The third day of the Democratic National Convention fell short of the emotional high of the previous two days, but the party maintained momentum ahead of Vice President Harris’ big speech on Thursday.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), was the center of attention Wednesday, with other notable guests including former President Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, along with a surprise appearance from TV legend Oprah Winfrey.
Key points include:
Waltz appeals to middle-class Americans
On the most important night of his political career, Walz lived up to those expectations.
His greatest political strength is his unassuming, plainspoken Midwestern persona.
That image was underscored the moment they took to the United Center stage with John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” playing.
Waltz spoke about his upbringing in Nebraska, his 24 years of service in the Army National Guard and his career as a social studies teacher who also served as the school’s football coach.
The audience waved “Coach Waltz” signs throughout the speech.
President Trump’s supporters have tried to paint Governor Walz as an extremist, pointing to his record as governor of backing a bill that would have required schools to provide tampons and other supplies to “all students who menstruate,” without specifically targeting girls.
But Walz highlighted less controversial elements of his record, such as mandating free breakfast and lunch in schools.
“While other states were banning books from schools, we were eliminating hunger from our schools,” he said.
He asserted that he is focused on “making a difference in the lives of our neighbors” through policies such as providing paid family and sick leave.
The speech also had some emotional moments, as his children, Hope and Gus, were moved to tears as he spoke about the infertility struggles he and his wife, Gwen, experienced.
Walz may not have the rhetorical sophistication of some politicians, but his speech on Wednesday showcased his courageous and combative appeal.
Pelosi navigates awkward convention moment
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), perhaps the most significant person to urge Biden to step aside from his reelection bid, navigated a potentially awkward moment during her convention speech.
Pelosi praised Biden’s accomplishments and “patriotic vision for a more equitable America.” She argued that Biden’s tenure had been “one of the most successful presidencies of modern times.”
She then said she has known Harris “for decades” and praised her for “accepting the nomination with such quickness and grace and selecting Tim Walz as her vice president.”
Speaker Pelosi spent much of her relatively short speech speaking about the dangers presented during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“We must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections and respect the peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
Biden’s most ardent supporters have strong feelings about Pelosi, but the dramatic increase in Democratic enthusiasm and optimism over Harris’ nomination is telling.
Clinton reveals age while making case for Harris
Former President Clinton endorsed Harris on Wednesday.
But his hoarse, 28-minute speech was a reminder of his advanced age.
Clinton told the audience she turned 78 on Monday but stressed that “I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”
Harris has called herself a “man of hope,” a slogan from her 1992 campaign that capitalized on her Arkansas background, but which now seems a distant memory, even as she suggests she could deliver a similar message as a “president of joy.”
Clinton reportedly rewrote his speech at the last minute to adapt it and reflect the rising tide within the Democratic Party. At times, he showed he still had the ability to connect with his audience.
He focused on the core message of Harris’ campaign, positioning her race against former President Trump this year as “a pretty clear choice between ‘Kamala Harris for the People’ or another candidate who has proven even more that she believes in ‘me, me, and me’ than she did in the first campaign.”
Clinton repeatedly mocked the Republican candidate’s narcissism, telling the audience that the next time they hear Trump speak, they should “count the me’s” rather than “count the lies.”
Looking ahead to November, the former president said, “We’ve seen so many elections that we thought weren’t going to happen slip away,” appearing to lightly reference Hillary Clinton’s shocking loss to Trump in 2016.
Oprah reveals the biggest surprise of the night
Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance that night, arguing that “2024 is about civility and respect” and that voters must choose “inclusion over retaliation, common sense over irrelevance.”
She received a rapturous welcome in her home city during her successful daily talk show appearances over the years.
Winfrey has long since overcome her early reluctance to get involved in partisan politics, a stance that changed around the time she endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in the 2008 presidential election.
At the time, Winfrey, while a strong supporter of Obama, seemed uncomfortable with the aggressive attacks.
On Wednesday, she felt no such discomfort, blasting Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio for comments about “childless women who like cats” and, in an apparent reference to Trump, insisting that “we’re beyond stupid tweets.”
Winfrey was one of several celebrities who made appearances Wednesday, including musicians Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Sheila E., comedian Kenan Thompson and actress and comedian Mindy Kaling.
Divisions erupt again over Gaza
The Gaza conflict is one of the most contentious issues within the Democratic Party.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Monday were smaller than expected, but tensions over the issue flared again on Wednesday.
In the Democratic primaries, significant numbers of voters (19 percent in Minnesota and 13 percent in Michigan) voted “indifferent” in protest at Biden’s policies toward Israel and Gaza.
Nationally, the Uncommitted movement gained 30 delegates to the convention.
But supporters of the movement faced fresh anger on Wednesday after it became clear that convention organizers would not allow any Palestinians to speak on stage.
Protesters, joined at one point by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), began a sit-in at the convention site on Wednesday evening in an attempt to overturn the decision.
Separately, another large march is planned for Thursday.
