In 1996, Democrats gathered in Chicago. When they first got together in Chicago more than ten years ago, they also nominated a vice president who was currently in office (after their president, Lyndon Johnson, who was eligible for reelection, withdrew from the race). That was in 1968. As vice president, Hubert Humphrey served as…The convention highlighted the differences between the parties on Vietnam.Violent rioting broke out in Chicago as protests turned violent, highlighting party differences and virtually guaranteeing a Republican victory that year. It may have also contributed to the Democratic Party’s temporary generational marginalization.
Half a century later, the Democrats were entering Chicago this time.
They exude an eager confidence in their win, while the Republican team seems unsure of how to respond to Biden’s withdrawal and the Democrats’ swift switch to endorsing Harris.
At the Kamala Harris NYC event, chaos broke out as the DNC braced for the Chicago unrest.
Will the Democrats, however, make good use of their convention?
They must.
Because the optimistic conventional wisdom propagated by the media is viewing the world through rose-colored glasses,. The boisterous audiences at Harris-Walz rallies have prompted them to change their predictions from “Biden sleepwalking to November rout” to “likely blue wave.” In the Senate, where the Democrats continue to face improbable odds, some have even predicted that November will bring Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate.
