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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.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for the signing into law a bill at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, December 17, 2010.
Mitch McConnell takes his cue
Why now? McConnell was frank: The winds have turned against him. The Reaganite ideals in vogue when McConnell first came to office in 1985 have been supplanted by Trumpist populism.
“I have many faults,” McConnell said. “Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”
Even ardent opponents would have to agree. McConnell’s tactical reputation is legendary – to give arguably the most impactful example, he ensured a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court by blocking confirmation hearings for then-nominee Merrick Garland during President Barack Obama’s last term. The ramifications of that legacy will outlive us all.
Who’s next? The iPhone wasn’t on the market the last time Senate Republicans confronted leadership questions, but expect a little more MAGA. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas would seem to fit the bill, but keep your eye on Minority Whip John Thune, who might be more palatable to moderates.
World leaders with rhythm: South Korea's President Yoon chimes in
It was not, in fact, the day the music died.
The internet enjoyed a surprise moment when South Korea's President Yoon busted into song - specifically, American Pie - at a White House state dinner.
He's not the only world leader with rhythm. Watch our quick video compilation to remember some memorable tunes produced by heads of state.
For more entertainment from world leaders, revisit examples of world leaders dancing on camera.
A graph comparing Venezuela's GDP per capita with the average price of crude oil.
The Graphic Truth: Economic turmoil in Venezuela
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves but a combination of corruption, mismanagement, and tough US sanctions since the Maduro regime came to power in 2013 has meant that the petrostate has failed to benefit from its vast reserves of liquid gold.
While high oil prices under the Chavez regime in the early 2000s gave a boost to Venezuela’s middle class, US sanctions first imposed in 2006 – and significantly ramped up under the Obama and Trump administrations – have cut Caracas off from US financial systems.
Economic hardship is rife, with a staggering 50% of people living in extreme poverty. Pervasive hopelessness has also led to one of the worst migrant crises in the world.
In a bid to offset a global energy crisis in 2022 as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Biden administration began lifting some sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector. So how are things faring? We look at GDP per capita and corresponding oil prices since 1999.
Mitt Romney on the threat Russia poses to the world
It was nearly 11 years ago that then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney sat on stage with then-president Barack Obama and was ridiculed for identifying Russia as America’s chief geopolitical foe. Looking back today, the Utah Senator stands by what he said then. And he looks a heck of a lot smarter on the subject today than he may have in 2012. “They were a geopolitical adversary. No question about it. Every initiative that we had at the UN, they would block.”
In the latest episode of GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Senator Romney in his DC office to discuss a range of geopolitical issues, including the current threat that Russia poses, not just to Ukraine but to the world at large. But when Bremmer presses the Senator on how far US military support for Ukraine should go, Romney punts the question back onto the Biden administration. “Someone's got to lay out how we get where we want to get as opposed to just hoping that the extraordinary resolve of the Ukrainian military and of their people, that that'll be enough.”
Watch the GZERO World episode: Sen. Mitt Romney on DC dysfunction, Russian attacks, and banning TikTok
Does alcohol help bring the world together?
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer takes a look at the yin and the yang of alcohol's role in high-level diplomacy and society at large. Alcohol can bring people together just as easily as it can tear them apart. From a 1995 Clinton/Yeltsin Summit where a drunk Yeltsin almost derailed Bosnian peace talks, to Obama's Beer Summit and the recent G7 Summit, booze plays a part in how world leaders interact. Globally, alcohol consumption has been steadily increasing, by over 70 percent between 1990 and 2017, according to one report. . Low and middle-income nations like Vietnam, India, and China are a driving force behind that trend, with drinking in Southeast Asia rising by over 34 percent between 2010 and 2017. And yet, amidst this global booze boom, the world has only grown more and more divided.
Watch the episode: The (political) power of alcohol
The (political) power of alcohol
Alcohol. It's a dangerous drug that has ruined countless lives and derailed many a global summit. But it's also humanity's oldest social lubricant, a magical elixir that can fuel diplomatic breakthroughs, well into the wee hours of the night. As Winston Churchill once quipped, "I've taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me." On GZERO World, we take a deep dive down the bottle and examine the role alcohol has played in society, politics, and global summitry—from the earliest hunter-gatherer days to that memorable Obama Beer Summit in 2009. Joining Ian Bremmer is philosopher Edward Slingerland, whose new book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way Into Civilization makes a compelling, if nuanced, case for alcohol's place in the world.
Also: since alcohol isn't the only social drug, a look at the state of marijuana legalization across the US and around the world.
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Podcast: Alcohol, diplomacy & society, from Edward Slingerland's perspective
Listen: A deep dive down the bottle to examine the role alcohol has played in society, politics, and global summitry—from the earliest hunter-gatherer days to that memorable Obama Beer Summit in 2009. Joining Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast is philosopher Edward Slingerland, whose new book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way Into Civilization makes a compelling, if nuanced, case for alcohol's place in the world.
Subscribe to the GZERO World Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.