On Wednesday night, Democrats tried to recast themselves as the party of freedom, portraying presidential candidate Kamala Harris as a defender of freedom and Donald Trump as a taker of it.
And to achieve that, they deployed the old guard: former President Bill Clinton and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; American cultural icons Oprah Winfrey and Stevie Wonder; younger party leaders like Governors Josh Shapiro and Wes Moore and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; and a host of leaders of affiliated organizations that work on human rights, reproductive rights and sexual minority rights.
And if the reaction of the more than 20,000 attendees at their party’s convention at Chicago’s United Center arena was any indication, the message was received.
With the motto “Fight for Freedom,” Republicans have cast themselves as the party of freedom, while Democrats, long seen as the party of big government, have sought to turn the tide — a shift in messaging exacerbated by Ms. Harris becoming the party’s nominee last month.
Oprah makes a surprise appearance
Oprah, who claims to be a political independent, made a surprise appearance at the convention after screening a video in which ordinary Americans explained what the concept of freedom means to them. The audience erupted in thunderous applause and gave her a standing ovation.
She highlighted the issue of abortion, referring to the testimonies of people who suffered the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke the state’s abortion protections. Pointing to her own body, she said,
“If you have no autonomy, if you have no control over when and how you bring your children into the world and how you raise and support them, there is no American Dream.” The women and men who are fighting to keep us from going back to an age of despair, shame and stone-cold fear are the new freedom fighters. And, without a doubt, you are the best of America. ”
Oprah paid tribute to the black girls who were on the front lines fighting school segregation in the 1950s, and connected it to Kamala Harris’ story. “Someone at school and at home beautifully taught this girl how to challenge those at the top and empower those at the bottom.
You instilled in her a passion for justice and freedom and a great fighting spirit that is needed to pursue that passion… And soon… we will teach our daughters and sons how this child of two idealistic, energetic immigrants, an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, grew up to become the 47th President of the United States. ”
Buttigieg, who is gay, mocked Trump and J.D. Vance, but at the same time linked the idea of freedom to his own history as a family man. He and his husband have two small children.
“In less than half a lifetime, this kind of life went from impossible to possible, from possible to reality, from reality to almost commonplace. But it didn’t just happen that way. It was brought about. Through idealism and courage. Through organization and persuasion. And through storytelling, and, yes, politics. The right kind of politics.”
The Party of Real Freedom
Shapiro, who was vying to be Harris’ running mate, portrayed the Democrats as the party of “real freedom” and attacked President Trump for giving them the rights — and the freedoms they want to take away. “It’s not free to tell kids what books they can read. It’s not free to tell women what they can do with their bodies.
And it’s certainly not free to say they can vote, but it’s him who picks the winner.” Rather, true freedom is having good public schools, investing in police and society, joining a union, marrying who you want and raising your family how you want, Shapiro said.
“True freedom is looking at Madam President and knowing that this is a country where you can do anything,” said Maryland Governor Moore, an Afghanistan veteran and the state’s first black governor. “The theme of freedom is seasoned with the idea of patriotism, another theme Democrats want to get back from the Republicans.
Clinton Takes Aim at Donald Trump Clinton, the 78-year-old former president who said she attended the convention since 1972 and left office 23 years ago, turned the tables and said she is still younger than the Republican candidate. She called Harris a “joyful president” who cares about all Americans, while Trump was obsessed with “me, me, me.
” But given the jubilant atmosphere among Democrats, perhaps reminiscent of what happened at his wife’s 2016 campaign rally, Clinton also warned the party not to become complacent and underestimate his opponents.
And Pelosi, the Democratic grande dame who played a key role in persuading Joe Biden to drop out of the race, reminded the Democratic delegates about the mob attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and that it was on the Democratic side that the Democrats saved democracy that day.
By putting freedom, patriotism and democracy on the ballot, the Democrats hope to secure their base of support while also winning the support of volatile voters. Whether this message will reach outside the halls of the party’s supporters will become clear on November 5.
