Harris was fully herself in DNC acceptance speech. That should worry Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris officially becomes the Democratic nominee for president on Thursday. After a week of Democratic National Committee festivities in Chicago, voters will get the last option finalized, and the 2024 election will continue to pick up steam as we head to November.

Thursday's DNC events come the morning after Minn. Gov. Tim Walz officially accepted his vice presidential nomination to join Harris and after a full week of campaigning by Republicans and Democrats alike.

There are 75 days to go until Election Day, and USA TODAY Opinion columnists have a lot to say about the shake-up on the Democratic ticket. We'll bring you live commentary and analysis alongside on-the-ground coverage from the convention at the United Center.

Harris accepts the Democratic nomination while reminding voters Trump supported Jan. 6

Vice President Kamala Harris took the United Center stage Thursday night to accept the Democratic presidential nomination with a smile and an air of self-assurance that left no question: She is ready to meet this moment.

Like her running mate, the affable Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris was fully herself – inescapably authentic – as she spoke about her upbringing and the prototypically American story that led her to be one election away from the highest office in the land.

“With this election, our nation has a precious fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past,” Harris said. “A chance to chart a new way forward.”

Switching into prosecutor mode, Harris began to make her case against GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, highlighting his actions on Jan. 6, 2021: “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes, when he failed he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames.”

She rattled off the GOP’s focus on restricting reproductive rights and the changes that might come if Trump is reelected, saying: “Simply put, they are out of their minds.”

Pivoting to the middle class, Harris said: “This is personal for me, the middle class is where I come from. My mother kept a strict budget, we lived within our means, yet we wanted for little. And she expected us to make the most of the opportunities that were available to us and be grateful for them.”

Harris and Walz have humble beginnings that stand in stark contrast to Trump’s life of wealth. And throughout the week at the DNC, that contrast and many others were strategically highlighted.

Republicans spoke at the DNC, showing how toxic Trump has made the GOP and making the Democratic Party seem like an open tent. Where Trump is all ego and cruelty, the DNC and Harris focused on humility and inclusion.

We are seeing – in the polls, in Trump’s smaller rally crowds and in the increasingly unhinged nature of his public and social media comments – a wave of Trump exhaustion.

Harris put it quite perfectly: “Everywhere I go and everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step.”

Amen to that.

Harris’ speech Thursday night, before a massive crowd enthralled, undoubtedly took us one step closer to that next step.

— Rex Huppke, USA TODAY

Harris' DNC acceptance speech should worry Republicans

Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was the best I have ever heard from her.

I don’t agree with her policies and, as a woman, I’m not swayed by the fact that if elected, she would be the first female president. But I know a formidable, persuasive politician when I see one and Harris became that woman Thursday night.

Harris spoke passionately yet with a measured tone that Donald Trump would be lucky to find. From her childhood growing up with a single mom to becoming the attorney general of California and then a U.S. senator, Harris showed Americans a unique but familiar rags-to-riches story that feels warm and hopeful.

Harris’ policy agenda leaves much to be desired: She boasts tax cuts for the middle class and promises to fix the border – typical “I’m for the working class” mantras. But her delivery was so sound, it may not matter. Americans are oftentimes so easily persuaded by good ideas, they don’t even realize they never come to fruition.

If Harris was this serious about getting her to-do list done, she’d have done it the past four years while she was vice president. The Democratic Party’s amnesia is its greatest weakness.

Trump should magnify this as much as possible. But the Republican Party’s greatest weakness might be Harris’ ability to inspire audiences. The GOP ignores this at its peril.

— Nicole Russell, USA TODAY

Harris focuses on abortion in DNC speech. It's still a main issue this election.

Earlier Thursday, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against putting an abortion rights measure on the November ballot. Because of this, the state's abortion ban will remain in effect, and thousands of people in the state will continue going without access.

So far, voters in eight states will decide whether abortion will be codified into state law. There are 14 states with total abortion bans and eight with partial bans.

More than 60% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

It can't be understated: This has the potential to be the biggest issue of the election. I hope Kamala Harris stresses this urgency in her acceptance speech.

—  Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Harris accepts Democratic nomination for president, evoking prosecutor past

Everyone at the Democratic National Convention has been talking about Vice President Kamala Harris’ history as a prosecutor and her record of being tough on crime. That’s because Democratic leaders know Americans are worried about crime. And as a female candidate for president, she needs to show she’s just as tough as any man – as dumb as that is.

The storyline she has quickly perfected of the prosecutor vs. the criminal is a useful one. She does well to pit her experience prosecuting sex crimes cases against Donald Trump being found civilly liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll.

That wasn’t the case in the 2020 election, however. Harris’ background as a prosecutor hurt her with progressives in her first presidential run – especially her controversial approach to using state truancy laws to prosecute parents whose children regularly missed school.

But now, as Trump attempts to attack her as “pro-crime” and “inspired by progressive prosecutors,” Harris is facing the opposite problem she faced in 2020.

Violent crime is down around the country, but Americans still think it’s up. And they’re worried about it.

So instead of leaning into her image as a progressive, Harris would do well to continue to emphasize her “tough on crime” tenure as a prosecutor and attorney general, as she did Thursday night. Not only does she have to convince independents and undecided voters that Democrats aren’t soft on crime, but she also has to convince all those people who aren’t sure whether we’re ready for a woman president.

— Carli Pierson, USA TODAY

Kamala Harris finishes off a big night for Democrats

Thursday’s the big night: Vice President Kamala Harris is addressing the nation at the Democratic National Convention. It's really important to Democrats that this goes well, as it's the first time most voters will be hearing from her directly.

Harris ? the first Black woman and the first Asian woman to lead a presidential ticket ? is going to talk about how she got to this point, what it will take to beat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and some of the things she wants to accomplish if elected president. I hope to see a clear vision for her goals.

This is the time for Harris ? who would be America’s first female president ? to sell young voters on the future of the Democratic Party, and she can do that by talking about issues that we care about: affordable housing, gun violence prevention, abortion access and climate change.

I also hope to hear her advocate for a cease-fire in Gaza, especially considering that no Palestinian American has been given DNC stage time to talk about the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on their families. It's still an important issue for young voters, and avoiding the topic is only going to work for so long.

— Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's place in the DNC shows the South is in play this election

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper spoke right before Harris on Thursday night. He has had a relationship with Harris dating back to their days as the attorneys general of their respective states. He spoke about their experience taking on Wall Street banks after the 2008 financial crisis.

“Even if you don’t agree with her on everything, Kamala Harris will fight for you until the very end,” Cooper told the crowd.

North Carolina’s top Democrat was initially in the running for the VP position, but he withdrew himself from the process.

North Carolina is becoming more of a toss-up the closer we get to the election. The placement of Cooper right before the nominee signals that the Democratic Party knows the southern state is once again at play.

— Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Former Republican lawmaker says Trump is a ‘weak man pretending to be strong’

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and avowed critic of former President Donald Trump, called Wednesday night from the stage of the Democratic National Convention for voters from his party to support Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I never thought I’d be here,” Kinzinger said, drawing laughter, “but listen, you never thought you’d see me here, did you?”

He said he has learned that Democrats are as patriotic as Republicans, but also that his political party “is no longer conservative” because it has switched allegiance to Trump, who only cares about himself.

“Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong,” Kinzinger said. “He is a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a perpetrator who can’t stop playing the victim.”

Kinzinger, one of only two Republicans who served on the House committee to investigate Jan. 6, 2021, blamed Trump’s “deceit and dishonor” for the U.S. Capitol riot.

“That day, I stood witness to a profound sorrow, the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transition of power, tarnished by a man too fragile, too vain, and too weak to accept defeat,” Kinzinger said.

His prime-time speech on the convention’s biggest night served as a capstone for Democratic outreach from the podium from Republicans to voters in their party swayable for Harris.

The convention also heard Wednesday from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who spoke about Trump’s failed bid to overturn the 2020 election in that state, and on Tuesday from former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who said her former boss used to mock his loyal supporters as “basement dwellers.”

Kinzinger said Harris “shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution and democracy.” He called on Republican voters “who still pledge allegiance to those principles” to back Harris.

— Chris Brennan, USA TODAY

Whitmer must be thinking about what could have been

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got a Thursday night speaking spot (much better than President Joe Biden, by the way, who was stuck with giving his swan song on Monday).

The crowd in Chicago loved Whitmer, just as she got a big reaction when she introduced herself on Tuesday during the Democrats’ roll call.

I live in Michigan, so I’m familiar with Whitmer. And I remember very well when she was in the running in the summer of 2020 for Biden’s vice presidential pick. Whitmer went through several rounds of the process before it became obvious it wasn’t going to be sufficient that she was a woman (Biden had promised earlier that year to pick a woman as his running mate).

Biden also needed to choose a woman of color, as party leaders made clear.

Now, I disagree with almost everything Whitmer has done on policy, and the decisions she made during the COVID-19 pandemic were especially damaging to Michigan.

But Whitmer’s a savvy politician, and as someone with experience as a governor, she would have been in a better position than Harris if Whitmer were currently the vice president.

I can’t help but assume Whitmer’s thinking about that, too.

— Ingrid Jacques, USA TODAY

Pink was great, but Democrats’ obsession with celebrities won’t pay my bills

The Democratic Party has always attracted more celebrities than the Republican Party. The reasons why are for another day. But the Democratic National Convention this week has showcased star power even more than usual, trotting out celebrities like Stevie Wonder, The Chicks, Pink and Oprah.

But if Democrats are so great, why does it feel like they’re using celebrities to sell me something I don’t want to buy?

After the pop stars and TV celebrities go back to their mansions, the rest of us will still be stuck with high grocery prices, high mortgage rates and soaring rent costs.

If Kamala Harris and Tim Walz get elected, they won’t extend Donald Trump’s tax cuts that are about to expire. The rich and famous weren’t the only ones who benefited, by the way. About 65% of taxpayers got a Trump tax cut.

Maybe the stars who performed on stage at the DNC will share some of their wealth with the rest of us, when we're all paying more taxes thanks to Harris and Walz.

— Nicole Russell, USA TODAY

Kerry Washington, D.L. Hughey were a little cringe. But at least the left has a sense of humor.

Democrats have a secret sauce: a sense of humor. Not that cruel sense of humor that bullies like Trump or Vance have ? you know, the kind that’s not actually funny. I mean a sense of humor like D.L. Hughley, who spoke on the DNC’s final night, or Mindy Kaling, who hosted part of Wednesday night.

There weren’t any comedians at the RNC unless you count Russell Brand, who, like Trump, is accused of sexual assault by multiple women, but unlike Trump has yet to be found liable for that conduct.

Sure, some of the humor was cheesy. Kerry Washington’s selfie moment made me cringe. Not all of Hughley’s jokes landed the way he probably hoped (hazard of the job).

But instead of taking the stage for hours to make fun of names, spew ad hominem attacks and stoke fear – speakers at the DNC were hell-bent on talking about issues that matter to people: affordable child care, gun violence and hope for a better future for our kids.

And they did it with grace, and when they could, a sense of humor that was actually funny.

— Carli Pierson, USA TODAY 

Ella Emhoff has tattoos. MAGA can't handle it.

Niece Meena Harris, stepdaughter Ella Emhoff and goddaughter Helena Hudlin spoke about their relationship to Harris.

“She’s never stopped listening to me, and she’s not going to stop listening to all of us,” Emhoff said.

Emhoff has been trending in right-wing circles this week as people dissect her appearance.

“Ella Emhoff being a part of the first family has the potential to radicalize American parents,” right-winger Richard Hanania tweeted on Tuesday. “I’m for women living the lives they want, but this is pretty much the nightmare scenario for most people with a daughter.”

As a Gen Zer with tattoos, it’s actually kind of funny to see other people get so worked up over Emhoff’s Brooklynesque aesthetic.

—  Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Who's missing from DNC?

Sherrod Brown isn't playing "Where's Waldo?"

The U.S. senator from Ohio won't be in the crowd cheering on the vice president during her speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As Jessie Balmert and Haley BeMiller of the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reported, Brown is one of the higher-profile Democratic leaders ducking and dodging the appointed "president of joy."

That’s nothing against Harris. Brown also steered way clear of President Joe Biden.

The reason Brown is skipping the DNC: He’s fighting for his job in a state that Donald Trump carried in 2020 with 53% of the vote.

Brown's Republican rival, Cleveland area car salesman Bernie Moreno, has been anointed by the former president. Moreno spoke at last month's Republican National Convention.

Trump won Ohio in 2016 and 2020 by more than 8%. The 2024 GOP presidential nominee’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is from Middletown.

A recent New York Times article mentions two private polls that indicate that Ohio may not be as MAGA red as it used to be, but Brown definitely isn't betting on it. The Democrat has long found supporters among Republicans. And while some may question his tactic of avoidance, it may work.

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken between Aug. 13 and 17 shows Brown with a 5-point lead over Moreno in the Senate race ? 47% to 42%. Those results closely mirror polls by ActiVote, AARP and others. Trump leads Harris in Ohio by 10 percentage points, according to AARP's poll from July 23 through July 28.

— Amelia Robinson, The Columbus Dispatch

Elizabeth Warren takes jab at viral JD Vance 'couch' story

Massachusetts Senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took the main stage at the DNC to talk about her relationship with Harris and stressed some of the issues the party was running on.

“We need to make life more affordable for working people,” Warren said. “Donald Trump, the felon, has no plans to lower costs for families.”

Her 2020 campaign overlaps a lot with the current progressive path the Democrats are on. Hopefully, the party will use her on the campaign trail. She certainly got a good one-liner in against Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

“I wouldn’t trust them to move my couch,” she said. Her comment was an apparent joke about a viral bit of misinformation that spread about Vance soon after he was named the Republican vice presidential nominee.

—  Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Beyoncé or Taylor Swift at DNC? Rumors of mystery guest abound.

The final night of the Democratic National Convention quickly turned into an online guessing game as late-minute add was made to the speaker’s schedule.

There was no indication who the mystery guest would be, but thoughts immediately went to Beyoncé or Taylor Swift – or possibly both?

There was some speculation former President George W. Bush might make a surprise appearance and try to help push his party away from Donald Trump.

I, for one, suggested on social media that the special guest might be 1970s singer Jay Ferguson, who was performing his hit song, “Thunder Island.”

My guess, quite frankly, was as reliable as anyone else’s.

—  Rex Huppke, USA TODAY

Can Democrats pull off their Kamala Harris magic trick?

Here we are, the final day of the Democratic National Convention, which will culminate in Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party’s nomination for president.

I’m still amazed at how Democrats in the past month, since President Joe Biden turned the election keys over to Harris, have succeeded in completely refashioning her image.

Last summer, an NBC News poll showed that 49% of registered voters had a negative view of Harris. Only 32% had a positive view. That level of negativity was the highest for a vice president in the history of the NBC poll.

And Harris consistently scored lower than Biden, who had low approval ratings himself.

Until the magic trick that Democrats (and an accommodating media) have pulled, that is.

I just wonder how long it can last. Harris is a known commodity, regardless of the makeover campaign.

She has avoided any serious interviews or news conferences, and the only thing of “substance” that we’ve heard so far is a loosely detailed economic plan.

Her plan includes big government giveaways and, more alarmingly, price controls of the grocery industry. Harris’ ideas are dangerous on multiple levels, which I discuss in detail in a recent column. You can read it in full here.

— Ingrid Jacques, USA TODAY

New York Rep. Pat Ryan speaks. Kamala Harris needs to do more to help military families

Vice President Kamala Harris is the most qualified candidate in the 2024 presidential election, but as a military spouse, I am worried her policies might fall short in addressing the unique challenges and needs of military families ? just as past administrations have.

On Thursday night, Harris will take the stage to officially accept the nomination as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. During her speech, we will likely hear about several of her policy plans. I hope to hear about how Harris as president would support military families better than past presidents.

Every election cycle, candidates talk about their plans to increase military pay, support military spouse employment and licensure, and provide more accessible and comprehensive health care to military families and veterans ? but the reality is they often fall short.

In Harris' speech, I want to hear her talk about better health care options for military families. Currently, our families struggle to receive adequate care at our local duty stations either because the military health care system is overwhelmed or families live in a health care desert. Read the full column.

— Marla Bautista, USA TODAY

Gen Z has arrived and the DNC makes that clear

Gen Z has been getting quite a lot of attention at the DNC. It makes sense: Kamala Harris has spent a considerable amount of time speaking to our generation directly.

Mariah Cooley, a former White House intern, says she has seen Harris’ dedication to our generation firsthand.

“There’s a hyperfocus on mobilizing us, and engaging us to vote,” says Cooley, now a March For Our Lives board member.

That's half the battle with Generation Z, which spans from 1997 to 2012. Now, the Zoomers in attendance are focused on mobilizing their peers.

In 2022, Olivia Julianna went viral for using a Matt Gaetz insult to raise $2 million for reproductive rights. On Wednesday, she took the stage at the DNC to speak to Gen Z viewers directly.

“We will only be heard if we vote,” Julianna said.

That's the right attitude to have.

— Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Of course Ann Coulter made fun of Gus Walz for crying during his dad’s speech. That’s what bullies do. 

Gus Walz loves his dad.

That should have been clear to anyone – Republican, Democrat or independent – who saw him sob as his dad, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accepted the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination Wednesday night.

It shouldn't matter that Gus Walz has ADHD, an anxiety disorder and a nonverbal learning disorder.

It shouldn't matter that he is just 17.

It shouldn't matter if his father is a Democrat or if he is Republican.

Gus was a son who was proud of his dad and not afraid to show it.

It was lovely.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter apparently thought it was "weird."

That's the word that reportedly came to the former Fox News contributor's mind after she saw the moment so many others found heartwarming.

Nothing in her paused. She just pounced.

Coulter tweeted, "Talk about weird ..."

Coulter deleted the post, but not before it was screengrabbed. I am not surprised she went so low. Read the full column.

— Amelia Robinson, The Columbus Dispatch

The loudest voice at the DNC is the one that’s missing on stage: Palestinian Americans 

On the third night of the Democratic National Congress, there was not a dry eye in the stadium watching Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, the parents of Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, held in Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

No one would want to trade places with them right now.

But it’s now the final day of the DNC and a lot of people are asking, “Where are the Palestinian American speakers?” Where are the doctors who volunteered in Gaza and treated babies with shrapnel in their tiny hands? Where are the parents of the dead or missing Palestinian children? Why doesn’t the Democratic Party care enough to let their voices be heard, too? Are they not also parents?

With all the beautiful rhetoric of hope, integrity and decency that we’ve been hearing about all week at the convention, I have only one question: Where is the Democratic Party’s humanity?

It’s going to be a tight presidential race, and Democrats need progressives and Arab and Muslim communities to win in November.

Not giving airtime to the Palestinian American community won’t win them any uncommitted votes. It won’t win them progressive votes, or Muslim or Arab votes.

It might even cost them the election.

— Carli Pierson, USA TODAY

Somebody tell Tim Walz he never minded his own business as governor 

Tim Walz wants to sell himself as a midwestern dad who wants everyone to “mind your own damn business.”

In his case, this is a jab at both pro-lifers and those who don't believe we ought to be allowing minors to undergo gender transition, but it's familiar to us conservatives who said the same thing about Democratic lockdown policies, some of the worst of which were spearheaded by Minnesota Gov. Walz.

In 2020, Walz set up a hotline you could call to snitch on your Minnesota neighbors who were not complying with lockdown policies. Where was the “mind your own damn business” then?

In reality, this administration would be one of the least likely to leave you to your own business in history, between infringement on your right to have firearms and instituting price controls, restricting how Americans can run their businesses. Walz has even expressed disdain for the freedom of speech under the guise of “misinformation” and “hate speech.”

If Democrats really wanted to be the party of “mind your own damn business,” they’d stop trying to get the government involved in every aspect of our lives and allow ordinary Americans to live their own lives.

— Dace Potas, USA TODAY

Tim Walz gave Democrats what they needed. Energy.

Tim Walz really brought the house down Wednesday night. He introduced himself to the country, got to call Republicans “weird” on the main stage and spoke on the issues the Democrats are focusing on this cycle.What really stood out to me, however, is how much Walz reminds me of the small town I grew up in and how his values reflect the America we could be.“That family down the road ? they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do, they may not love like you do, but they are your neighbors,” Walz said in his acceptance speech.

That's the kind of energy I've been hoping to see from the Democratic Party ?  and it definitely seems to have made an impression on the country.

— Sara Peque?o, USA TODAY

Trump promises to offer live reaction to Harris speech. I’m excited.

On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will continue his counterprogramming-via-nonsensical-rants strategy, offering Americans “a LIVE PLAY BY PLAY on TRUTH Social of Comrade Kamala Harris' Speech tonight.”

If you’re not sure what Truth Social is, you’re in good company. It’s the social media site Trump launched, the one with the consistently falling stock prices and not very many users.

If Facebook and what used to be called Twitter make up our digital town square, Truth Social is the rat-filled alley behind a building a couple blocks back with a drunk guy barfing into a trash can.

All week, as the DNC has bounced with enthusiasm and star turns, Trump has tried to divert attention with campaign events. But they’ve been low-energy speeches where he invariably starts to ramble off whatever his campaign’s central message is supposed to be.

So Thursday I guess he’ll try a different tack — sitting at home typing angry screeds while he watches Harris accept the Democratic nomination in Chicago.

If you want a taste of what’s to come, here’s part of what Trump posted about Harris Thursday morning: “UNDER COMRADE KAMALA, AMERICA WILL BE THE MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. IT WILL REVERT TO THIRD WORLD STATUS VERY QUICKLY!”

So, you know, we can expect a lot of cogent analysis from him Thursday night.

Maybe the dude just needs to scream-post his way through it.

— Rex Huppke, USA TODAY

Billionaires for Harris: Democrats’ wealthy elites tell the rest of us how to vote

For the party of the “everyman,” the Democratic National Convention has paraded a host of Hollywood stars and wealthy elites to tell regular Americans to support a ticket that won’t actually do what’s in many voters’ best interests.

Oprah Winfrey has a net worth of $3 billion, yet she had the audacity to tell the audience Wednesday night at the convention that she’s had hard times.

“I have seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division,” said Winfrey, who grew up in poverty and endured childhood sexual abuse. “I’ve not only seen it; at times, I’ve been on the receiving end of it.”

The television megastar went on to urge independents to vote for Kamala Harris, whose platform features tax policies that would hurt many Americans. Such a lecture seems ridiculous coming from a billionaire.

But Oprah wasn’t the only one with a duplicitous message.

Former first lady Michelle Obama gave a powerful speech Tuesday night in which she reminisced about her late mother’s legacy.

“She and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy ? in fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed,” Obama said. “They understood that it wasn’t enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning.”

I don’t doubt that was the case in her childhood, but it’s a little ironic now as she, along with her husband, former President Barack Obama, enjoy a net worth of $70 million, including several expensive homes.

From Oprah and John Legend to Stevie Wonder and Mark Hamill, it’s beyond hypocritical to see celebrity A-listers with sky-high net worths supporting Democrats who want to enact policies that hurt everyday Americans’ bottom lines. It’s disingenuous at best.

If anything, Oprah and the Obamas share a common story: They have achieved the epitome of the American dream.

Yet, when they implore Americans to vote for Harris, they fail to realize they are advocating for a ticket that won’t help other Americans climb the ladder of success they ascended.

— Nicole Russell, USA TODAY

Winning an election takes a coalition. That's why we heard from Barack Obama, Bill Clinton

Nobody wins the presidency in America with just support from their political party. It takes a coalition of voters. Former presidents know that better than most.

So the speeches delivered this week at the Democratic National Convention by Barack Obama on Tuesday and by Bill Clinton on Wednesday stood out not for their appeal to cheering crowds in a Chicago arena but for the eager and open outreach to voters who were not there but might have been listening.

That outreach is more vital now than ever to Vice President Kamala Harris and her bid for the presidency with the news that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is likely to drop his ill-fated independent bid Friday.

Kennedy is the best known – if for cringey, controversial reasons – of the third-party options in November’s election for voters unhappy with their choices and looking to cast a protest ballot.

Obama told an adoring crowd that they must recognize their own “blind spots and contradictions and prejudices” while appealing to undecided voters to back Harris.

“Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us,” he said.

Clinton asked the crowd to show respect to people with different beliefs while trying to make a connection about why they support Harris.

“I urge you to meet people where they are,” he said. “I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don’t disagree with them if you do. Treat them with respect, just the way you’d like them to treat you.”

That sort of mirror messaging from two different former presidents doesn’t happen accidentally. That’s the Harris campaign throwing back the flaps on a “big tent” party, eager to welcome support from voters uneasy with the notion of another presidential term for Donald Trump.

— Chris Brennan, USA TODAY

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris' DNC speech reminds us of Trump's dangers. Will voters listen?