On the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, the likes of — among many others — Nancy Pelosi, Josh Shapiro, Bill Clinton and Tim Walz got the chance to speak.
Former president Bill Clinton for instance had the punchline: «The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.» He is roughly two months younger than Donald Trump.
Bill Clinton also said: «Now, how does Donald Trump use his voice? He mostly to talks about himself.» He added: «The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies — count the I’s.»
Bill Clinton at the DNC, stark contrast between Kamala Harris, who is «for the people» and Trump, «the other guy, who is about me, myself and I». Clinton: «Do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd size?»
The Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro said at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago about Donald Trump that he is «a man with no guard rails».
The TV talk show host, television producer, actress, author and media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey arrived as a surprise guest at the DNC. She talked about freedom and mentioned that there are «people who want to scare you, to rule you, people who have you believe that books are dangerous, and assault rifles are safe.» She continued: «People who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing: If we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.» She added: «We are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery.» Oprah Winfrey had a strong punchline when she told voters to choose «common sense over nonsense».
The Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, spoke last. He accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination as candidate for the job of vice president on the ticket with Kamala Harris. Among many other things, he said: «Never underestimate a public school teacher.» He mentioned, that, as Governor of Minnesota, he made sure students are fed free breakfast and lunch – no questions asked. «So while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours.»
Tim Walz said about Trump and his team: «If these guys get back in the White House, theypll start jacking up the costs on the middle class. They’ll repeal the affordable care act. They’ll gut social security and medicare. And they will ban abortion across this country with or without Congress. This is an agenda nobody asked for.»
Earlier during the campagin, Tim Walz had successfully labeled Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance as «weird». Therefore, in his speech accepting the Democrats’ vice-presidential nomination, Tim Walz said about Trump’s plan outlined above: «Is it weird? Absolutely.» He also said: «We’re not going back.»
As part of his job as running mate, Tim Walz was cheerleading Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention: «If you’re a middle class family or trying to get into the middle class, Kamals Harris is cutting your taxes. If you’re getting squeezed by prescription drug prices, Kamala Harris is going to take on Big Pharma. If you’re hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris is going to make it more affordable. And no matter who you are, Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for your freedom to live the life you want to lead.»
Tim Walz said in the context of abortion, reproductive rights: «The government stays the hell out of your bedroom. That’s how we make America a place where no child is left hungry, where no community is left behind, where nobody gets told they don’t belong.» He ended his acceptance speech with Kamala Harris’s slogan: «If we fight, we win.»
At the DNC in Chicago, pro-Palestinian delegates were denied a speaking slot. With some 3.7% of the overall population, Illinois has the largest Muslim population of any U.S. state. Chicago is the city with the largest Palestinian population in the United States. An estimated 85,000 Palestinians live in the greater Chicago area. That is half of the roughly 170,000 American Palestinians living in the U.S.
Currently, the momentum is on the side of Kamala Harris, reading from the teleprompter. But in the end, she will have to face tough interview questions as well as Donald Trump in several debates. In the 2020 debates, she did not fare well and dropped out early. Donald Trump, as a former reality TV star, loves the format. Everybody knows he’s lying when his lips are moving, but his followers accept any lie from their cult leader.
Will the interviews and debates half a substantial impact on the November 5 election? In the past, several debate winners ended up as losers, including John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Do voters in the decisive swing states make up their mind based on specific policy statements such as on immigration and security, the economy and, in particular, inflation? As for the last point, it’s up to the Fed to fight inflation.
On August 13, 2024, former president Donald Trump said he wanted a more direct role in how the Federal Reserve sets interest rates. He suggested he could break with traditional policies when it comes to the Fed’s independence. Kamala Harris disagreed strongly: “The Fed is an independent entity. And, as president, I would never interfere in the decision that the Fed makes.”
Donald Trump often comes forward with “solutions” that are misguided, counterproductive, unfeasable. The Fed is accountable to Congress. The president has no oversight over the Federal Reserve Board. Furthermore, history has shown, that independent central banks do a better job (at controlling inflation, interest rates) than central banks under direct political influence. Ask the Turks. But, of course, the self-declared “stable genius” Donald Trump knows better…
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Photograph of Governor Tim Walz by the Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Public domain.
Article added on August 22, 2024 at 13:51 German time. Last update at 15:55 (Josh Shapiro’s sentence about Trump).
