2020 DNC thread (starts at 9pm ET)

[CellarDoor]

This is awesome.

https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1295542788046630913

[Roronoa D. Law]

https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1295546645589852160

Does this show anything other than the Democrats are moving further right and are now on par with where the GOP was a quarter century ago?

More like a century and a quarter. The current Democrat Party is most comparable to the Progressive Era Republican Party.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1295546645589852160

Does this show anything other than the Democrats are moving further right and are now on par with where the GOP was a quarter century ago?

Oh yes, I remember the GOP of 1996 that supported a $15 min wage in 1996 dollars, universal healthcare with a public option and large factions supporting Medicare for all, had a majority who supported marijuana legalization and had large factions calling to defund police departments.

And I see now how the Democrats of 2020 support English as the national language, prayer in schools, a balanced budget amendment, bans on gays in the military, and eliminating any government involvement in Healthcare. They’re basically the same as the GOP of the 1990s.

There's been a lot of progress on social issues (with exceptions like the issue of democracy), but on economics, it's best to keep things in perspective and that means appreciating changes in the status quo as well as the policy platforms revolving around how to change it. The rich are much richer and the poor are getting poorer, the incremental progression of tax loopholes over multiple administrations means the de facto income tax rate is now higher for said poorer voters, the GOP is increasingly authoritarian and obstructionism dominates politics like never before. Amidst the ruins of political norms, the loosening of campaign finance laws (among others) means powerful individuals unaccountable to the populace have a strong grip on many elected officials from the local to the federal level.

The world is also rumbling on towards a 2 degree increase in temperature. The Democratic platform provides much room for optimism that the challenges of the times will be met and tackled, but I think it's fair to argue those challenges are greater than those faced at the turn of the century and that most people are further from equity now than then.

Whether the platform will be realised depends on how many elected Democrats there are in 2021 and how may of them are prepared to hang onto that platform when the obstructionists (both elected Republicans and "Democratic" lobbyists) come out to play.

[Devils30]

This is awesome.

https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1295542788046630913

Should have been the Veep!

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1295546645589852160

Does this show anything other than the Democrats are moving further right and are now on par with where the GOP was a quarter century ago?

Oh yes, I remember the GOP of 1996 that supported a $15 min wage in 1996 dollars, universal healthcare with a public option and large factions supporting Medicare for all, had a majority who supported marijuana legalization and had large factions calling to defund police departments.

And I see now how the Democrats of 2020 support English as the national language, prayer in schools, a balanced budget amendment, bans on gays in the military, and eliminating any government involvement in Healthcare. They’re basically the same as the GOP of the 1990s.

The rich are much richer and the poor are getting poorer.

I'm all for more progressive taxation but let's get our economic facts right. The major economic story of the past few decades has been the rapidly growing wealth of the 20-30 percent of Americans who qualify as Upper Middle Class with stagnation (but not outright decline) for everyone else. This is where efforts to target wealth inequality must most aggressively be made. The state of a couple thousand ultrawealthy Americans is a distraction (although it is heavily invoked by UMC progressives to avoid a bit of self-introspection.)

[CellarDoor]

Praise for Michelle's speech from Fox News.

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1295558615122587652

[Landslide Lyndon]

Online MAGA is MAD about that Michelle Obama speech.

Online MAGA is always mad for something.

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1295546645589852160

Does this show anything other than the Democrats are moving further right and are now on par with where the GOP was a quarter century ago?

No, this is a really dumb take. Democrats have absolutely moved to the left since the 1990s lol.

This was meant to illustrate how batsh**t insane the GOP has become.

[GoTfan]

So when does the inevitable Trump Tweetstorm start?

[Blue3]

    I thought Michelle Obama clearly gave the best speech tonight, and the best speech in the entire 2016 convention too.

    Well I like Bernie's too, it was just the same stump speech for the last 5 years, updated with the latest facts and figures (which are devastating).

    Michelle was speaking to each American on a personal level, comprehensively laying out the case, and coming across as the family matriarch.

[Thank you for being a friend...]

https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1295557220084658176

For your viewing pleasure.

Love it, Michelle!  Why can't you run for office?!?

[Koharu]

Love it, Michelle!  Why can't you run for office?!?

Because she doesn't want to. She doesn't like politics. She literally said that in this speech.

[Koharu]

I didn't watch because I've never watched. Honestly, I don't get the point of the conventions and I think if they have to exist, what tonight was is the best route to go, only cut it back to just one or two nights.

That said, I did read the transcript of Michelle Obama's speech and was pleased. It's unfortunate the people who most need to hear her speech are those who are going to be posting awful memes about her and using racist comparisons, etc. Sigh.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Definitely a strange DNC Convention,  telecommunications, I watched the highlights. No need to watch it love, we watch this stuff on the news everyday

[Sir Mohamed]

https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1295557220084658176

For your viewing pleasure.

Love it, Michelle!  Why can't you run for office?!?

Yup, it was magnificent. Absolutely loved it.

As she said in the speech, she hates politics, which is why she isn't running. Being popular right now doesn't mean she maintained such approvals if she decided to run 4 office or accept the VP slot under Joe Biden. Running 4 office usually gets you under increased scrutiny, and she seems to have zero desire of this, let alone govern in any capacity. I think she can be a bigger asset this way.

[Woody]

https://mobile.twitter.com/KyleKulinski/status/1295564262128132097

[The Other Castro]

Imagine unironically believing that.

[Thank you for being a friend...]

Online MAGA is MAD about that Michelle Obama speech.

Good.  That means it's effective.

[dunceDude]

Michelle Obama’s speech was really good. Saved the whole night. I found it very emotional and moving.

[LabourJersey]

https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1295546645589852160

Does this show anything other than the Democrats are moving further right and are now on par with where the GOP was a quarter century ago?

More like a century and a quarter. The current Democrat Party is most comparable to the Progressive Era Republican Party.

Even then not really.

The Progressive Republicans were still pretty nativists and hardly fond of the wave of immigration coming to the US from 1890 to 1914.

[dunceDude]

When she said “vote in person if you can”, that really hit different. Fear about stealing the election has really permeated. Trump’s done just a terrible terrible thing in this regard.

[wbrocks67]

I feel like the personal nature of the speeches like Michelle's just works better in this atmosphere and in this current climate anyway, tbh

[Ferguson97]

https://mobile.twitter.com/KyleKulinski/status/1295564262128132097

Is your user signature really a reference to Trump dismantling the post office? Why do you hate democracy?

[pbrower2a]

I didn't watch because I've never watched. Honestly, I don't get the point of the conventions and I think if they have to exist, what tonight was is the best route to go, only cut it back to just one or two nights.

That said, I did read the transcript of Michelle Obama's speech and was pleased. It's unfortunate the people who most need to hear her speech are those who are going to be posting awful memes about her and using racist comparisons, etc. Sigh.

Usually a convention is a big feel-good party for Party hacks and activists and celebrity hangers-on. This time the effect is absolute coherence. Everyone is on message and nobody rambles. Nobody is distracted by calls of "Lock her up!" as in 2016 or as would be the tempting "Lock him up!" this time.

[Gass3268]

Day Two Schedule

Jimmy Carter has been added!