WASHINGTON: US Democrats gave a teary President Joe Biden an emotional farewell as he passed the electoral baton to his vice-president Kamala Harris at the party convention in Chicago on Monday, marking a milestone in the country political history.
The first day of party conventions typically offer tepid openings to the gala, with the leadership seldom in attendance.But Monday’s start at the DNC offered a rousing spectacle as Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to be nominated for the Presidency, herself present to accept the mantle of candidacy from Biden and other party principals, including Hillary Clinton.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do, we are forever grateful to you,” Harris said in brief remarks as party faithful erupted into chants of “thank you, Joe” and “we love you, Joe” a recurring chorus through the raucous evening.
“With optimism, hope and faith, so guided by our love of country, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us, let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always remember when we fight, we win,” she added.
Nearly five minutes of sustained ovation greeted Biden as he dabbed tears from his eyes after his wife First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley presented him at Chicago’s United Center, which is named after the airline, but which also appropriately reflected the cohesion in the party after a turbulent turnover of the nomination. Having Biden (and previous party nominee Hillary Clinton) speak on day one and fade away (the President left for a holiday in California) allows the spotlight to feast on Harris from hereon.
If there was any resentment on part of Biden at being jettisoned by the party, he masked it well as he pledged support to Harris, saying, “I love the job, but I love my country more. And all this talk about how I’m angry at all the people who said I should step down — it’s not true.”
“For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times return with the support of the American people. I may have been too young to be in the Senate — I hadn’t turned 30 yet — and too old to stay as president,” he said in the only bittersweet moment of his address.
In a direct attack on Donald Trump, Biden called him a “loser,” saying, “You can’t say you love the country only when you win,” — a reference to the Republican candidate’s oblique contention that he would accept the 2024 election verdict only if he won in an election he deems as fair and honest.
Harris herself rushed on stage with her husband Doug Emhoff to join Biden and his family at the end of the speech, mouthing the words “I love you, Joe” as they hugged each other.
The energy and unity at the DNC contrasted favorably to the tacky Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, where a MAGA dominated party was disdained by its lone living former President (George Bush), its previous vice-president Mike Pence, and many other GOP luminaries.
Among the highlights of the evening was a fiery speech by Hillary Clinton in which she mocked Trump, her 2016 nemesis, saying he is “the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions” and “we have him on the run now,” as the crowd erupted with chants of “Lock him up! Lock him up!”
It was a sweet moment of revenge for Clinton after MAGA Republicans had generated similar chants against her in 2016, but she reminded Democrats that the glass ceiling was yet to be broken although they were close to it, and the battle against Trump was yet to be won.
“I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here, that we were here, and that we were with Kamala every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through,” she said, recalling the 2016 elections in which she was the first woman presidential nominee of a major party, but lost the electoral college despite getting nearly three million more votes than Trump.
The opening night’s roster of speakers at the DNC reflected the party’s diverse base that included many women and minorities, a sharp contrast to the white male dominated RNC with its token presence of minorities both on the floor and on the stage. The arena rang out with the song Freedom by Beyonce, who is among the stars expected to perform at the convention as it gathers pace over the next three days, with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama listed to speak.
The first day of party conventions typically offer tepid openings to the gala, with the leadership seldom in attendance.But Monday’s start at the DNC offered a rousing spectacle as Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to be nominated for the Presidency, herself present to accept the mantle of candidacy from Biden and other party principals, including Hillary Clinton.
“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do, we are forever grateful to you,” Harris said in brief remarks as party faithful erupted into chants of “thank you, Joe” and “we love you, Joe” a recurring chorus through the raucous evening.
“With optimism, hope and faith, so guided by our love of country, knowing we all have so much more in common than what separates us, let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always remember when we fight, we win,” she added.
Nearly five minutes of sustained ovation greeted Biden as he dabbed tears from his eyes after his wife First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley presented him at Chicago’s United Center, which is named after the airline, but which also appropriately reflected the cohesion in the party after a turbulent turnover of the nomination. Having Biden (and previous party nominee Hillary Clinton) speak on day one and fade away (the President left for a holiday in California) allows the spotlight to feast on Harris from hereon.
If there was any resentment on part of Biden at being jettisoned by the party, he masked it well as he pledged support to Harris, saying, “I love the job, but I love my country more. And all this talk about how I’m angry at all the people who said I should step down — it’s not true.”
“For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times return with the support of the American people. I may have been too young to be in the Senate — I hadn’t turned 30 yet — and too old to stay as president,” he said in the only bittersweet moment of his address.
In a direct attack on Donald Trump, Biden called him a “loser,” saying, “You can’t say you love the country only when you win,” — a reference to the Republican candidate’s oblique contention that he would accept the 2024 election verdict only if he won in an election he deems as fair and honest.
Harris herself rushed on stage with her husband Doug Emhoff to join Biden and his family at the end of the speech, mouthing the words “I love you, Joe” as they hugged each other.
The energy and unity at the DNC contrasted favorably to the tacky Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, where a MAGA dominated party was disdained by its lone living former President (George Bush), its previous vice-president Mike Pence, and many other GOP luminaries.
Among the highlights of the evening was a fiery speech by Hillary Clinton in which she mocked Trump, her 2016 nemesis, saying he is “the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions” and “we have him on the run now,” as the crowd erupted with chants of “Lock him up! Lock him up!”
It was a sweet moment of revenge for Clinton after MAGA Republicans had generated similar chants against her in 2016, but she reminded Democrats that the glass ceiling was yet to be broken although they were close to it, and the battle against Trump was yet to be won.
“I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here, that we were here, and that we were with Kamala every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through,” she said, recalling the 2016 elections in which she was the first woman presidential nominee of a major party, but lost the electoral college despite getting nearly three million more votes than Trump.
The opening night’s roster of speakers at the DNC reflected the party’s diverse base that included many women and minorities, a sharp contrast to the white male dominated RNC with its token presence of minorities both on the floor and on the stage. The arena rang out with the song Freedom by Beyonce, who is among the stars expected to perform at the convention as it gathers pace over the next three days, with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama listed to speak.
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