CHICAGO – I sat down to enjoy my morning ritual of sipping espresso on Wednesday, this time at the Gallery Coffee Shop, just two miles from Chicago’s United Center, site of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. As I was checking the latest news on my laptop, a white man with a short gray beard, wearing red sweatpants and a dark blue T-shirt, approached me and pointed to my press card hanging around my neck. “You’re here covering the Democrats?” he said.
I made a mental note to try to remember to remove the passes again until they were needed. “Yes,” I said.
“I am a Republican,” he said quietly.
“Okay,” I replied, waiting to hear what would happen next.
“I like these guys a lot,” he said with a broad smile. Then he shook my hand, turned to leave after telling me to enjoy my coffee, and suggested that Donald Trump have fun in a way that is not recommended for those who are not into acrobatics.
I didn’t expect this. Nor did I expect the “happy warrior” atmosphere or the spontaneous celebrations beyond the well-organized celebrations of the Democratic National Convention that were rife in Chicago during the convention. But make no mistake, none of this is about Kamala Harris. It’s about the absence of President Joe Biden on the ticket and the hope that “we can finally defeat Trump.” Instead of the somber activities and dull speeches of previous conventions, filled with absurd and false claims and dogmatic musings on a reality that had little stake, Democrats were celebrating a generational change in leadership and publicly displaying none of the inner workings of the party’s notorious ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And they were doing it all with a sense of humor.
It's a quote attributed to John Lennon: “The establishment will tease you—pull your beard, beat your face—to make you fight. Because once they make you violent, they know how to deal with you. The only thing they don't know how to deal with is nonviolence and humor.”
Before the convention, many experts noted the superficial similarities between the convention and the 1968 Chicago convention. There was the threat of violence, the incumbent president was not running for office, and the potential for intraparty discord. But so far there has been no violence, the incumbent has galvanized the party, and instead of a roomful of childish bickering, the Democrats are holding a political Woodstock—with hippies and conservatives in attendance. I expected to see Hunter S. Thompson on the convention floor doing drugs.
Even Chuck Schumer, who rarely has the energy to do more than ramble incoherently while sounding like a cicada, was semi-energetic on stage.
After eight years of Donald Trump’s rhetoric, Democrats may have found an answer to Trump’s bleak pronouncements and outlook for this country—his stubborn whining and his narcissistic, nihilistic, and frankly disgusting behavior. Instead of relying on one man to solve all our problems, Democrats have embraced the idea that “we’re not going back” and that “we’re all in it together.” (Note: A reference to the Beatles’ “All Together Now.”)
In fact, Democrats have drawn on their progressive past to chart the future. Time and again, every speaker on stage has talked about grassroots, unions, workers, and how the wealthy are killing the American dream by not paying their fair share of taxes. They seem to have resonated with millions who are tired of divisive rhetoric and want a better future for “our children and our grandchildren,” as several speakers put it. And that has struck a chord.
No one knows this better than Trump. He has been riding the tide of public opinion for so long that he can smell a shift in the tide before anyone else sees it. A White House reporter told me Tuesday night that Trump is increasingly panicking and angry at Democrats for switching candidates. But his vengeance tour has apparently worn him down. “His last speech was low energy,” I was told. “He looked sullen. He looked wooden, more than ever.” Those inside Trump’s camp say he is convinced that Democrats staged the entire “coup” that never happened against Biden as a “way to derail” the Trump campaign. Remember, it’s always about Donald. Sometimes that’s true. Democrats are hoping to derail Donald — for reasons that Democrats have been detailing daily during their convention.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former fixer, was sitting in the front seat of the Lyft in which he, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (who testified before Congress about the January 6 insurrection), and I were getting to a party Tuesday night hosted by Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin. Cohen had overheard my conversation with a colleague about Trump’s recent appearances. Knowing Trump better than anyone, Cohen was forced to say after I hung up that he didn’t think Trump’s recent behavior was solely about the election. He did, however, acknowledge that it had something to do with it. After all, Trump had no doubt seen the events unfold in Chicago.
“We've taken the gloves off, I'm so happy,” Dan said. “Someone needs a metaphorical slap in the face. I've been waiting for someone to do that.”
Democrats used rhetoric against Trump in rhetoric after rhetoric during the first two nights. Rep. Raskin called them “banana Republicans.” “It’s not just the heat,” he laughed. “It’s the stupidity.” Hillary Clinton relished her opportunity to criticize Trump and what’s left of the GOP with a biblical reference, “the last, the least, and the lost.” The repetitions continued with descriptions like “a vile, vengeful villain who violates the vision of voters” — a real gem from Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas. The second night’s host, Ana Navarro of “The View,” offered this description: “Donald Trump can only hold two things: a grudge and a golf club.”
The Democrats have clearly hired some good writers, but beyond the one-liners and the sarcastic comments, the Democrats have redefined their identity—reclaiming buzzwords like “family values” and “patriotism” that Republicans had seized years ago. The result is a Democratic convention that celebrates its diversity in a way I have never seen in 40 years of covering presidential politics—and in a way that truly frightens Trump.
But Cohen, for his part, remains convinced that Trump’s wooden demeanor and recent resulting nervous breakdowns are not entirely the fault of Democrats. “I’ve been a Democrat for a long time,” Cohen said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never seen anything like this. The energy is great, but there’s something else that’s bothering Donald Trump.”
On September 18, Judge Juan Merchan is scheduled to sentence Trump on 34 felony charges in a Manhattan court. While there is speculation that the sentencing could be delayed again, Cohen doubts that will happen and believes Trump will be sentenced to prison, though he also believes Trump will not be held in pretrial detention until after the general election in November.
“Trump thinks if it’s 60 or 90 days away, he doesn’t have to worry about it. But once he puts it on his agenda, once it gets close, he can’t stop thinking about it. He’s obsessed with it,” Cohen explained. “And if he gets sentenced to prison, he knows a lot of Republicans won’t vote for him. He’s scared of all that.”
Cohen believes that Trump's anger and despair could eventually lead to his downfall.
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Former President Barack Obama even hinted at Trump’s concerns when he joked about Trump’s bizarre obsession with “crowd size” Tuesday night. “He hasn’t stopped complaining about his problems since he got on his golden escalator,” Obama said, echoing Cohen’s thoughts. “It’s been a constant stream of complaints and grievances that are even worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala.”
The former president appeared on a night that included a roll call vote hosted by DJ Cassidy and featuring rapper Lil Jon and actor Sean Astin. The roll call votes are sometimes punctuated by impassioned remarks from individual delegation leaders, but they never felt like a concert. Democrats have changed that. I haven’t seen this much spontaneous dancing since Al Gore at the 1996 Chicago convention encouraged the entire arena to do the Macarena. Democrats, it seems, have become better dancers in the past 28 years.
While that was historic, the real kicker was the inclusion of Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles of Arizona as a speaker Tuesday night. He admitted on stage that he didn’t know if he would feel comfortable appearing at the Democratic convention, prompting a series of cheers before Giles delivered a coffin-like statement about Donald Trump’s MAGA Party. “The Republican Party of John McCain is gone and we don’t owe anything to what’s left behind,” Giles said to rapturous applause. The more than 20,000 people in the arena cheered enthusiastically.
Even Chuck Schumer, who rarely has the energy to do more than ramble on, was half-energized on stage. After his speech, he huddled with reporters and told us he was as happy as a school kid because of the energy.
Michelle Obama said the “contagious power of hope” was what drove Democrats, and she proved to be a powerful speaker who was well-liked by Democrats.
But let’s not forget that none of this would have happened without Joe Biden. Former President Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and others have all mentioned Biden, but his party and this country owe him a debt of gratitude once again.
He’s not weak. He’s not angry with the world, though he may be a little angry with some of his “friends.” The truth is, as former President Obama said in his closing remarks Tuesday night: “History will remember Joe Biden as a president who stood up for democracy at a moment of great peril. I’m proud to call him president, but I’m even prouder to call him my friend.”
Biden said Monday night that he was once too young to be a senator, and now he was too old to be president — a moment that was not planned. That night, he cemented his legacy as a bridge to the next generation and embodied the spirit of Cincinnatus, who saved the Roman Republic. “Now the torch has been passed,” former President Obama said.
Joe Biden provided the spark that ignited the energy in the Democratic Party and spawned groups like Republicans for Harris. He gave his unconditional support to his vice president. Biden spoke loudly and passionately. (On the sidelines, several Democrats have said that if Hillary Clinton had also spoken in 2016 or if Biden had also spoken during the debate, we would never have had to face the specter of Donald Trump in public office.)
Yes, the Democratic energy is real, though even party loyalists acknowledge that there is still a long way to go and that elections are coming up. “But look what we did last month,” Dan said with a smile as we walked into Ruskin’s party, which was filled with hippies and conservatives.
The challenge now is to turn the energy Chicago has seen so far into votes, and then secure an election that Donald Trump and his cronies will try to disrupt. The process will involve voter suppression tactics similar to those seen in recent elections. Democrats acknowledge that these are significant obstacles, but there is no denying the sense of hope and exhilaration in Chicago.
“We will not back down,” the cheering crowd declared. For the first time, Democrats seemed united behind one cause: defeating Donald Trump. Who knows how long that unity might last.
But never forget that it was all made possible by a modern-day Cincinnati, President Joe Biden.
“Thank you, Joe,” the cheering crowd declared.
After the dust settles, if the republic we all stand for continues to do this, Biden will long be remembered as a true patriot and leader who put the country’s interests above his own. That’s something Donald Trump never could do.
Trump's fate lies elsewhere as long as Democrats don't screw him over:
“No name here forever… Darkness there and nothing more… Just this and nothing more… Never,” said the raven.“.”
