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THE ‘SAD TELETHON,’ NIGHT TWO: Give Democrats some credit. They had to come up with a way to stage a “convention” that wasn’t really a convention, to do it all online, and to try to give it some life. It’s a nearly impossible undertaking that no one has ever attempted before — at least until Republicans have to do it next week. But of course Democrats have access to the best entertainment talent in the world, so surely they could figure something out, right? Actually, they couldn’t. The first night of the convention was a complete mess, both as politics and as a show — the CNN commentator S.E. Cupp called it a “sad telethon,” which, unfortunately for Democrats, was spot-on.
The second night started the same way. The convention had ended its first session with an attack-attack-attack speech from former First Lady Michelle Obama. Night Two started where that left off, with former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates — you remember her as one of the Obama appointees who weaponized the Justice Department in an attempt to undermine the incoming Trump administration — having the chutzpah to accuse President Trump of weaponizing the Justice Department. In addition, Yates said that Trump “is even trying to sabotage our Postal Service, to keep people from being able to vote,” which is a Democratic talking point du jour that has no basis in fact. And then Yates claimed that being political was a new thing for her — perhaps the biggest stretch of the evening.
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Then came former President Bill Clinton, who accused Trump of abusing the Oval Office. Anyone who has read about the Starr Report had to shake his or her head at that one. The Oval Office was a favorite meeting spot for President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky during their sexual dalliance that threatened Clinton’s presidency, although the two often stepped right outside the Oval when things got going. In any event, Clinton’s appearance, coming on the day the press published photos of him receiving a neck rub from one of the young women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of abusing her, created some serious Me Too queasiness for some in the Democratic Party.
And then came the tired testimonials. The convention offered more attacks on Trump, which doubled as endorsements for nominee Joe Biden, from Colin Powell, John Kerry, and Cindy McCain, widow of Sen. John McCain. They were standard-issue stuff. But as testimonials for the 77 year-old Biden, coming from the 83 year-old Powell, the 76 year-old Kerry, and the wife of Sen. McCain, who would be 83 had he lived, they mostly served to remind voters that Biden is a man of the past.
But then things got better. Much better. The Democrats did it by easing off on the Trump attacks and trying to re-introduce a man who has been part of American public life for nearly half a century. The last part of Night Two belonged to Jill Biden, the nominee’s wife of 43 years. In a biographical video and then a live speech, Mrs. Biden reminded viewers that Joe Biden has taken some terrible blows in life and kept going. His first wife and infant daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash, and Jill Biden described meeting a young Senator Biden struggling to keep going with two young sons. They built a life together. Then, many years later, in 2015, one of those sons, Beau Biden, died of cancer, another tragedy for Joe Biden, by then in his seventies and serving as vice president.
Jill Biden’s speech, delivered from a classroom in Wilmington, Delaware, focused on Biden’s resilience during those years. She pledged that Biden would be a thoughtful, caring president. And here’s the thing: The name “Trump” was never mentioned. Not even once. For a brief time, the Democrats’ virtual convention got away from its Trump mania and focused on the man the party has chosen as its nominee for president. Democrats will certainly get back to attacking tonight. But for a moment on Tuesday evening, they took a more positive path that might have appeal beyond the party’s true believers.
