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On the first day of the Democratic National Convention, there was a display of energy and optimism over the course correction, even if the proceedings itself have had to grapple with a crush of attendees, long security lines and an overly packed lineup that resulted in Joe Biden getting pushed out of primetime.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who got one of the choice earlier speaking slots, was unfazed as he walked out of the United Center just after 11 p.m.
“What a night,” he told Deadline. “I couldn’t imagine it going any better.”
Privately, some Hollywood boosters wondered if the first night would have been better had an hour been shaved off the lineup — a message that seems to have gotten through to the convention planners, who were making adjustments today.
The extended greeting for Biden was the night’s most emotional moment, especially so when he summed up the bookends of his career — “too young to be in the Senate because I wasn’t 30 yet, and too old to stay as president.”
Hillary Clinton drew almost as long an ovation as she appeared on stage, another bittersweet moment that gave way to a speech that reflected many of the anti-Trump themes of the evening. As many in the crowd shouted “lock him up” and one point — returning the favor to the MAGA chants about her in 2016 — Clinton smiled. Her message was one of confidence that this time, with Kamala Harris, will be different.
“Together we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” she said. “And tonight, so close to breaking through once and for all.”
Many Democrats are still haunted by what happened in 2016, and it was foreshadowed by what was a flawless convention on stage but, on the floor, persistent grumbling among backers of Bernie Sanders. At one point they even took over the media tent.
This time, there are the Gaza protests, including one several blocks away at Union Park, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators waved anti-Biden signs and speaker Cornel West blasted Harris. Later, some of the demonstrators breached an outer perimeter fence, but police officials kept them back.
Inside the United Center, there were some shouts among demonstrators at one moment during Biden’s speech, but they were inaudible, and drowned out by the cheers of the crowd as they were escorted away.
“There’s so much excitement in this city, and Kamala Harris has really moved the needle,” former California Governor Gray Davis shortly after arriving on the convention floor.
“She’s got a lot of work to do, but by every metric, number of volunteers, number of contributions, number of people registered is way up,” he said.
Like the many thousands of attendees, Davis faced a bit of a challenge navigating the many security barriers and checkpoints, with buses dropping them off a ways away from the United Center. “But everybody got through,” he said. “We’re here. The party has coalesced around Kamala. Kamala has all the intangibles.” A bit of advice: “Assume we are the underdog, even though all the indices saying Kamala is even or slightly ahead.”
Democrats have been anxious to build up the “vibes” around the new ticket. Social media influencers have their own designated spot on the convention floor. In their pen, they stood and took selfies and participated in campaign-produced content.
Standing out in the crowd was the Washington delegation, who all wore cowboy hats with flashing lights, and some wore sash’s that read “Cowboy Kamala.” “We all love Beyoncé, and so we’re here to represent,” said Caren Chase, a delegate from Edmonds, WA.
There have been rumors of a Beyoncé appearance, given her permission for Harris to use the song Freedom at rallies. “If she does, we’re ready,” Chase said.
“I’m incredibly enthusiastic that we have this monumental time, that we are going to have our first woman as our president, and I couldn’t be more overjoyed,” she added.
The celebrities who have shown up so far have been mobbed in the hallways of the arena — either by delegates and attendees or the news media. That was particularly true of Mark Hamill, who managed to find a secret exit out of Media Row, where dozens of radio hosts and podcasters are hosting their shows in the shadow of a Michael Jordan statue.
Also there was Rob Reiner, who had urged Biden to step aside after the June debate.
“I don’t really have much fear at this point,” he said, citing “the shift in the confidence and [that] the Democrats are coming together. We’re going to win. I don’t have any fear. I had a lot a few weeks ago, but I don’t have it now. I think we’re going to win and I don’t think it’s going to be even close.”
