DNC: Biden praises VP Kamala Harris’ ‘enormous integrity’
President Joe Biden’s high praise of Vice President Kamala Harris tied a bow on the end of the Democratic National Convention’s first night.
President Joe Biden said an emotional, forceful goodbye, for all intents and purposes, to more than a half-century in politics Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
It took a while to get there.
As cable-network news pundits put it — repeatedly — the night ran so long that Biden’s speech, which was the focus of coverage all day, got pushed out of prime time on the East Coast, starting well after 11 p.m. there (after 8 p.m. Arizona time). Whether that really matters in an age where people consume news differently than they used to — one person on social media said what about prime time, I’m watching this on my phone — it was at least symbolically awkward. (Some speakers were cut from the night, as was James Taylor’s performance.)
Or, as Jake Tapper put it on CNN, “There are going to be a lot of people who think Joe Biden kind of got the fuzzy end of the lollipop tonight.”
Why did Joe Biden go on so late?
Fox News was quick to suggest that it was intentional (and they weren’t the only ones). Asked if it would work to put Biden on so late, Karl Rove said, “It’s going to work if you don’t want to make the face of the convention Joe Biden. … It’s an indication they want to put him in the rearview mirror as quickly as they possibly can.”
Eh, maybe.
Long lines to get into the United Center were the supposed real culprit. Either way, the night was billed as a passing of the torch, from Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris. And it was. Sort of. Biden’s 48-minute speech, playing up his administration’s accomplishments and attacking Republican nominee Donald Trump, sounded a lot like one he could have delivered Thursday night if he were accepting his party’s nomination.
Which was, after all, how this was all supposed to go down only a month ago. One terrible debate performance later and Biden was out, Harris and Tim Walz were in and a once-moribund Democratic party is clearly more energized, something that was evident Monday night. Harris made a kinda-sorta surprise appearance and got rock-star applause. Fiery speeches from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Sen. Raphael Warnock indeed pointed toward a new, more aggressive stance toward Trump.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, who lost to Trump in 2016, was a nod toward the past. Her speech was poignant, with a callback to her signature line about breaking the “highest, hardest glass ceiling.” Now it would be Harris’ turn to try.
Ashley Biden’s speech brought tears
But all day, on all the networks, all of the coverage was building toward Biden’s speech. On CNN and MSNBC he made a difficult choice he didn’t want to make for the good of his party. On Fox News he was the victim of a “coup,” the word of the week on the network. It’s like a right-wing “Sesame Street” over there.
Biden’s daughter Ashley introduced him, talking about her father in personal terms, calling him “the OG girl dad.” In one of the most moving moments of the night, when he finally came out, they embraced and spoke briefly; he pulled a handkerchief from his pocked and dabbed at his eyes.
“That was my daughter!” Biden yelled with obvious pride after a four-and-a-half minute standing ovation. It was a nice moment.
It also signaled the energy to come. “He was in his State of the Union cadence, sort of a yelling tone,” Bret Baier said on Fox News, referring to Biden’s amped-up address in March. Indeed, Biden did raise his voice a lot, especially when talking about Trump. (“Who the hell does he think he is?”) When he did talk about the future, it often sounded like he stuck “Kamala and Tim” where “I” was in the original speech.
‘America, I gave my best to you’
He got some good lines in. “We saved Democracy in 2020, and now we must save it again in 2024.”
He was once told he was too young to serve in the U.S. Senate, and then told he was too old to stay on as president. “All this talk about how I’m angry at all those people (who) said I should step down — that’s not true.” Of course, the big one: “I love the job, but I love my country more.” Nothing got more applause than when he quoted “American Anthem,” saying, “America, I gave my best to you.”
“The old lion’s last roar,” Van Jones said on CNN. “A long roar,” Dana Bash replied.
Give him his due. Given the chaos of the last few weeks, it all seemed fitting. And remember, there are three nights to go.
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Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
