CHICAGO — The second night of the Democratic National Convention has wrapped up. From the ceremonial roll call to prominent Democratic Party figures making the case for Vice President Kamala Harris, here are three key takeaways from Tuesday’s programming.
‘A Bold Vision for the Future’
Night two of the DNC centered on the Democratic Party’s economic visions and health care during a potential Harris presidency.
In a video shown to attendees of the convention, Harris pledged to end America’s housing crisis by the end of her first term in office by building 3 million new homes and rentals that are affordable and aimed at the middle class.
The middle class has been a focal point of the convention, with Harris repeatedly hailed as a warrior for the middle class. Her campaign promised to restore the income tax credit as well as the child tax credit.
President Joe Biden ushered in the topic of prescription drug costs in his speech Monday night, and Tuesday’s speakers continued to highlight it as a major success. The Biden administration announced Thursday price limits for 10 of the most expensive common medications. Harris said she will continue this legacy by working to secure cheaper prescription drugs for Americans across the country.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called health care a human right and pushed for stronger public education, a higher minimum wage and the passage of the PRO Act to safeguard union organizing.
Sanders also called for the overturning of Citizens United v. FEC, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case allowing private funding of elections.
“Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy our elections, especially primary elections,” Sanders said in an apparent reference to the ousting of New York U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Missouri U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, both vocal critics of Israel, who saw the Israel lobbyist group American Israel Public Affairs Committee spend a combined $35.6 million in support of their primary opponents.
And, with former President Barack Obama headlining the night, there was lots of discussion surrounding the Affordable Care Act and former President Donald Trump’s attempts to repeal it. Obama himself joked that Republicans stopped calling it “Obamacare” once it got popular.
“Together, we will build a country that is more secure and just, more equal and more free,” Obama said Tuesday night. “So let’s get to work.”
A star-studded roll call
The aspect of the night that has been garnering high praise and going viral on social media, however, was the ceremonial roll call for delegates to officially nominate Harris. Though this process was officially done earlier this month, the 59 delegations added theatricality to their nomination on the convention floor and highlighted their state or territory’s cultural, political and historical cornerstones
The 95-member Wisconsin delegation wore the state’s signature cheesehead hats for their roll call, which was cued with the University of Wisconsin’s third quarter classic, “Jump Around.” Delegate Jason Rae, the secretary of the DNC presiding over vote, is a Rice Lake, Wisconsin native and Badger alum.
Gov. Tony Evers, announcing the delegation’s vote, momentarily seemed too flustered to get through his speech.
Georgia’s roll call included a performance by Lil Jon that urged the DNC to “Turn Down for What,” and appearances from stars such as Sean Astin (for Indiana) and Spike Lee (for New York).
In his roll call speech, Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson — who made the news earlier this year for being expelled from the state Legislature for participating in a protest against gun violence on the Tennessee House floor — said “the movement for justice, rooted in love in Tennessee, is still strong.”
As Harris’ home state, California was last to go. The state’s 496 delegates, the most of any delegation at the convention, granted Harris enough delegates to officially clinch the nomination.
“California is the most diverse state in the world’s most diverse democracy,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said during his nominating speech. “We pride ourselves on our ability to live together and advance together and prosper together across every conceivable and imaginable difference. But the thing we pride ourselves most on is that we believe the future happens in California first.”
Emhoff makes the case for Harris’ character
With their 10-year anniversary landing on Thursday, the night Harris will accept the Democratic nomination for president, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff took to the convention stage to retell the story of how he met his wife.
After a long meeting in his profession as a lawyer, Emhoff said he was surprised when his client offered to set him up with Harris, who was California’s attorney general at the time.
“People have debated when to call the person you’re being set up with,” Emhoff said. “And never in history has anyone suggested 8:30 a.m.”
When she did call him back after the call inevitably went to voicemail, Emhoff said they spoke for hours and the relationship quickly progressed from there.
Despite Barack Obama’s clear adoration for his wife, Doug Emhoff was the “star husband” as he made the case for Harris’ relatability and character.
“Kamala Harris was exactly the right person for me in an important moment in my life, and in this moment in our nation's history, she is exactly the right president,” Emhoff said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will take the stage Wednesday night to accept his vice presidential nomination. Other speakers will include former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Annika Bereny is a Senior Staff Writer and the former Special Pages Editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth for state and campus news. Follow her on Twitter at @annikabereny.
