Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz celebrate after Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Editor’s note: Montana Delegate Thomas Flanagan went to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. The following are his reflections of a Montana delegate.
Joy was a central point the Democrats hit hard whenever they could—and for good reason. Just look at the optics here.
The Republican National Convention tried almost embarrassingly hard to humanize or soften their candidate. In awkward exchanges on stage and a marked lack of laughter, tears or emotion other than anger, the family members of the candidates were on the RNC stage, yes. But did you see the difference?
When President Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, so eloquently and authentically introduced her father (I have never heard her speak), Joe Biden entered the stage with tears in his eyes and embraced his daughter lovingly. Many in the audience were crying already at Ashley’s intro. On Thursday night, an interesting snapshot of American diversity was reflected in the Harris family circle—Kamala’s nephew, goddaughter, sister, stepchildren (black, white, Indian, mixed) all were there to speak for her and the final group on stage was large and inclusive. What a better picture for America than this! Between her sister Maya and husband Doug, so much love was expressed and it was palpable in the stadium at seemingly over 100% capacity. (In fact, at some times during the final day, the fire marshal had to close access to the floor to get capacity back under control.)
And then there is the Walz family. Gov. Tim Walz’s wife, daughter and son were brought to tears when their father accepted the nomination for vice president and it led his son, Gus Waltz, to shout out “That’s my dad!” in an expression of pride and love for his father. If that moment didn’t warm your heart, I don’t know what will. The online right-wing haters of Gus out there confuse me to my core. There should be nothing wrong with a kid being so proud of their parents. By the way, the fact that he is neurodivergent changes nothing in that statement.
The Montana delegation had some awesome seats – just up and to the left of the stage with a direct view of the speakers. The pictures I took of Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris from my seat are nearly all with a grin on her face from ear to ear. Real joy!
My personal favorite tear-jerker moment was when Sen. Elizabeth Warren took the stage. The crowd absolutely erupted and applauded for minutes. All of which apparently was a surprise to her. Warren let herself show that she was truly moved by this overwhelming expression of appreciation. She teared up on stage and fought back more. Do you think I was crying at that point along with many other delegates in the United Center? You bet.
Another moment I was lucky to experience that gave me literal goosebumps came during President Biden’s speech. Biden showed humility in a big way during one of the crowd’s outbursts of appreciation chanting “Thank you Joe! Thank you Joe! Thank you Joe!,” which in itself, was heartwarming. What did Biden respond while the crowd was doing this? He said, “No. Thank you, Kamala.” Credit where credit is due. What a respectable reaction that could hardly be imagined on the other side. You might recall other chanting from January 2021 directed at Vice President Mike Pence in the U.S. Capitol, for example. Biden has surely gone through a time of soul-searching in the past months. He didn’t show up Monday night to lift himself up. Instead, he indicated that choosing Harris as Vice President and then endorsing her for President were the best of his political career. That is what legacy looks like.
Star-Studded show-stoppers
This DNC felt like being at a concert or a live show. Featured acts included Kenan Thompson, Pink, the Chicks, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Oprah Winfrey, the Obamas…and more. There were even rumors of Beyonce and Taylor Swift attending that never materialized, but I won’t hold it against them!
It was a powerful moment when Oprah (an actual self-made billionaire) took the stage. Getting to hear her speak at a DNC in her own town was something I couldn’t have imagined. And she was wearing a glorious purple, which, I don’t think was an accident—first of all for her role in the original “The Color Purple” in 1985 (and relaunch in 2023), but also as a self-identified registered independent. Oprah is quite careful about politics so the opportunity to be there for her resounding endorsement of Harris and rejection of the other was awesome. (No, she didn’t give any delegates free cars either).
In my opinion, Obama – and I mean Michelle Obama – gave by far the best speech and was welcomed with the most enthusiasm from the crowd. What it effectively did was shake the party awake to say we know there will be attempts to destroy us and Harris – that is what they always do. But we cannot stop here. We must “do something,” which became the theme of the evening. She also spared no opportunity to fling one at the Republican nominee. Gone are the days of “we take the high road,” and she showed us the new way. Now, it’s about going big, not high. “Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty. It’s unhealthy. And quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.”
At the same time, former First Lady Obama essentially relaunched the Obama “hope” campaign. I will never forget the beginning of her speech. “Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it? You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading across this country we love. A familiar feeling that has been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope.”
The crowd absolutely erupted. People want to be hopeful. I get a sense that many in our country, in our own community, including Republicans and Independents actually want to be hopeful, not fearful and cynical, which is what the MAGA-right wants us to be. Fearful of the future, not hopeful for it.
Of course, President Obama spoke with impressive ease and cool poise imbued with both humor and hope. And it was so refreshing to hear him again. In fact, I first saw Obama speak live when he was still a candidate running for President. He gave a speech in the summer of 2008 in Berlin, where I also happened to be with our Absarokee German Connection language club. Sixteen years later, I was lucky enough to watch him live again, to rekindle, reignite and reclaim hope in Chicago! He acknowledged Joe Biden and his service and their close relationship. But he is also clearly helping to pass the torch of “hope” directly to Harris. And what a masterful connection to the crowd President Obama creates and manages. These words still ring in my ears. “Do not boo. Vote!”
The Experience as a Delegate
Inspirational is the only word I can think of that gets close to describing the experience of being a delegate. Each morning, the Montana delegation had breakfast with the Wyoming delegation. We had morning guests such as Sen. Cory Booker, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Tina Smith, and former Gov. Steve Bullock. One of our breakfast speeches that sticks with me was from Wyoming State Senator and Minority Leader of the Wyoming Senate, Chris Rothfuss. There are 31 senators in Wyoming. Two are Democrats right now, 29 are Republican. So, Rothfuss is a minority leader…of two. These Democrats know what “uphill battle” means and it was so interesting to hear from him. Or do they actually understand the power of compromise and teamwork? Perhaps “commitment” is the word.
The best part of this experience was getting to openly express political views—to discuss, comment, commiserate, criticize and celebrate with fellow delegates. I enjoyed getting to know the Montana delegation and beyond. It’s just nice to be in a sea of shades of blue.
We don’t live a life in the RNC or DNC world. Those are carefully crafted performances. Reality wears a deep purple power suit, like Oprah. So, we must meet people where they are at, do what we can, for crying out loud talk to each other, and not let up for the next couple months. In a sea of deep red, the way to purple is by adding a bit of blue.
I want to thank everyone who followed this DNC and for those who donated to my participation as a delegate. The experience I just had as a delegate in Chicago can be described as somehow life changing. Even though this type of politics is performative, it sure feels good to feel good.