What AJC contributors want to see at the Democratic National Convention

Among the millions tuning in for Harris’s speech will be more than just Democratic loyalists and party-line voters.

Those who haven’t made up their mind, including disaffected Republicans, will be watching. There will also be those who share my view that neither the GOP nor the country can survive another four years of Trump.

My hope is that the vice president speaks to those people, and that she offers an open hand not a closed fist.

Our politics have become so tribal and politicized. One side is the “good” team; the other is the opponent. This mentality has made it challenging for those who have voted GOP their whole lives but know in their hearts that the party’s current standard bearer is morally bankrupt and unfit for office.

Much has been made of Harris’s policy positions from her first ill-fated presidential bid. Medicare for all, the Green New Deal, head-scratching rules around immigration and crime. She can answer these questions by pointing to her time in office. The world has changed since 2019, and Harris has nearly four years of national leadership under her belt.

Her earlier campaign proposals came before the pandemic wiped out millions of lives and millions of businesses and shut down our entire economy. Back then, terms like inflation and supply chain were relegated to economics classes, not kitchen tables.

If those experiences haven’t changed our leaders, they are too rigid and don’t deserve the privilege of governing the greatest nation on earth.

One thing is clear: National elections are decided by those voters in the middle, not those on either end of the ideological spectrum. Trump has not shown an interest in or capability of speaking to those voters. If Harris seizes the opportunity, she will win. The convention is the ideal time to start. — Geoff Duncan

A return to normal

I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s — a classic Gen Xer through and through. I have been a political junkie ever since I snuck into my mom’s library at home to read books with titles like “Nixon’s Palace Guards” or “None Dare Call It Conspiracy.” Much too young to understand at the time, the one thing I firmly grasped from reading these provocative titles was that “individual liberty,” “freedom” and “moral character” in our leaders all mattered if we were going to preserve American democracy.

Every four years., my family would gather and watch the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. And then we would discuss who was the best candidate and why. Like most Gen Xers I lived through 12 years of Republican presidencies from Ronald Reagan in 1981 to George H.W. Bush in 1992. It’s why I became a young black female Republican in college. And I was an active Republican until Donald Trump took over the now-unrecognizable Republican Party in 2016.

All of that is to say that I miss the normal conventions of my youth. Great speeches by newcomers Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Or watching a tribute to Ronald Reagan after he announced he was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Seeing celebrities like Robert Redford or historical trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm on the TV. Listening to passionate conservatives like Rep. Jack Kemp or watching Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 unknowingly make the way for a then college-aged Kamala Harris, as they both would take their place in history.

I want to see great moments like Jesse Jackson’s “Rainbow Coalition” speech. Or New York Gov. Mario Cuomo bringing down the house in 1988. I want to laugh out loud again, as I did in 1992 when Texas Gov. Ann Richards said, “Poor George, he can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

Those were great American moments regardless of your party or political leanings. I hope that unlike the wild and raucous Trump RNC last month featuring Hulk Hogan yelling at us, Democrats bring back the nostalgia, the unity and the joy. — Sophia A. Nelson

Keep up the patriotism and restore fiscal sanity

Vice President Kamala Harris has been doing a good job with her ads defining herself as a moderate, common-sense candidate and the candidate of the future and of hope. What I’d like to see at the convention is for her to continue to lean into this profile. I love that her ads talk about going after criminal gangs but also going after corporate bad actors who have been taking advantage of us as consumers and taxpayers. One of the reasons that the Biden administration’s recent success in allowing Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs is such a big win is that it leverages federal purchasing power to rein in corporations that have been massively profiting at consumer and taxpayer expense. As a country, we can do a lot more like this. These are political wins that pretty much everyone across the political spectrum supports.

I’d also like to hear that she is going to continue to tackle our broken health care system and continue the clean-energy investments that have paid such dividends in Georgia. One addition to her platform that would go a long way toward reassuring moderates would be a commitment to restoring fiscal sanity to our federal budget process. This is a concern that both parties have often abandoned in recent years, but it is far more important to voters than people realize — perhaps less because of agreement on fiscal policy itself than because it indicates an understanding that there are real costs and trade-offs behind any policy choice. Last, I love her emphasis on hard work and patriotism — essential American values that Democrats at times have seemed to forget. Give us more of this! — Carolyn Bourdeaux

A monumental event for Harris and Walz

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago will serve as a pivotal moment for presidential nominee Kamala Harris as she steps into the national spotlight before tens of millions of Americans. With President Joseph Biden passing the torch to Harris, the convention aims to rally the party around her historic nomination, energizing Democrats and a broad coalition of supporters, including women, people of color, Jews, labor union members and the LGBTQ community. This significant occasion will not only establish Harris as the party’s leader but also symbolize hope and progress for all Americans. The anticipated post-convention boost in the polls will undoubtedly build momentum for Harris as she heads into the general election in November, energizing voters and reminding them of the importance of this election.

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is also poised to play a vital role at the convention by showcasing solidarity and backing for Harris as they join forces to craft a positive vision for the nation forward. The duo of Harris’s trailblazing candidacy and Walz’s gubernatorial expertise from Minnesota will form a formidable tandem that embodies the Democratic Party’s principles of equality, fairness, justice and voting rights. The Democratic National Convention promises to be a monumental event for Harris and Walz, laying the groundwork for a spirited campaign and, ultimately, a decisive win in November. — John H. Eaves

A spectacular spectacle and sparkles

If 2024 were a year that I could proudly describe as one of sanity and hopefulness, then the Democratic National Convention would be a professional showcase of the party’s plans for the future, both in promoting Vice President Kamala Harris as the rightful heir to the throne (oh sorry, we’re not the ones who wants kings. I forgot!) and perhaps giving ample airtime to a cast of hopefuls who could carry the torch in eight years. However, 2024 is one of the least sane years on record, so ….

Y’all, Hulk Hogan spoke at the Republican National Convention, and love him or hate him, he cut a heck a promo and did what a convention speaker is supposed to do: Get the base riled up! So Dems, hear me out. Are you gonna sit there and let the other side accuse you of being infiltrated by the Hollywood elite and not at least use that to your advantage?

First off, Harris should enter the stage from the ceiling on a cable just like Sting (the wrestler, not the singer) did when he joined the NWO. We know the DNC has the best stunt coordinators on speed dial because how else do you invite them to the virgin sacrifices we always have? Speaking of stunts, I think if Paris can get Tom Cruise for The Olympics, then y’all won’t have a problem cutting a check to Xenu so that he can be shot out of a cannon into a pool while wearing a cape that spells out “We Are Not Going Back!” (covering it in glitter is optional). Wanna seal the deal? Get Dolly Parton and Denzel Washington to duet “Islands in The Stream” next to a hologram of Kenny Rogers, because if you hate any of those three people, you’re too far beyond saving anyhow.

Most important, have fun with it. Because if some of the news I’m hearing is to be believed, this might be the last one we ever have! — Corey Ryan Forrester