WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders headline the first night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention Monday, with the Vermont senator making a direct appeal to his fans to support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“This election is the most important in the modern history of this country,” Sanders will say, according to prepared remarks released by the convention organizers. “My friends, I say to you, and to everyone who supported other candidates in this primary…we must come together, defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president.”
The convention focused on two of the most pressing issues of the moment: The coronavirus crisis and the racial justice awakening after the death of George Flloyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose state “went through hell” because of COVID-19 before turning the corner, blamed President Donald Trump for botching while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer promised, “science, not politics or ego” will guide a Biden-Harris administration’s response to the pandemic.
But the more powerful moment came from Kristin Urquiza, an Arizona woman whose Donald Trump-supporting father died of COVID-19 after going to a karaoke bar because, she said, he believed the president that the virus was contained.
“My dad was a healthy 65 year- old,” Urquiza said. “His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.”
George Flloyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, called for a moment of silence for black people killed by police. “George should be alive today. Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive today,” he said. “They should all be alive today.”
And South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, who helped revive Biden’s flagging presidential campaign with a last-minute endorsement before his state’s Democratic primary, spoke from Charleston, which he noted was once the nation’s major slave port where people who looked like him were traded as chattel.
“Eighty percent of African-Americans in this country can claim an ancestor who arrived on these shores in bondage — a few blocks from here at Gadsden’s Wharf,” Clyburn said. “The ground beneath our feet is seeded with pain that is both old and new. But from that soil we always find a way to grow together.”
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Democrats also used the convention to make a direct appeal to Republicans turned off by Trump.
Meg Whitman, the CEO of Quibi who once spent almost $150 million running for California governor as a Republican, said Trump is no biz whiz. “I’m a longtime Republican and a longtime CEO. And let me tell you, Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy,” she said.
Meanwhile, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who ran against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, stood at a literal crossroads to say the country had to choose the right path.
“I’m sure there are Republicans and independents who couldn’t imagine crossing over to support a Democrat. They fear Joe may turn sharp left and leave them behind,” Kasich said. “I don’t believe that because I know the measure of the man. It’s reasonable, faithful, respectful, and, you know, no one pushes Joe around.”
Obama, one of the most popular public figures in the world, will speak to the more personal side of the Biden, who served as vice president with her husband, former President Barack Obama.
“I know Joe,” Obama will say, according to a video excerpt of her pre-recorded remarks. “He is a profoundly decent man guided by faith. He was a terrific vice president. He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country.”
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Actress Eva Longoria served as an emcee of sorts for the two-hour event, which kicked off at 9 p.m. ET. The program will feature speeches from political figures, videos and performances by singers Leon Bridges, Maggie Rogers, Billy Porter and Steven Stills.
Along with Sanders, many of other Democrats who ran for president this year will join for a “United We Stand” video presentation: Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, billionaire Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
