The Democratic National Convention has a distinctly different
feel this year, with the coronavirus pandemic pushing it to a
virtual affair that lacks raucous crowds, behind-the-scenes
dealmaking and the general pizzazz of a political celebration.
It also is taking on a somber tone, with both Democratic leaders
and Americans from around the country warning about what they see
as the dangers of Donald Trump and the lack of leadership as
Covid-19 has ravaged the United States.
Big questions loom over the four-day event: Will Joe Biden get a
convention bump in the polls? Will the Democratic Party anoint a
new rising star? How will Kamala Harris handle her big moment? Will
Trump try to stomp on the event?
Here are key moments from the first night.
George Floyd’s family makes a surprise appearance
The opening night featured a moment of silence for George Floyd,
the Black man killed by Minneapolis police in May, delivered by his
brother Philonise. Philonise Floyd commended the nationwide
protests against racial injustice as a fitting tribute for his late
brother and listed the names of other Black Americans killed by
police.
“For the names we do not know, the faces we’ll never see,
those who can’t mourn because their murders didn’t go viral, please
join me in a moment of silence to honor George and the many other
souls we lost to hate and injustice,” Philonise Floyd said.
“And when this moment ends, let’s make sure we never stop saying
their names.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Boswer introduced Philonise and his brother
Rodney while standing at a balcony overlooking the newly minted
“Black Lives Matter Plaza” — just blocks from the White
House.
‘We can’t just paint those words behind me, we can’t just say
those words. We have to live those words,” Bowser said. “We
have to undo the laws and systems that have codified racism for far
too long.”
Cuomo: America’s division created Trump
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed Trump for his handling of the
coronavirus pandemic and his failure to unite the nation.
“Only a strong body can fight off the virus. And America’s
divisions weakened it,” Cuomo said. “Donald Trump didn’t create
the initial division. The division created Trump.”
Cuomo, who saw his national stock rise during the pandemic
thanks to his frequent press conferences and aggressive measures to
combat the outbreak, said the Trump administration’s incompetence
led to its weak virus defense.
“Now we need a leader as good as our people, a leader who
appeals to the best within us, not the worst, a leader who can
unify, not divide, a leader who can bring us up, not tear us
down,” Cuomo said. “That man is Joe Biden.”
Biden says most cops are good
During a brief panel that focused on police violence, Biden said
that “most cops are good. The fact is that the bad ones have to
be identified, prosecuted and out, period.”
The message is a stark contrast from the repeated calls from
Trump’s camp that Biden is out to “defund the police” and
from the anti-police chants that have been ringing at protests in
cities across the country. Biden told reporters in July that he
didn’t agree with defunding police departments, but that officers
needed to “meet minimum basic standards of decency.”
Biden has called for reform among police-community relations,
and asked the panelists about the best course to do so. Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pressed the need for economic opportunity in
struggling communities, and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo
suggested a national ban on chokeholds.
‘His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump’
Kristin Urquiza’s father voted for and supported Trump. But
she said Trump’s coronavirus response was why her father is
dead.
“His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump,
and for that, he paid with his life,” Urquiza said.
Urquiza, who had gone viral for a
blistering obituary condemning elected officials’
coronavirus response, blasted Trump for his management of the
crisis during a brief DNC appearance. She lay into the inequalities
in care that particularly impact communities of color. She
contrasted Trump and Biden, saying Trump has refused to heed the
advice of health experts and has exacerbated the pandemic.
Urquiza said her father regretted voting for Trump as he died
and dedicated her vote for Biden to him.
“The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two
Americas: The America that Donald Trump lives in and the America
that my father died in.”
