Conventional Wisdom VII

The second night of the Democratic National Convention kicked off with a raucous roll call of the states, set to a soundtrack of hit songs (and a live appearance by Lil Jon) and orchestrated by a literal DJ on stage. It was all fun, but also a fitting start for a night that replayed old hits from the party and remixed them into a pretty effective message.

Senator Bernie Sanders, whose presidential campaigns helped precipitate and propel forward one of the most meaningful movements from the left wing of the party in generations, made a strong speech that — paired with a similar one by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the first night — reinforced the ways in which the left has begun making effective inroads on their agenda by working within the big tent of the Democratic Party. They’ve been effective partners through Biden’s term, and the way they stayed calm and cool while all the centrists were screaming at Biden to get out and fantasizing about an open convention will only extend that relationship into a Harris administration.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff made a huge splash with his own speech, cementing his status as the nation’s premier Wife Guy with an address that showed a good degree of warmth, humor and, above all, adoration for his spouse. (In stark contrast, Melania Trump was barely a presence at the 2024 RNC, only showing up on the last night to sit with some other members of the Trump family when her husband plodded through his rambling remarks.)

But the night really belonged to the Obamas. In back-to-back speeches, former First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama offered their own remix on the “hope and change” politics of their era.

In fact, the very start of the First Lady’s address felt like a needle drop on the 2008 campaign:

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?

Not just here in this arena… but spreading all across this country we love… a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for too long.

You know what I’m talking about? It’s the contagious power of hope!

The anticipation… the energy… the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.

The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us… and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation—the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for.

America, hope is making a comeback!

But this wasn’t simply a retread of the old hopeful and high-minded approach, crystallized in the rallying cry that Michelle Obama made during the onset of the Trump era, one that many mocked in the dark years that followed: “When they go low, we go high.”

This time around, the Obamas were ready to mix inspiration with a little instigation, throwing a surprising number of hard elbows at Donald Trump as well.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” Michelle Obama said last night. “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people” — and here a slight pause as she produced the dagger — “who also happened to be Black.”

President Obama went even further, mocking Trump directly in a way that surely sent a ketchup bottle flying at whichever grubby golf resort he was at last night.

But beyond the familiar refrains about hope and a new round of jabs at Trump, the two speeches by the Obamas were framed as a direct call to action.

Soon after building the audience up, Michelle Obama threw a little cold water on the celebrations in Chicago with a warning that the Democrats should not get complacent and, when the campaign hits the inevitable bumps in the road, should not resign themselves to their traditional panic. She led the crowd in a call-and-response chant to “do something!” whenever trouble came, and then issued a challenge to everyone in the hall:

We have only two and a half months to get this done… only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan.

So we cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon… don’t complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to ask for your support… there is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.

You know what we need to do.

So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you to do something!

Her husband ended his address with a similar call to action:

[I]f we each do our part over the next 77 days, if we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbors, if we work like we’ve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States. We will elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we all believe in. And together, we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal, and more free. So let’s get to work. 

The Obamas have long excelled at giving inspiring speeches and energizing the base, but their appearances in Chicago also provided direct invitations and specific instructions on how to get involved. It’s been quite a turnaround from just a month ago, but Democrats are fired up and ready to go.