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Kamala Harris makes her case
Vice President Kamala Harris closed out a historic week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that rallied Democrats around themes of freedom, joy, and unity. Harris used the DNC to try to show US voters that she can unite all Americans behind a ‘new way forward,’ but did she succeed in making the case for a Harris-Walz ticket? On GZERO World, former Congresswoman Donna Edwards and presidential historian Douglas Brinkley joined Ian Bremmer to give their take on a truly unprecedented DNC that capped off one of the most extraordinary months in modern political history. Joe Biden and Democrats passed the baton to a new generation of political leaders, showcasing the talent and diversity within the Party. While the energy in the United Center was like nothing Dems have seen since Barack Obama led the ticket, Harris will be the first to point out that she is still very much the underdog in this election. And with polls showing the presidential race is essentially tied between the two parties, will any convention bump be too little too late to defeat Donald Trump?
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Defining Kamala Harris at DNC 2024
From Chicago's United Center on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Jon Lieber, Eurasia Group's head of research and managing director for the firm's coverage of United States political and policy developments, recaps the key takeaways from the DNC.
We're here in Chicago wrapping up the Democratic National Convention for 2024. You can see the balloons are falling behind us, and the benediction is going on as folks are starting to file out of the convention hall into what I think are going to be long lines to get home.
So a couple of key themes that jumped out over the four days of the convention. One was, of course, to introduce and define Kamala Harris, and what they sort of did was embrace her record as a prosecutor, giving her this persona as a loving family member, but a tough, no-nonsense person that you don't want to mess with. And that was a theme that was repeated over and over again in testimonials from her family and friends, and also a message pretty directly given by her.
Second, of course, they wanted to create a contrast with Trump, and the way they did that was to attack his character over and over again, talking about how, “They wouldn't trust him to move their furniture,” a really great line by Senator Elizabeth Warren, and making a contrast about the schemes and frauds and criminal convictions that are in his background versus, again, Kamala Harris's record as a prosecutor, standing up for a little guy.
And then, of course, another big theme, especially one that came out on day four tonight, was to define the Democratic Party as the party of freedom and the future of the USA. A lot of flags waving in the audience. There was an extended section speaking about the military and military strength, right in prime time. Clearly, Democrats trying to set themselves out to be the party that can defend America.
I would say three groups were really targeted over the course of the convention. The first is union members. There was a lot of shout-outs to organized labor, who are, of course, a key Democratic constituent. Black voters who are going to be absolutely critical to Kamala Harris' ability to win, particularly if they want to compete in Georgia and North Carolina. And then, Republicans, gettable on the fence Republican-leaning independents who don't like Trump all that much and want to feel comfortable voting for Kamala Harris. Very clear themes directed to those three groups throughout the week.
Overall, probably a pretty successful convention. Certainly played well here in the convention hall, but of course, it's how it plays on TV and social media that really matters.
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Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris applauds from the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024.
Harris lays out her vision for America: ‘Write the next great chapter’
Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, delivering a speech that was a calculated mixture of vibes and substance. She sought to balance bashing former President Donald Trump with laying out her vision for the future of the country.
"In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious," Harris said, in one of many comments taking aim at the former president.
Though she didn’t hold back in criticizing Trump – a trend among speakers throughout the convention – Harris also sought to assure voters that she would vie to end the divisiveness that has plagued the nation’s politics for years.
“I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self,” Harris said.
Harris’ highly anticipated address came at the tailend of a week filled with appearances from party heavyweights like former President Barack Obama as well as celebrities like Oprah Winfrey. There was A LOT of starpower at the convention — and even a rumor that Beyoncé would show up on Thursday, which turned out to be false.
The convention began less than a month after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Though Harris has enjoyed significant momentum in the time since, she faced the tough task of proving that her campaign is the real deal and not a frantic, last-minute effort by the Dems to defeat Trump.
In her speech, Harris touched on issues ranging from border security and abortion to health care and the war in Gaza — a topic that led to protests in Chicago throughout the week, including on Thursday night. Though the city had been bracing for massive demonstrations with the potential to disrupt the convention, the protests never reached a scale that had a palpable impact on the week’s proceedings. Still, Harris addressed the issue head-on in her speech — and sought to touch on at least some of the concerns of the protesters out on the street.
“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” Harris said, which led to a massive round of applause in Chicago’s United Center.
She concluded her speech with a unifying call for Americans to “write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told,” saying that it’s “our turn to do what generations before us have done.”
“Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth — the privilege and pride of being an American.”
“So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there and let’s vote for it,” Harris added.
The convention was probably “pretty successful” for Democrats overall and they were able to target three key groups throughout it, including union members, Black voters, and Republican-leaning independents who don’t like Trump, says Jon Lieber, Eurasia Group’s managing director for the US. It played out well in the convention hall, Lieber added, but how “it plays out on TV and social media” is what really matters.
We’ll be watching to see if her messaging resonated with voters, particularly undecideds and those in crucial swing states.
Plus: Be sure to watch Jon Lieber recap the main takeaways from the DNC here.
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- Kamala Harris makes her case - GZERO Media ›
The Democrats’ DNC rebrand: Is the shoe on the other foot now?
Well, the Democratic National Convention is over, and as rebrands go, this was a turnaround the likes of which we haven’t seen since, say, Birkenstock went from hideous hippy sandal to high fashion icon.
Remember, barely a month ago this was a party in trouble. It was trailing in the polls, led by a visibly diminished president, and at war with itself about what to do about both of those things. The vibe was worse than hopeless; it was listless. Like, early 1990’s Apple hopeless and listless.
So much for all that. Over the past week, the Democrats reinjected a sense of energy and optimism into a party that was not long ago getting shelled with “Weekend at Bernie’s” jokes.
In doing so, they achieved three important things:
1. They passed the torch
Not just from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris but to a younger generation of Democrats altogether. I mean, whatever your view on Bill Clinton — mixed feelings over his legacy were reflected in the response to his speech – it was a moment for him to head off into history with a speech to a party that welcomed him 30 years ago as the face of the future.
2. They unified around a decent and reasonably positive message
They took shots at Donald Trump and his agenda for sure (Harris might have spent too much time on this in her speech), but the story felt less like “vote for us or else X” and more like “vote for us because of Y.”
The Democrats told a nice story about a progressive, inclusive future America, where middle-class people have nice places to live, well-fed kids don’t get shot at school, and where women are free to choose what they do with their own bodies.
3. But, mostly, they showed something they didn’t seem to have a month ago: energy
The convention, in the end, was a party for a party that needed it.
To be fair, not everything was great. Some of the speakers were duds, not all the jokes landed, and the programming ran late – Democrats appear to have adopted California’s idea of “prime time” in honor of their nominee. And there were, of course, maggots in the breakfast buffet. But these are nitpicks.
The bigger question is: What happens now? The landscape for Democrats outside of Chicago’s United Center is still a sobering one. Polls show Harris in a statistical dead heat with Donald Trump.
RFK Jr., the strongest third-party US presidential candidate in 30 years, is about to bow out of the race and pledge his support to Trump, which could give the ex-president the decisive few extra points worth of voters he’ll need.
In the end, branding and rebranding have their limits. A political party, and a presidential candidate, have to do more than sell sandals. They have to – in the words of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Harris herself – “Do something! Do something! Do something!”
Now that the party’s over, Harris and the Democrats have just 70 days to show what they are going to do – and how.
The Framing of Kamala Harris
Happy Thursday. We just are hours away from Kamala Harris wrapping up the Democratic National Convention with the biggest speech of her life. Here’s what is on our podium today:
- Vital signs: The ticking health care time bomb
- Bye-bye, asylum-seekers
- Rail shutdown threatens supply lines
- DNC vibes & partisan fervor
- Plus: Brace yourself for record-breaking hurricane season
But first, it’s Harris’ moment to lead the Democratic Party, and what she does tonight will shape the campaign over the next 75 days. What are her goals? How will this set up the rest of the campaign? And is the most surprising political battle of this cycle about which party really owns the word “freedom”?
Harris has three jobs as she takes over the ticket:
1. Unite the party: Check
Any thought there was lingering bitterness after Joe Biden was, um, Nancy Pelosi’ed to step down, has been banished. Harris has raised over $300 million and is currently fracking Bakken Formation–levels of enthusiasm from what many thought were dry Democratic wells.
Democrats will emerge from the convention — as Republicans did from the RNC — with big momentum, flush with money and a sense of hope and possibility that was nowhere to be seen when Biden was starring in the political version of “Thelma and Louise,” driving the party off an electoral cliff.
Hope matters in politics because it fuels volunteers to drive the get-out-the-vote machine, boosts fundraising, and resonates with key voting blocks like suburban women, Black and Latino voters, and young people, the core of the blue machine.
Harris’ biggest challenge remains connecting with white, working, and middle-class male voters in the seven swing states. The gender gap is a significant element of the campaign, and Democrats have been losing these voters by the bale load. Enter vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, whose folksy pep rally speech last night ditched virtually any mention of his years in Congress in favor of focusing on his military service, his hunting, and his football coaching career. Walz doesn’t bring a swing state like Pennsylvania with him, but he does bring the regular dad-in-flannel authenticity factor meant to move middle-class and working-class men back to the Democratic Party.
2. Define herself before the opposition can define her: Check
Elections are about framing three kinds of narrative. First, frame the narrative about your own candidate, then frame one around your opponent to create contrast, and, finally, frame the ballot box question urging a call to action.
The Obama folks used to call this Public Narrative theory, based on the work of a guy called Marshall Ganz. The idea is to first tell the “story of self” — why you are here and what your purpose or mission is all about. Then tell the “story of us,” which is why we all have a common cause in the mission, and end the campaign with a call to action, the fierce urgency of the moment, which Ganz calls the “the story of now.”
You can track the four days of the DNC by how they hit these three key objectives, showing that the Ganz book is still very much the DNA of the party with Harris at the top.
Harris is essentially new as a presidential candidate, which means she is balancing both the celebration of Biden’s record and taking credit for its successes while distancing herself from it enough to introduce herself as an agent of change.
This is why she starts with the story of self. Ironically, Harris is helped by the fact that she was a somewhat invisible vice president, even if she was very present on the abortion issue. Her lack of public persona began as a shield issue (Who is she? What did she accomplish in three and half years?), but now it’s very much a sword. Harris is a blank slate, so her team has been able to define her with the story of a joyful warrior, a protector, a prosecutor, and someone who fights for the middle class. Tonight, she will try to set that frame in stone — and then put one around the Trump campaign, as her running mate, Tim Walz, started to do last night. Trump as “weird,” Trump as “felon,” and Trump as only about Trump.
The framing issue is bedeviling Trump, who until now has been a master at it. “Crooked Hillary.” “Sleepy Joe.” Those adolescent nicknames have worked because they have a ring of truth for his audience. Biden really is, well, kinda sleepy. On Wednesday, Trump admitted he’s having a really hard time trying to frame Harris. “I think her name will be Comrade,” he said, going off script. “Because that is the most accurate,” he continued, thinking out loud. “You know, I’ve been looking for a name, and people have been saying, ‘Sir, don’t do it' — you know, all my names, they have all worked, they have all been very successful — and I really didn’t find one with her!”
So far, “Comrade Kamala” is not sticking, though the strategy of calling her and Tim Walz radical communists is the playbook. But until Trump can figure something out, Harris has time to set her own frame.
Why hasn’t it worked for Trump?The "Commie" stuff is a stretch because it’s not the 1950s anymore. The Red Scare is generationally out of touch — and, besides, it’s Trump who has closer ties to Putin than the Democrats. Harris also has put out so little policy to date — a weakness in many ways but an asset in this instance — that there is no hook on which to hang the name. Meanwhile, the Harris team has adopted a kind of “haters-gonna-hate, shake-it-off” vibe, and instead of ignoring Trump (they’ve hopped off the “they go low, we go high” bandwagon), they have countered with a name of their own: “Weird.”
Trump has managed to avoid being defined by opponents because he’s always the one on offense, but the Harris folks have sidestepped him, effectively using the extreme parts of the Trump movement and his own bizarre conspiracy theories to push him out of the mainstream and marginalize him. Right now, she is winning the framing battle.
3. Set the ballot box question: The toughest task ahead for both Harris and Trump
This is the story of now, and what this campaign is all about. Trump is counting on the salience of issues like immigration, the economy, security, and the culture wars against “woke-ism” to define his campaign. He is back to his American carnage, “Après moi, le déluge” phase. It’s ominous stuff, but it works for him, and he is still very much in play in this election. But Trump’s support is not growing. Harris is pushing issues like abortion, anti-corporate greed, and anti-Trump to define her campaign. She wants the election to be about Trump because Dems believe he is an increasingly volatile liability, especially as he deepens his dive into conspiracy theories, comments about her racial identity, and simply lies about what he says are her AI-generated crowds.
There is one more fascinating framing battle going on: the battle over the word "freedom." Freedom has classically been the rallying cry of the right — freedom from big government, freedom to bear arms, freedom of the individual against the tyranny of Big Pharma, Big Tech, the Deep State, etc. It is the cornerstone of the victimization narrative and what is supposed to underpin the “fight, fight, fight” rallying cry.
“The right has traditionally owned patriotism and freedom in both its narrative and in how people view parties on the right or center-right,” pollster and CEO of Abacus Data David Coletto told me. “But I think freedom likely means different things to different people, which is why I think it’s smart for the left to try to gain some share back on it. This is especially true in the US, where abortion rights and freedom to make decisions about one’s life are salient.”
That’s why the Democrats have openly tried to yank back the word and flip the script. As you heard Walz last night repeat his Minnesota slogan, “Mind your own damn business,” the Dems argue that it’s Republicans who are infringing on freedoms for women and the LGBTQ community and infringing on the right to health care. On a more meta level, they are arguing that Dems will protect the institutions that are there to protect freedom — like safeguarding the US Capitol from an insurrection.
While Biden focused his campaign on the word “democracy,” under Harris, everyone from Walz and Oprah to Obama to Shapiro to Buttigieg has made sure the word “freedom” has been front and center. A recentWashington Post article pointed out that “at 100 campaign events since launching his reelection in April 2023, Biden referenced “democracy” 386 times and “freedom” about 175 times. By comparison, in nine campaign rallies since Biden dropped out, Harris referenced “freedom” nearly 60 times and “democracy” around a dozen.
“The fight over the word matters,” says Coletto. “As the world has become more insecure, and as people witness the return of authoritarianism, we are less likely to take freedom for granted. I think the concept is on the ascendency again as people contrast their own lives and how they want to live with how they see others living in less free countries.”
At this moment, who protects freedom and who curtails it is not the ballot question — likely the economy will still be the decider for independents — but the freedom debate is the proxy war here.
As she speaks tonight, expect Kamala Harris to try to hang the “freedom” frame around the campaign.
Democrats criticize the Republicans during the Democratic National Convention.
The Democrats rally the troops, warn about Trump
The Democratic National Convention is wrapping up Thursdayafter four days of speeches, rallies, gatherings, bar chats, (smaller than expected) protests, and general troop rallying ahead of the November presidential election. Oprah Winfrey even made an appearance.
Last night, Tim Walz formally accepted the nomination for vice president, and tonight Kamala Harris will do the same for the Democrats’ presidential nominee nod. She faces the challenge of delivering a speech that can rival the ovation-moving addresses of the week – from the likes of Oprah, Hillary Clinton, and Barack and Michelle Obama.
The Democrats have used the convention to hammer on Republican opponent Donald Trump, warning that a second Trump administration would mean an end to rights and freedoms, a cozying up to Russia and North Korea, the dismantling of improvements in health care affordability, and more. Former President Obama even managed to sneak in a jab at Trump’s “weird obsession with crowd sizes,” a joke that hit … below the belt.
Trump wasn’t pleased, hitting back that the Obamas were “getting personal,” a habit shared by the Republican nominee himself. Trump also attacked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro over his criticisms, calling him a “highly overrated Jewish governor.” At a rally in North Carolina, Trump also took a run at Harris, calling her “stupid” and suggesting she was a “Marxist or a communist.”
While convention time is ripe for jabs, the partisan fervor of the DNC and RNC gatherings this summer suggest that some of the upcoming presidential election may be a study in going low – very low – or what Trump might call “nasty.”
But there may also be some good vibes, a notion that Walz singled out in his acceptance speech as he thanked the crowd for “bringing the joy,” and which has buoyed Democrats since Harris replaced Joe Biden as the presumptive presidential nominee.Former President Barack Obama speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.
The Obamas sell Harris as hope making a comeback: ‘Yes she can’
Former President Barack Obama took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in his hometown of Chicago on Tuesday night and turned “Yes we can” into “Yes she can.”
Obama used his address to make the case for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, sharply contrasting her with former President Donald Trump.
“Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama said of Trump.
Obama also touted Harris’ record as a prosecutor, praised her stances on issues like health care and abortion, and portrayed the vice president as someone who could restore a sense of kindness and empathy to the country amid a period of historical political divisions.
“The vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around the Harris-Walz campaign tells us we’re not alone,” Obama said, also referring to Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Obama lauded Walz as the “type of person who should be in politics,” painting the Democratic vice presidential nominee – a former teacher and high school football coach – as a genuine, salt-of-the-Earth American.
“You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some consultant. They come from his closet, and they’ve been through some stuff,” he said of Walz.
Good vibrations. The former president spoke after his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, who struck a similar tone. “Something wonderfully magical is in the air,” she said in her remarks. “It's the contagious power of hope.”
“America, hope is making a comeback!" she declared, leading the arena to erupt in approval.
The crowd in Chicago’s United Center seemed to hang on their every word – a sign of the enduring influence the Obamas have over the Democratic Party.
Though both Obamas riled up the convention with optimistic messages about the Harris campaign, they also warned that she faced a tight race — imploring Democrats not to be complacent.
“Now the torch has been passed. Now it's up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake, it will be a fight,” the former president said.
Meanwhile, Bernie stayed on brand. Earlier in the night, Sen. Bernie Sanders urged voters to support Harris in November and praised the Biden administration’s handling of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Vermont senator, perhaps the most prominent progressive in the country, primarily used his address to outline his economic vision for the country — railing against the “billionaire class.”
Sanders, who didn’t rush to endorse Harris after Biden dropped out, has long sought to push the Democratic Party further to the left and to embrace policies that will boost the working class. His Tuesday address was reminiscent of many of the campaign speeches Sanders gave while running for president in 2016 and 2020.
Sanders also touched on the war in Gaza, which has led to protests outside of the arena. “We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad,” Sanders said, “Abroad, we must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate cease-fire.”
We’ll be watching to see if the backing of powerful figures like the Obamas and Sanders will be enough to help the Harris-Walz campaign sustain and build on its recent momentum in the 2024 race. Day 3 at the DNC will feature a highly anticipated speech from Walz – who was relatively unknown before being tapped by Harris earlier this month – and he’ll have an opportunity to sell himself to voters on the national stage.
DNC Night 2: Obama set to rally support for Harris
Jon Lieber, Eurasia Group's head of research and managing director for the firm's coverage of United States political and policy developments, shares his perspective on US politics from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
What we're watching in US Politics: The Democratic National Convention Day 2, where former President Barack Obama is set to speak and rally support for Kamala Harris ahead of her Thursday appearance.
We are here in Chicago on day two of the Democratic National Convention, where tonight, former President Barack Obama is set to speak. Yesterday's, opening day at the convention was all about turning the page on the old guard of the Democratic Party, with Hillary Clinton giving a speech and Joe Biden giving a strong endorsement of Kamala Harris. And today is all about handing that off to her, with Obama, who's considered the Democrat's best speech giver and one of the most exciting figures that unifies the party set to speak tonight in order to send a message of Democratic unity rallying around a Harris. Kind of a quieter day here in Chicago. There are some protests going on related to Gaza that aren't really affecting the proceedings at all.
The big build-up is, of course, leading up to Harris's appearance on Thursday night. So lots of delegate activity, lots of side meetings going on about how to campaign, how to deliver the message the Democrats want to hit on this year. Lots of stuff going on inside the hall focusing on issues of freedom, access to abortion, and the diversity of the Democratic Party on display with a lot, of course, of union representation representing a contrast with former President Donald Trump. So should be an interesting, exciting night as Democrats try to unify around Kamala Harris and make the case to the American people that she is worthy of their vote.
So we'll be here all week. Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more of what we're paying attention to in US politics.
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