“America, I love you,” declared President Joe Biden tonight in his keynote speech at the first night of the Democratic National Convention as delegates from across the land cheered “we love Joe!” over and over.
Even with his constant evocation of Irish poetry over the decades, Biden has never been anyone’s idea of a great orator. However, on Monday, the 46th President of the United States gave one of the best speeches of his long stint in public life.
Combative, on-point, evocative and relatively succinct for Biden, the valedictory had a job for the campaign. A job that Biden obviously enjoyed. Ripping his 2020 antagonist Donald Trump as a “loser” and “a liar,” Biden went on to lament how “sad” his predecessor is “putting himself first and America last.”
“I’ve got five months left in my presidency and I’ve got a lot to do,” Biden told the crowd, many of whom had tears dripping down their faces. “I intend to get it done,” Biden added after cataloging his efforts to get a ceasefire in the Gaza War and bring a greater peace to the Middle East.
Quoting Norah Jones’ American Anthem song, Biden recited “America, America, I gave my best to you.”
“I made a lot of mistakes in my career, but I gave my best to you,” the president continued as an almost chorus. “For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to our nation, and I have been blessed a million times in return with the support of the American people,” Biden added to a suddenly near silent arena. “I really been too young to be in the Senate, because I wasn’t 30 yet, and too old to stay as president,” he went on, to sounds of near shock at his bluntness. “But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you.”
As the convention thundered for Biden at the end of his just over 45-minute speech, Vice President and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff came on-stage with the president’s family. The 2024 nominee could clearly been seen telling the 2020 nominee that she loved him as the two hugged.
Biden being Biden, there was an occasional stumble and a bizarre reference to a compliment over his Ukraine policy from the now dead Henry Kissinger didn’t get the reception the president sought. A nod to the ancient Greeks could have gone off the rails. Much of the occasional self-mocking Biden’s bellowed remarks were a litany of achievements and well-worn anecdotes that clearly came from the acceptance speech he intended to be giving this week as recently as two months ago.
It didn’t really matter.
Playing to those at home and on the go more than those in Chicago’s United Center, the 81-year-old Biden was in a fighting spirit that we haven’t seen since the State of the Union earlier this year. In fact, you could say the gist of this speech was the state of the Biden-Harris administration. According to the president, it was in a very good state and good hands.
No wonder Harris was smiling as the man who wants to be her predecessor heaped acclaim on his party’s new standard bearer and the “47th President of the United States.” Beside calling his choice of Harris to be his running mate in 2020 “the best decision of my whole career,” the aside of “thank you Kamala” from Biden to chants of “thank you Joe!” was a spontaneous moment that said it all.
In a scene unseen in America since career politician Lyndon Baines Johnson halfheartedly withdrew from the 1968 race, career politician Joe Biden tonight figuratively handed over power in the pursuit of defeating a long-time foe. Unlike LBJ, who never showed his face at the chaotic ’68 DNC and was listless in his support of his VP Hubert Humphrey’s pursuit of the White House, Biden basked in love and respect from his party.
With a constant chorus of “Thank You Joe!” the DNC’s opening night and intimate words from First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and First Daughter Ashley Biden, the President was preceded over Monday evening by a tribute to Civil Rights leaders and trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm, an array of Governors, Senators, Congressmen and Congresswoman.
For a newly streamlined party that has stressed discipline over the change of nominees, it got flabby with too many speeches from too many politicians we see every day. James Taylor (but not Taylor Swift) was set to play but ended up getting bounced because of runaway program. The film that extolled documentary director Dawn Porter made as part of a Biden tribute was pushed off the schedule too to make up time — though both POTUS and VPOTUS put the 11 minute effort up on social media on Monday.
More importantly, the overflow of speakers took President Biden out of primetime with POTUS not taking the stage until 11:26 pm ET.
Then again, from the “We love you Joe!” roar of the on the feet Democrats when consummate retail pol Biden did step up to the microphone, it sure sounded like they could have gone all night.
It was a remarkable shift from just over a month ago when Biden was insisting he was staying in the race despite POTUS’s disastrous and sometimes painful debate performance against Trump on June 27 on CNN.
After loyal donors like Watchmen boss Damon Lindelof, in a Deadline exclusive, and George Clooney started withholding checks, party insiders like Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi moving the chess pieces in the background, the writing was on the wall for Biden. Even with crashing numbers, only a fool would think that the president planned to drop out before hosting the NATO Summit in D.C. in early July. After a press conference of ups and downs on July 11 at the end of the summit, Biden suddenly revealed on Sunday July 21 that he was stepping aside. Minutes later POTUS endorsed VPOTUS for the Democrats’ nomination, which the California native clinched within less than 36 hours.
In a handover that appeared improbable just a few weeks ago, Biden’s decision to pass the torch to his loyal VP has been near seamless – as was evident tonight. Biden’s forced hand turned this into a real race with the Democrats now holding a thin lead. If Harris is elected, that handover is set to be as much a part of the incumbent’s legacy as his legislative and foreign policy successes.
Also on stage at the DNC on Monday night were singers Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell and various labor leaders. Tellingly, Teamsters boss Sean O’Brien, who spoke to mixed results at the hard-nosed GOP convention last month, was not among those at the lectern on Monday.
On the other hand, with Beyoncé’s ‘Freedom’ as the soundtrack, Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright was the voice of a short ‘For The People’ video played on the jumbotrons as the VP herself strode on-stage for a not-so surprise visit. “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership,” Harris said of POTUS to cheers from the crowd. “We are forever grateful to you,” the VP added in a short handheld microphone speech that was as subtext heavy as it was tossing blue meat to the base.
Soon afterwards, the VP was seated in the VIP section of the convention with running mate Tim Walz watching the rest of the night’s proceedings.
Hot off a Gold Medal win at the Paris Olympics for Team USA and quoting Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed the audience too later, on a night MC’d by Scandal star and fictional POTIS Tony Goldwyn.
In pre-primetime CNN, ex-Speaker Pelosi advocated for Harris to Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, while not so deftly sidestepping her role in Biden’s exit. At the same time, Shark Tank vet and failed Canadian conservative leadership contender Kevin O’Leary joined Fox News’ Jessie Waters to bash Harris and the Dems. The Rupert Murdoch-owned FNC paraded footage of anti-Gaza War protesters outside the Chicago convention with lower thirds of so-called Dem “Elites” cowering inside. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor and VP nominee hopeful Josh Shapiro and House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries were seemingly everywhere but Fox News talking up the Harris and Tim Walz ticket.
Speaking of the Minnesota Governor, at around 5:40 pm PT, CNN and MSNBC went split screen on Walz being in the United Center a.k.a. the house that Michael Jordon built.
In the form of Hilary Clinton, a crowd-pleasing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a serrated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the Democrats’ past and future addressed the thousands of delegates on Monday too. First up for the network’s primetime coverage of the DNC, the ex-First Lady, former Secretary of State and 2016 nominee received thunderous applause from the over 20,000 in the United Center, many of whom voted for her as the first women nominated for president by a major political party.
The final hour of the convention each night is the one that is most important, as broadcast networks join cable and streaming counterparts in telecasting the proceedings. For the final hour of this first night, Democrats made a strategic choice, in contrast to the GOP’s Milwaukee convention, to look back and look forward. Clinton, who finished her speech during the hour, was a reminder of eight years, but then she said, “We kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.”
In what would have been her second term swan song DNC appearance if she had won in 2016, Clinton tonight was so of the moment that even Fox News’ Dano Perino praised her speech. Then again, keeping the news silo strong, Fox News was the only cabler to essentially ignore the reproductive freedom and a women’s right to choose video and remarks delegates saw from Amanda Zurawski, Kaitlyn Joshua and Hadley Duvall.
“Hello America, welcome to the democracy convention, the freedom convention,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), evoking the more erudite term favored by Biden and the more emotional-tugging word used by Harris.
Everyone, from the local representatives to the national players to 2016 popular vote winner Clinton and of course Joe Biden everybody took sharp swing after swing at the Republicans’ ominous Project 2025 and “reality TV personality” Trump. What was telling was how there were many more remarks on Harris and her record, proving a solid take for the party.
The DNC goes until August 22 when Vice President Harris will give her acceptance speech. Deadline are on the scene and in the United Center.