The Democratic National Convention Speaker List Is a Look at the Party's Identity Crisis

[CentralMass]

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a33623915/democratic-convention-republican-speakers-john-kasich/

"While the sitting president spent his morning chatting with his therapists on Fox & Friends, the Democratic Party was busy laying bare the basic conflicts between its present and its future. The folks running the Democratic National Convention released a new list of event speakers, including those slated to speak during the convention's opening night on Monday, and it was fairly revelatory regarding the Biden campaign's strategy. In short, a slate of Republicans have secured themselves speaking slots:

Former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman
Meg Whitman, the CEO of Quibi
Former New York Congresswoman Susan Molinari
Former Ohio Governor John Kasich"

[cynatnite]

1. It's about widening appeal to more voters....

It will help expand the gap between Biden and tRump.

[Amishman]

53. That widened appeal brings with it a wider ideological spread

When the dust settles and we take back the presidency and Senate, we will have to contend with more of our congressmen and women representing center or even center right states / districts. This means if we push too far too fast, we lose power quickly and nothing sticks.

When we take back control, we need a moderate approach and pace to changes.

[jorgevlorgan]

2. I'm starting to think that the republican party is going to shrink

And merge with the democratic party, as the democratic party later fractured and one to the left is created. Democrats may soon be the center right party. Republicans will stick around for a short time as the fascist party/far right authoritarian party, and a new center left party will form.

[CentralMass]

5. I'm in the long line that don't want see 3rd Way poltics/policies used to make that happen.

[jorgevlorgan]

9. I would prefer that too

But the speaking list (and I understand it is just a speaking list), has me speculating 3rd way would get their way again even if temporarily.

[Demsrule86]

12. Well here is the reality that some here won't face AOC is of no use to us in purple states.

Last edited Mon Aug 17, 2020, 06:46 PM - Edit history (1)

In order to have the party that both you and I would like, we have to be able to have progressives like AOC able to campaign effectively in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and/or Ohio. That is not our reality and the convention reflects this. Moderate voters took over the house in 18 and won in 19. The most important thing this year and every year really is to win.

[empedocles]

19. Yes

No use - or less

[still_one]

28. Until AOC can demonstrate that she can win a state election such as Governor or Senate, it remains

to be determined how representative she is in the party

[Withywindle]

49. Is that really true though?

As I see it, AOC's platform is really based on economic justice. She was a bartender - which is already elite among service jobs. She appeals to the younger generation, which is COMPLETELY economically screwed even if they originally came from the middle class.

People in their 20s and 30s now are economically crippled by at least three factors: 1) if they went to college, student debt on a level unprecedented in the past. I'm Gen X, in my early 50s, and I had student debt that took me about a decade to pay off - and it is SO MUCH WORSE for younger people. I have friends in their 30s who have good jobs (or at least did before the virus) but will never pay that debt off until they're accumulating more debt for nursing home care. 2) Whether they went to college or not, wage stagnation to absolutely shameful levels. If minimum wage had kept pace with earning power on the level it was in the 70s, it would be $22.50 an hour AT LEAST. That would raise up all levels, if $22.50 was the baseline, as it should be. 3) Healthcare being completely inaccessible to anyone in the working class. (And remember, TODAY'S working class isn't white guys in factories with union jobs, it's retail and low-paid health care workers, who are generally young and likely to be women and people of color.)

These are the people AOC speaks to. They're in every single state. If we can get all these people out to vote - and make sure their vote is counted, that's the hard part - we'll never lose again.

But we do need to make sure they get something in exchange for their vote. Obama delivered - I have health insurance now, I wouldn't if not for him. It's not great coverage but it's better than nothing.

People in purple states are stressed out by fear of poverty - which is a completely rational fear. I think progressives like AOC are the future of the party, because their ideas will actually help.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

24. Every time I hear someone throw out the term "Third Way"...

... I suddenly have flashbacks to a shitty former DUer who thought he was much funnier than he actually was.

[Demsrule86]

26. I know who you mean...you know what...we need to win and until the so called progressive wing

of the party can win in what is now red or purple states...we need a big tent. By the way we are all progressive in this party...just some of us value winning over 'purity'.

[CentralMass]

27. Here is an article on it. The term is real and its embrace helped frame

The policies of the last nearly 3 decades.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Way

[SiliconValley_Dem]

37. yes. any time a Dem reaches any sort negotiating compromise

with GOP counterparts, they are accused of DLC Third Way. Let's remember context of Third Way--

Between LBJ and Clinton were only 4 short Carter years. From 1969 to 1993 it was Republican White House other than one term. By 1994 when health care reform under Bill and Hillary had failed to pass Dem congress, the GOP took both houses and Clinton was faced with Dems sliding into obscurity unless he approached the GOP with compromise positions.

From 1972 and 1984 landslide defeats to 8 years of Clinton.

Real governance is messy and not meant to be driven by extremists (like AOC or right wing counterparts)

[George II]

30. "Third Way" AGAIN, why do people keep bringing that up? Remember, they're DEMOCRATS!!

[onetexan]

3. Slanted article. It's baloney. Democratic party is about embracing everyone.

[elleng]

7. Yes

[Thekaspervote]

8. This! We don't need that kind of bull shit noise

[BannonsLiver]

11. Purity now! Purity forever!11111

[ace3csusm]

4. Unite the country

country divided can not stand ...

[elleng]

6. INCLUSIVENESS is NOT an 'identity crisis.'

[CentralMass]

10. Sure unite to deregulate, create a too big fail financial industry

pass a bankruptcy bill to protect them more and enable them to be even more predatory and take bigger risks. Get out on board with insane wars like Iraq.
Hell no.

This country is about to be on its knees again and I'm curious to see how much of a top down approach is going to be used to saving it.

[Demsrule86]

14. I do hope you are not talking about Biden because that is not acceptable. He has done nothing that

would indicate such a thing.

[sheshe2]

15. Would you stop!

Asking for Repubs to vote for us is not putting them on the 'Board of Directors'.

[agingdem]

23. Make no mistake..

these guys have not "seen the light"..this isn't some kind of mass conversion...they hate trump more than they hate Dems...I'm not offended bc I don't like them either but for this one election their voices mean something...

[sheshe2]

25. Correct and I thank you.

[George II]

34. Well, if you keep bashing Democrats we may not be in a position to save it come January.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

38. hahaha. here we go again. rubes lapping up the "both sides" garbage

acting like the worst cataclysmic presidency is equaled in dysfuntion by Dems creating country united message by having some GOP leaders who are outspoken opponents of Trump as convention speakers

[MrsCoffee]

54. FUD is all you got.

Pretty pathetic.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. Are all four of these speaking on Monday?

I'm trying to find a detailed schedule, but all I seem to find are lists of the "name" headliners.

[CentralMass]

16. No.

[lapucelle]

20. You can find the schedule here

https://www.demconvention.com/schedule-and-speakers/

[George II]

35. I listed it in post #21, taken directly from the DNC Convention website (link provided)....

There have been some minor changes and some additions, but for the most part that's the lineup over the next four nights.

Almost three dozen speakers, four republicans. But it's being billed here as a "slate of republicans"!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

46. Thanks, George II. nt

[uncle ray]

17. 2016 called, it wants it's infighting back.

[Doremus]

18. It's an embarrassment.

It's a natural question to ask what the fuck we stand for because our messaging, as usual, sucks.

[lapucelle]

22. Here's the 2020 Democratic Party Platform.

Anyone who doesn't know what Democrats stand for should probably read it.

https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf

[George II]

36. Bazinga!

[SiliconValley_Dem]

39. ahhh..,the die hard fans who live to screech insults at their own team

from the sidelines

[JI7]

47. They are the same ones who attack Democrats for failing to not bring in more voters

if we lose an election. They will demand to know why we lost to candidate X .

[CentralMass]

44. +1

[JI7]

48. I'm not part of your "we" . I know what I stand for and the Convention represented

what I stand for along with the rest of the democratic party.

[George II]

21. The list of speakers on all four nights is a true cross section of America....

....a great mix of men, women, sexual orientation, African American, Latino/Latina, white, Asian.

Here's the list other than those you singled out:

https://www.demconvention.com/schedule-and-speakers/?_sft_event-day=august-20

Monday Night:

Former First Lady Michelle Obama
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Rep. Jim Clyburn
Convention Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson
Rep. Gwen Moore, Former Gov. John Kasich
Sen. Doug Jones
Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Tuesday Night:

Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Former Secretary of State John Kerry
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester
Former President Bill Clinton
Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Wednesday Night:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Gov. Tony Evers
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Thursday Night:

Vice President Joe Biden
Sen. Cory Booker, Gov. Gavin Newsom
Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
Sen. Tammy Baldwin
Sen. Tammy Duckworth
Sen. Chris Coons
The Biden Family

An amazingly diverse lineup of Democrats and some republicans. It most certainly is NOT a "slate of republicans". Why is it some feel the need to shit all over it?

[betsuni]

31. Thank you. The way some people are going on, being Republican is contagious.

Four people speaking about country over party means Democrats are handing over the keys to the party to Republicans.

If I hear the crap about Democrats not standing for anything and having no message again I'm going to start screaming and never stop.

[George II]

32. Too bad the one who posted the link to the wikipedia article about Meg Whitman didn't read it all.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

40. how the f*** is Barack Obama not speaking

[George II]

41. He's the last speaker on Wednesday. I copied/pasted the list as shown in each night's summary....

Obama was listed separately as the last speaker. Sorry (but I did note elsewhere that the list has had some additions and changes)

My intention though was to show that this is a very diverse list of speakers over the four nights - speakers from all over the country representing all demographics. It is not a "slate of republicans" as has been said in this thread.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

42. ok--thanks...so not the complete list above.

[George II]

43. Well it wasn't called the complete list, and the link was provided for reference.

[StarfishSaver]

29. Yawn

Whatever ...

[sheshe2]

33. ...

[DFW]

45. Quite the glass half empty view

Parties always bring out speakers from the other party to show out of touch the „other“ party‘s nominee is with its best known prominence. When the Republicans trotted out Zell Miller, Democrats laughed, saying he was already 90% of the way there anyhow. With Kasich, we have a nationally known Republican governor who wanted to run for the Republican presidential nomination, himself. This is the difference between an alley cat and a Florida panther. No Democrats paid any attention to their alley cat. On the other hand, lots of Republicans, especially in Ohio, will sit up and take notice, and listen to why Kasich is there. I say, bring him on.

[struggle4progress]

50. We'll do what we have to do to keep the current GOP from destroying our country

[betsuni]

51. Only in Opposite World.

[pecosbob]

52. This is not some sort of Rubicon to be crossed at peril of losing support from the left

That test will likely come when the ticket selects new holders of cabinet and staff positions. If the left sees these positions given to conservatives they will likely feel abandoned and lash out. The proof in the pudding will be who holds Treasury, Justice, Labor, etc. at the end of the day...progressives or those who wish to maintain the status quo? Will the Interior Department continue to sell off public lands to extractive industry? Will Treasury continue to let the moneylenders and carpet-baggers rape the nation and it's citizens with laws and regulations that favor the wealthy? Will Justice continue to be a bludgeon for the Executive to wield against it's enemies or the servant of the people? These questions have yet to be resolved.

[panader0]

55. 54 replies, one recommendation.

I suspect that if there were still the un-rec option, you'd have quite a few.

[MrsCoffee]

56. Seems Trump and a few Berners have a sad this morning.

Last night must have been off the charts fantastic for Biden and the Democratic Party.

[George II]

57. Christie Whitman, Meg Whitman, and Susan Molinari each spoke for less than a minute....

....and Kasich spoke for 4:45. That's a total of less than eight minutes!

I don't think that was such a horrible thing or dragged down the events of the evening. And to be honest, Kasich did a very good job.

[dalton99a]

58. +1