In The Arena: Even With A DJ And Showbiz Flair, Democrats Stick With Much That’s Conventional
The speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama were the highlight of the second night of the Democratic National Convention, but also the first-of-its-kind, well-produced ceremonial roll call, set to a DJ’s jam.
In the arena lit with color changing blinking lights, there was Lil Jon, taking off in a surprise rap when Georgia was called to cast its votes for Kamala Harris; Sean Astin paying homage to Rudy as Indiana announced its tally; and Spike Lee appearing with the New York delegation as its governor boasted of the Empire State’s supremacy.
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Then there was Wisconsin, a key battleground state, and its governor, Tony Evers, surrounded by delegates wearing cheesehead hats. As he started to trumpet his state, telling the arena that he was here “because I’m jazzed as hell,” he tripped up in announcing the tally for Kamala Harris.
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“Oh my God,” he said, as he struggled to get the words out, finally doing so after nearly a minute.
It was a gaffe — but an endearing one.
Evers’ slip up was also a reminder that this is not the Grammys, even with performers like Patti LaBelle and Mickey Guyton on the bill.
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Conventions have injected slickly produced segments and musical moments, but these are still party gatherings, made up of regulars seeking speaking slots. The lineup on stage is primarily one speech after another, a big reason that both nights so far have gone overtime, while party organizers have emphasized the “everyday” Americans who will be in the spotlight.
At the United Center, many of the party’s big donors and news networks and stars are tucked into sky booths, accessible only via a nondescript stairwell and special passes, but the VIPs aren’t totally out of reach.
Their special entrance spills out into media row, so attendees are immediately greeted by a gallery of journalists and radio and podcast hosts, looking for an interview. Most of the political celebrities and surrogates are game for it.
Spotted on Tuesday was Michael Cohen, the former Trump attorney and key witness in the former president’s hush money trial. A podcast host himself, he was quickly mobbed by attendees, most wanting a selfie, as he and journalist Brian Karem tried to make their way to their seats.
“This is my first DNC convention in many, many years,” Cohen said, amid stops for photos. “Don’t forget, I’ve been a Democrat my entire life,” noting that he once worked for Joe Moakley, a Massachusetts congressman, when he was in college.
Cohen hasn’t had a speaking slot, each night has featured former Trump supporters or Republicans. More will speak tonight. A standout so far was Stephanie Grisham, the former Trump White House press secretary who noted, as many journalists do, that she actually held not one press briefing during her tenure. “I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie,” she told the crowd. As she spoke about the ambivalence of Melania Trump as the riot at the Capitol was unfolding on January 6th, screens flashed her text messages with the then first lady. “No,” was Trump’s response to Grisham’s call for her to speak out.
Grisham’s comments were interesting — and perhaps all to brief.
That could be because so much of Tuesday’s proceedings were devoted to upping the ante on rallying the delegates, and the DJ roll call went a long way. It proved to be a warm-up for the reception to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who added anecdotes about the personal side of Kamala Harris along with a nice injection of humor.
That said, the second night still went long, with Obama’s speech spilling out of primetime on the East Coast.
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Some party stalwarts said that the delays shouldn’t be too much a cause for concern.
Former Senator Doug Jones said, “I think there will be people in the campaign growling a little bit about that, but the fact is, there’s only a certain segment that see that, and it’s usually the people that have somewhat made up their mind. What you are going to see, though, is bits and pieces, the critical pieces of all these speeches, and you are going to see them time and time again, throughout this campaign. I think at the end of the day it won’t matter.”
Former Los Angeles mayor and California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa said that while the excitement this year was “like magic in a bottle,” he wished that Joe Biden’s speech would have come earlier on the first evening.
Villaraigosa, who chaired the 2012 convention, offered a tip they used then: Play music when speakers get too long winded, ala the Oscars. “The music got louder and louder, so people couldn’t hear you,” he said.
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