Kamala Harris' acceptance of the vice-presidential nomination this week was a historic event, and one that might have a lot to do with where this country goes in the future. (What we did not think was acceptable was her reference to the sitting president as a "predator," which may have been a new low for an acceptance speech).
Unlike other nominating conventions, this one will be hard to forget simply because of its logistics. Every speaker seemed to pause for an applause line, but no applause was forthcoming--because few people were actually in the speaker's hall. Covid-19 has upended everything. Kamala Harris was denied the applause she deserved on what had to be one of the biggest nights of her young life so far.
But not everybody was thrilled this past week with the Democratic National Convention, and we don't just mean the incumbent president. The inter-party fight for the party of Jefferson seems to be a struggle between those who'd like a big tent, and those who'd definitely prefer a smaller one. And here we thought the Republicans were supposed to be the party of exclusion.
The Joe Biden campaign decided weeks ago to feature Never-Trump Republicans at its convention in an attempt to show the country that those uncomfortable with the president's character have a candidate they can call their own. The strategy might be to let these particular Republicans know that they're not alone, and can cast a ballot for Biden-Harris without guilt.
Believe it or not, such a strategy hasn't been universally praised by the party. Fact is, the pushback in some precincts has been, in a word, deplorable.
Colin Powell, a former secretary of state and historic general in his own right, was given a speaking slot at the DNC this year. For his efforts, he was pushed through the Twitter grinder. During his speech, an outfit called Millennials for Bernie retweeted: "How many war criminals are we hearing from tonight?"
John Kasich, the former Republican governor of Ohio and once upon a time a presidential candidate himself, did what he thought was right and endorsed Joe Biden, too. Not everybody in Joe Biden's party welcomed that development. You see, John Kasich is a devoted religious man by all accounts, and has the audacity to be pro-life. Besides, aren't a lot of Republicans also pro-gun and anti-union? Who wants them around?
"Fmr. Governor Kasich and Secretary Powell are not only irrelevant in the Republican Party, but their presence at the Democratic convention is also a slap in the face to anyone who believes our party needs to be crystal clear about where we stand on abortion rights, organized labor, marriage equality, the threat of guns in our communities, police brutality against Black people and the greatest foreign policy disaster in a generation," said Yvette Simpson, CEO of another outfit called Democracy for America. Or maybe it should be Democracy for Some of America.
An Associated Press story said that including Republicans at the convention for Democrats (including the likes of Cindy McCain and Christine Todd Whitman) has had its critics, and some say "such outreach risks undermining the party's principles and harkens back to an era of bipartisan cooperation that no longer exists."
And, apparently, shouldn't exist. According to some.
"It's fine for Republicans and Democrats to say we disagree on many issues, but Donald Trump is a threat to American democracy and we must join together to elect Joe Biden," Adam Green, a co-founder of something called the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, told the AP.
"It's not OK for the Democratic convention to give more time to Republicans than Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or to approve John Kasich's pre-taped video bashing the 'left' and implying that Joe Biden will not make good on the ambitious solutions he proposed in this crisis moment."
Another spokesman for a progressive group called Justice Democrats described the convention as a "boomer cringe." Might as well push that demographic out, too.
To his campaign's credit, Joe Biden's people say pshaw. Or would say pshaw if they thought the younger crowd would understand it. The official position is that for a presidential campaign, the more the merrier. It's also the right, and smart, position.
But right and smart aren't necessarily the directions some want to take the party. In this cancel culture, the sin of being a Republican can't be overlooked. Nor can anyone be forgiven being pro-life, right-to-work, free trade, law-and-order, small government, pro-military, pro-charter school Second Amendment supporters.
And if that frame of mind doesn't benefit President Trump in November, what would?