🇺🇸 Easily seduced by the DNC
The Democrats instill in voters that theirs is the only legitimate party—hoping that Harris' honeymoon phase will last until Election Day.
Originally published in Swedish on August 23.
Good vibes.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago was a festival of feel good-politics.
This is the party representing everything that is hard to oppose: freedom, justice, empathy for the vulnerable in society.
Obama was the "President of Hope." Harris will be the "President of Joy."
The speakers on stage and commercials on the big screen, normally used for celebrating the home teams Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, presented with similar enthusiasm Kamala Harris as an altruistic superhuman.
She has admirable values, is tough on those who deserve it, tirelessly compassionate toward those who need it, and cooks amazing food without taking the credit.
The crowd, without the shadow of a doubt, remain in suspense anticipating another moment of euphoria.
During the breaks between speeches, superstars like John Legend and Pink perform.
Celebratory entertainment mixed with somber seriousness.
Harris' vice-presidential candidate, Tim Walz, talks about overcoming struggles to have children.
He’s grateful for IVF, drawing attention to his daughter named “Hope” who was present in the audience.
Hope’s eyes tear up. So do mine. And his son’s face, also in tears, grips at me. Walz comes across as a relatable and warm person. His party seems like the only reasonable choice.
This is exactly the image the Democrats hope to convey. An image of a party with values impossible to discard, impossible not to vote for. And, additionally, that this party is the only legitimate option. The guarantor of the survival of American democracy.
The problem with this narrative is the degree to which the convention was filled with lies, half-truths, and red herrings.
Starting with President Biden's speech on the first day of the DNC.
In it, he distorted what Trump said about a “bloodbath” and “very fine people on both sides.” PBS identified ten lies and half truths in Biden’s speech. The same Biden who said he wanted to unite the country, emphasizing he would be a president for both Democrats and Republicans (Kamala Harris repeated this message, of being “everyone’s president,” as part of accepting the DNC’s nomination).
The next day, Michelle Obama portrayed Trump as a threat to IVF. This was a recurring theme during the convention—even though Trump has said he strongly supports access to IVF.
For those who care about women's bodily autonomy, there is reason to worry about developments in Republican states. But depicting Trump as an opponent of abortion or IVF is misleading.
The convention’s focus is on identity, rather than on ideas. What matters is to stop Trump from being re-elected.
Issues like crime, immigration, and inflation barely warrant mentioning. Despite the convention being held in Chicago—a city grappling with major economic disparities and crime. While catching an Uber ride to the DNC, the driver warns me of a growing trend of cars being hijacked and passengers are robbed. He advises me to double-check not only license plates but also photos of the drivers. Other passengers share stories of being driven to the wrong place and then robbed on their way to the convention.
That is a reality very different from the one depicted inside the arena.
Here, the Biden Administration is portrayed as a success. And despite millions of middle class Americans experiencing narrower margins and higher costs of living, the Democrats insist that the main threat against their wellbeing come from a re-elected Trump administration.
"Project 2025” is mentioned with foreboding, despite Trump stating he has no intention of caving in to demands of lobbyists associated with it.
When Kamala Harris finally stepped onto the stage on Thursday evening, she warns against what four more years with Trump would mean. This, she stresses, is not just the most important election of our lives—it’s the most important election in the nation’s entire history.
In the arena, everyone stands united behind Harris. With superlatives gushing off the stage. But this united front obfuscates the methods that made it possible. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes how the DNC worked to remove him from the ballots, and candidate Marianne Williamson claims she was denied entry to the convention because she didn’t give Harris her full support.
It is campaign season, and certain rough tactics are allowed or at least to be expected. But the Democrats' claim to be the adults in the room is a self-perception too frail to tolerate contenders or critics—neither by the party nor by media sympathetic to it. When we see leading members of the party bend the truth, as happened repeatedly during the DNC, it is noteworthy how their statements face nowhere near the scrutiny that leading Republicans would have been subjected to.
This is a situation that Kamala Harris and the party likely understands and seek to exploit. Having entered the race late, following Biden's withdrawal, there are fewer options for campaigns to familiarize her with the voters. Instead she has avoided giving interviews and press conferences.
When The Free Press conducts a survey at the convention area and asks journalists what they think about Kamala Harris not giving interviews, they smile and express understanding.
A honeymoon phase that could very well last until election day.