As I wrote previously, something in me literally "woke up" as I watched VP Harris and Gov. Walz begin their campaign. In thinking more about it, I realized that I had been experiencing a mild depression over the last few years. It's pretty clear that I'm not the only one.
I think it all started when I watched the same country that elected Barack Obama chose Donald Trump as his successor. My optimism about my fellow Americans was shattered. But then, not only did we have to live through four years of division, hate, and chaos, we all had to navigate living through a pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the MeToo movement. The insurrection of January 6 was yet another blow.
While Joe Biden did everything possible to deal with the physical and economic devastation we were experiencing, the MAGA crowd shouted so loud that we found ourselves chasing down every hateful lie they told. In other words, we found ourselves in the gutter with them on defense.
Somehow Harris and Walz broke though all of that. Here's how Walz described it last night.
You know, you might not know it, but I haven't given a lot of big speeches like this. But I have given a lot of pep talks. So let me finish with this, team. It's the fourth quarter. We're down a field goal. But we're on offense and we've got the ball. We're driving down the field. Our job for everyone watching, is to get in the trenches and do the blocking and tackling. One inch at a time. One yard at a time.
As an aside, I'm pretty sure that last bit was a reference to Al Pacino's locker room speech in "On Any Sunday," which is definitely worth a listen.
But as right wingers and the media keep droning on about the lack of specific policy proposals from Harris, it is important to keep in mind that what has been broken is not about the lack of a legislative agenda. Democrats have accomplished that in spades over the last four years while no one gave them credit. And Harris has a long history of putting forth excellent policies to address issues. As just one example, her anti-poverty proposal was rated the most effective in 2020.
What has been broken is our spirit. Harris, Walz, and many of the speakers at the Democratic Convention aren't just bringing back the joy. They're reminding us of who we are and what's important to us.
One of the most powerful reminders last night came from Amanda Gorman. Take a listen:
I was honored by the opportunity to perform my newest poem, “This Sacred Scene”, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. A huge thank you to @KamalaHarris for having me—I am so grateful. And finally, thank you all for watching, and for your kind words and support 💙
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) August 22, 2024
You can… pic.twitter.com/dnkLWMuouG
The whole thing is AMAZING! But here are the lines that went straight to my heart:
Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure.
Divided we cannot endure but united we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity.
And make no mistake, cohering is the hardest task history ever wrote,
but tomorrow is not written by our odds of hardship, but by the audacity of our hope, by the vitality of our vote.
Only now, approaching this rare air are we aware that perhaps the American dream is no dream at all, but instead a dare to dream together.
Here's how Obama talked about it:
That’s the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in: an America where “we, the people” includes everyone. Because that’s the only way this American experiment works. And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that. Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some book somewhere. It’s the values we live by. It’s the way we treat each other, including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do...All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples. We share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better.
Oprah hit on the same theme.
Oprah: When a house is on fire, we do not ask about the homeowners race or religion. We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady. We try to get the cat out, too. pic.twitter.com/Oms9vO3d5c
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 22, 2024
Coach Walz's entire life has been a testament to that theme.
Growing up in a small town like Butte, Nebraska – you learn to take care of each other.
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 22, 2024
The family down the road may not think, pray, or love like you – but they are your neighbors and you look out for them. pic.twitter.com/N15YonzVkl
We can (and will) have debates about policy differences and the threat Trump poses to our democracy. But before we get there, we needed a reminder of the bedrock of who we are.
I was hoping that one of the several writers or columnists whose works I read often if not daily, would pick up on all the messages delivered at the last evening of the DNC convention, and who better to draw these speeches together, to stitch the essentials into one than Amanda Gorman whose poetic words draw on the messages of the Obamas, of Tim Walz, of Oprah Winfrey, and of VP Harris herself. In my house's watch party, we all could not stop sharing our hope as we heard these speakers sharing theirs. Good job, Nancy. Good job. (And, there was not one of us who neglected to admire Gus Walz's unabashed admiration for his father. We know this love in many of our own families and we admire seeing it publicly in the faces of this young man and his family.)
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