It turns out the crowds, the balloons and confetti were merely froufrou, just window dressing. Stripped down, it was even easier for the themes of this week’s Democratic National Convention — and the party’s vision for the future — to break through.
The Democrats’ unity on display could be a bit ripe for parody, for sure, a little like seeing Sylvester and Tweety Bird declaring a temporary truce before the inevitable chase continues. The scenes of comity — Republicans crossing over to extol the character of Joe Biden, progressives vowing to work with moderates — would most certainly be replaced by the usual infighting and struggles for policy influence even, or especially, if Democrats win big in November. That’s the Democratic and (small “d” democratic) way.
Sometimes a “big tent” gets awfully crowded, and messy. And with Democrats, the mess can sometimes overwhelm the message or, as in 2016 when Bernie Sanders’ supporters were still complaining loudly on the convention floor, consume it.
But that oft-used expression, that diversity is America’s strength, so often mocked as cliché, still has the ability to provoke a sentimental misty eye if offered with sincerity. And when a loud segment of America obviously rejects it, captured on way too many angry viral videos — well, that’s when it becomes more important to protect the promise.
“Uniting America” has been the message of the Democratic National Convention and the party’s campaign, virtual and otherwise, moving into the fall. Democrats are betting the country is exhausted and pushed to the brink by challenges that an entertainer in chief is ill-equipped to handle.
Will the Democratic South rise again?
It was almost but not quite like being in the middle of the action on Inauguration Day. If you opened the door of the restaurant on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol, you could practically hear echoes of President Obama’s speech and Beyonce’s rendition of the National Anthem, real or lip-synched. But it was all a little muddled. You could say the same about the state of the Democratic Party in the South.
I watched the inauguration ceremonies on big screens in the eatery, surrounded by Southern Democrats with a plan. I listened to strategies designed to re-establish the party’s dominance in the region it once owned. Because of issues of race, social issues and habit, for starters, it won’t be easy.