that emerged in the narrative. Though, they didn’t shy away from dealing with immigration and focused on their record of having negotiated a bi-partisan bill on border control which they allege Trump lobbied against and ultimately ended in Republicans pulling their support. In recent years the liberal movement has struggled with how to approach matters of identity, diversity and immigration. This is how it is done, take note!
Yet behind the approach to diversity is a clear strategy to get out key voting demographics including the Latino and Black vote and reclaiming white middle-class votes of women who voted for Trump. Women’s rights, rather than their gender, were a key rallying point for democrats around Harris. Harris’ gender and racial background were presented as part of her story but not a reason to vote for her. Instead, her clear record as a litigator, public servant ‘for the People’ and positive force for progress was the case made for her election. Among this incredible display of diversity, was the notable exception of Palestinian American voices which led to the disbanding of Muslims for Harris/Walz group on the fourth day of the convention.
The two parties cannot be all things to all people, especially not in a country the size of the US and with their diversity. It was clear from the variety of protests we watched outside the convention centre, including many from the left of the Democratic Party who were enraged by the Party’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, that there is a deep division. The same is true for the Grand Old Party, a point driven home by the unusual sight of high-profile Republicans taking the floor during the convention to encourage Republicans to vote for Kamala Harris.
One of the main conservative talking points around the convention was that Harris did not put forward enough of the details of her agenda. While that could be disputed in several areas including reproductive rights and immigration, there were other areas, including economics, where details were thin on the ground – a strategic choice. Once new policies come out, there will be less of a focus on joy and ‘vibes’ and, importantly, more to critique.
Finding the balance between the left and right of centre for any democratic nominee is a formidable tightrope as we know well in the Renew Europe group and the ALDE Party. We should be thankful we do not need to represent the far left and socialism too. Working with a political party system in the EU is not always easy but we have a diversity of parties that is sorely lacking in American politics. As people turn away in droves from traditional politics in Europe in search of fresh political faces and ideas that reflect their views, it is clear that the situation is even worse in the US.
Political culture in Europe is different in many ways but one of things that shocked me during the convention was that Harris and Walz’s families were on the ballot too. We met VP Harris’s nieces and nephews, her sister spoke just before her in one of the most high-profile speaking spots, we learned about Harris’s first date with the potentially first ever First gentleman. The addresses from the speakers were often deeply personal. Michelle Obama talked openly about her struggles with IVF to have her own family, a nod to diversity of the ways of achieving family and to the central theme of reproductive rights.
Coach Walz’s wife and family were panned to constantly by cameras and his son went viral in an authentic moment where he shouted, ‘that’s my dad’, sobbing openly with pride during Walz’s acceptance speech. This incident was then taken up by Trump supporters as ‘unmanly’, showing that families are expected to campaign and endure the abuse that their family members running for election often experience. Little wonder why it has taken the US so long for a woman to be elected to the highest office.
While sitting in the ecstatic atmosphere of the convention centre to chants of ‘we love you Joe’, ‘we’re not going back’, ‘U.S.A’ and ‘do something’, it was difficult to think that many democrats were only weeks ago feeling dread and disappointment. The assassination attempt on Trump just weeks before, on 13 July, seemed a distant memory and there was little discussion anymore regarding the details around the shooter. Indeed, Democrats did not address the assassination attempt, instead focusing on the events of the 6 January insurrection as the pivotal incidence of violence in politics in recent US history. The responsibility of voters was driven home in every speech. The message: Harris is ready, but she cannot do it without members and voters and a lot can change in the short months before 5 November.
In the day-to-day workings of the EU, it is easy to forget in the Brussels bubble that we are not at the centre of the world. Not many speakers addressed the US’s role in the world and even fewer still about the US’s international partners, and fewer still mentioned Europe. With the expectations set so low, the Europeans in the convention centre were pleasantly surprised when Harris spoke about the US security role and commitment to NATO and Ukraine. It left me with a final burst of optimism for the relationship between the US and Europe as the Convention came to a close.