Monday marked opening night of a Democratic national convention that will be like no other in US history, as four days of events and speeches are held almost entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 170,000 lives so far and continues to rage across the country.
Here are the main takeaways from the evening’s program:
Michelle Obama stole the show. The former first lady delivered a searing rebuke of Donald Trump in a keynote speech, arguing the president is incapable of leading the country during this moment of profound crisis due to the pandemic, its economic fallout and the national reckoning on racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May.
“If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it,” the former first lady said. The pre-taped speech attracted instant widespread praise, with many Democrats saying Obama offered an eloquent and urgent call to action.
A powerful call to action by @MichelleObama. Register to vote now at https://t.co/MykJL0X5gt. #DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Zp9qSnyFlY
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 18, 2020
An everyday American who lost her father to coronavirus upstaged many Democratic lawmakers. Kristin Urquiza specifically blamed Trump for misleading her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, who voted for Trump in 2016 about the seriousness of the virus.
The president has repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, instead championing the reopening of the economy and schools.
“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” Urquiza said. “His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.”
Urquiza’s words struck a chord with many viewers, and commentators compared her speech to that of Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who memorably criticized Trump at the 2016 Democratic convention.
George Floyd’s family delivered a plea for changes in policing. “George should be alive today,” Philonise Floyd said of his brother, a Black man who was kill by a white Minneapolis police officer in May. Floyd listed some of the African Americans killed by police in recent years and said: “When this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying their names.”
Bernie Sanders called on his supporters to rally around Biden. A theme of the convention, and this night in particular, was unity. The progressive Vermont senator, Biden’s former rival for the presidential nomination, acknowledged his policy differences with the Democratic nominee, but Sanders argued Trump’s disastrous handling of the pandemic demanded that all Americans come together to elect Biden. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned,” Sanders said. “Trump golfs.”
Anti-Trump Republicans warned against the dangers of re-electing the president. The former Ohio governor John Kasich, a frequent Trump critic, delivered his speech endorsing Biden alongside a literal fork in the road, attracting some mockery on Twitter. “America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.” Like Sanders, Kasich acknowledged he does not agree with Biden on every issue, but he described his vote for the Democratic candidate as a matter of necessity amid a historic time of crisis.
The virtual convention, while not seamless, still produced some memorable moments. The night saw some glitches and timing misses, but overall the event went as planned, despite the unprecedented nature of this year’s conventions. However, certain lawmakers’ Zoom backgrounds did prompt questions, such as, where did Bernie Sanders find all that chopped wood to stand in front of?
