The first day of the Democratic National Convention was a day of contrasts, surprises, and emotions.
The theme of the day was “For the People,” contrasting Vice President Kamala Harris’ lifetime of service with Donald Trump’s lifetime of putting himself first.
Speaker after speaker in the evening session described Harris as a prosecutor, who began each court appearance by saying she was appearing “for the people” with Trump’s record as a felon, with her walking a picket line for the UAW and Trump being a scab.
The theme was clear – Kamala and President Joe Biden put the people first and Trump put himself first.
As House Speaker Joe Tate put it at the Michigan delegates’ morning breakfast: “Democrats come with ideas, Republicans come with insults. That’s the bottom line,” he said.
The surprises started early in the day and continued late into the evening. Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison popped into caucuses Monday morning, surprising attendees and delivering the message that Democrats deliver for the people – with roads, broadband, health care, and more.
New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker followed suit, rousing the attendees and posing for innumerable selfies.
Then Tim Walz joined the parade, being met with loud cheers of “Coach, Coach,” and telling delegates to work hard and “we can sleep when we’re dead!”
The surprises continued into the evening, when UAW President Sean Fain took off his jacket to reveal a “Trump is a scab” tee-shirt.
Then Vice President Kamala Harris made an unannounced visit to the convention stage. Loud cheers and thunderous applause erupted as she waved and smiled.
Emotions took over for the evening as President Biden’s appearance neared. Chants of “Thank You, Joe,” and “We Love Joe” went up repeatedly as the president summarized the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration. It took a while, because there are so many — capping the price of insulation for Medicare recipients, the Chips and Science Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, and so much more.
The arena was a sea of vertical “We heart Joe” signs that waived like crazy when Biden said, “I love my job, but I love the country more.” And again when he said, “America, I gave my best to you.”
The day started early for Michigan delegates with a 7 a.m. breakfast where delegates heard from a parade of speakers from around the country eager to pay compliments to a state one speaker called “the belle of the ball.”
The daily morning breakfasts are a time for each state delegation to gather together and hear what is coming up that day. But it’s also a time for political leaders from across the nation to drop in with a timely message.
While urging support for the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, they urged delegates to pay attention to the rest of the ticket, too.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks told our delegation that Michigan was “the belle of the ball” because of our Legislature’s people-focused agenda, right in tune with the convention’s “For the People” theme on Monday.
Michigan showed that a legislative that supports strong families and strong communities can create a strong economy. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” she said.
She applauded delegates’ enthusiasm for the top of the ticket but urged them “don’t forget that state legislatures are essential for protecting our freedom and rights. “Bring as much enthusiasm to those state legislative races as you do to the presidential race,” she said.
Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, said she didn’t have to remind Michigan about the need to protect and expand reproductive freedom. “You need to show everybody else in the country how to get it done,” she said.
