That’s a wrap on the Democratic National Convention.
It was a relatively tame week for awkward pop culture references, despite the presence of the most grating campaign theme song in recent memory. No offense to Rachel Platten, but “Fight Song” is better in small doses.
No politician at the DNC topped the sheer insanity of RNC communication director Sean Spicer’s “My Little Pony” tirade, but a few of them sure tried. Here are some of the most interesting attempts at infusing politics with a little pop:
Sanders surrogate quotes Dumbledore
Maine State Rep. Diane Russell spoke on Monday, and her passion for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was evident from the minute she took the stage.
In order to illustrate the uphill battle she and her fellow Sanders supporters were facing, she busted out a quote from Albus Dumbledore, the ultimate purveyor of wisdom in the “Harry Potter” universe.
“Dumbledore from ‘Harry Potter’ once said, ‘It takes great courage to stand up to your enemies. It takes even greater courage to stand up to your friends,'” she said. “Obviously we’ve had a real family disagreement over the role of superdelegates in our party’s nominating process.
“Working to get a president elected is supposed to be hard work, but we can definitely do more as a party to ensure a fairer, more open process that places everyday voters at the center.”
Ten points to Hufflepuff.
Bill Clinton really likes ‘Police Academy’
On Tuesday, Bill Clinton took the stage to talk up his wife and hopefully humanize her a little in the eyes of those that see her as icy and fake.
While he spent most of the speech discussing their courtship and her contributions to U.S. politics, he also admitted his love for a classic movie franchise.
“We rarely disagreed on parenting, although she did believe that I had gone a little over the top when I took a couple of days off with Chelsea to watch all six ‘Police Academy’ movies back to back,” he said.
During Chelsea Clinton’s speech on Thursday, she reiterated her dad’s love for “Police Academy,” while also revealing that she and her mom are big “Pride and Prejudice” fans.
The more you know, right?
Obligatory ‘Pokemon Go’ reference
Someone eventually had to bring up “Pokemon Go,” the massively popular augmented reality app that puts catchable Pokemon in real-world environments.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday appeared to be afraid that attendees would be too busy playing the game to vote in November.
“Put down your ‘Pokemon Go’ and go to hillaryclinton.com,” Hickenlooper encouraged Democrats. “Tonight, Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination for president of the United States. Tomorrow, we’re going to get down to business. We all have a job to do: electing Hillary Clinton. Let’s get to work!”
At least this was less facepalm-worthy than Clinton’s own “Pokemon go to the polls” line from a campaign rally earlier in July.
Granholm goes Carly Simon on Trump
The Thursday crop of DNC speakers weren’t huge names, but they might have been the loudest. Exhibit A: Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
She spent most of her speech bashing Republican nominee Donald Trump, and even referenced Carly Simon’s 1972 song “You’re So Vain” at one point.
“Donald, Donald. You’re so vain. You probably think this speech is about you,” she said to cheers.
Let the completely unfounded Internet rumors about that song actually having been written about Trump commence.
Hillary Clinton tells ‘The Story of Tonight’
There was no way Clinton was getting through her acceptance speech without a “Hamilton” reference, and she didn’t disappoint.
“And though ‘we may not live to see the glory,’ as the song from the musical ‘Hamilton’ goes, “let us gladly join the fight,'” she said. “Let our legacy be about ‘planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.'”
That was an impressive display of “Hamilton” nerdery, as Clinton managed to quote both “The Story of Tonight” and “The World Was Wide Enough” in one fell swoop.
Mentioning songs about dying in the Revolutionary War and Aaron Burr murdering Alexander Hamilton may not have been the best idea, but when it came time to show off her “Hamilton” fandom, Clinton did not throw away her shot.
