A virtual convention that turned into an
actual success
In this image from
video, former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the first night of
the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. (Democratic
National Convention via AP)
Well, that was … different.
And this time, different was good,
different was effective. This time, different worked.
Monday night’s opening of the
Democratic National Convention felt like a TV show. Then again, let’s be
honest, the national conventions have always
been made-for-TV events.
But this time around, with the
coronavirus turning the convention into a mostly-virtual event full of
taped speeches and highly produced videos, it felt like a variety show.
Smoothly hosted by actress Eva Longoria, the tightly-edited, fast-paced
show had celebrities, music videos and a series of powerful speeches.
Then the last 15 minutes turned into
a full-fledged political fight because of a devastating speech delivered by
former first lady Michelle Obama.
“I’ve never heard a first lady speak
about a sitting president of the United States the way Michelle Obama did,”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said moments after the conclusion of the first night of
the DNC.
Let’s start, however, with the night
as a whole. Thanks to obvious meticulous planning, the Democrats took a
virtual convention and turned into an actual success by leaning into the
advantages of a convention not confined to a convention hall.
There were videos featuring Joe
Biden, including one with Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” playing under
it. There were other music videos, featuring the likes of Maggie Rogers and
Leon Bridges. There were speeches of popular politicians, such as New York
City Mayor Andrew Cuomo and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. But there also
were moments of so-called “regular people” who told their stories of why Biden
is the future. That included a heartbreaking testimonial from a woman whose
father voted for Trump and died of the coronavirus, in part, she said,
because he listened to Trump downplaying the virus.
That was the most impactful moment of
the night.
Until Michelle Obama spoke in a taped
speech.
CNN’s Van Jones called it an
“extraordinary speech,” adding, “She was not just trying to put the
president down, she was picking the country up.”
But make no mistake, she put down
President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump is the wrong president
for our country,” she said. “He has had more than enough time to prove that
he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this
moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is."
It is what it is
— an obvious reference to Trump’s answer to a question about the
coronavirus.
ABC’s Byron Pitts called it the
third-most important speech of the week, presumably behind Joe Biden and
Kamala Harris. He called Michelle Obama “the cool aunt, everybody’s
favorite aunt.”
But part of her speech was more like
that of a mother, imploring that the office of the president be reserved
for someone with empathy — something she insists Trump lacks and Biden has.
In this moment, the speech felt much more intimate and, therefore, much
more effective than had it been delivered in a huge convention hall with
thousands of people. Her anger, her grace, her passion and compassion and
every other emotion was especially felt because of the format.
Fox
News’ Dana Perino said, “(It’s) very difficult to connect with an
audience without an actual audience there with you, but she has the ability
to connect with people through the screen. You got the sense when you talk
about authenticity, she has it in spades. She has that voice, she has
clarity and she knows what she was out there wanting to do.”
Her colleague, Chris Wallace, said,
“She really flayed, sliced and diced Donald Trump talking about the chaos
and confusion and lack of empathy especially coming from this president and
this White House. … This was a very effective speech.”
This is an unusual convention that
could result in disconnect and ambivalence from the audience. However,
through one night, the Democrats figured out how to make it work and
connect with their audience. Now can they keep it going for three more
nights?
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