It has only been two nights thus far in the Glitter & Gaslight Democratic Party National Convention. In the course of selling the nation on a party filled with rapturous unity and unfettered optimism, there are all kinds of indicators things are not going well for the Democrats -- at all. The power brokers in the leadership are in a state of conflict, and that is not the only problem. There is also the core messaging on display that is fraught with contradictions.
Let’s just start with the narrative of a campaign supposedly filled with “Joy”. Monday was a long list of shrieking speeches and bilious lie-filled attacks on Donald Trump, leading up to Joe Biden’s speech delivered in the yelling cadence of an old man telling the punks how they do not know how good they got it. Then there was the operatic selling of Joe stepping down as historically heroic, even as everyone knows a Vaudeville Hook was used to yank him off the ticket. That move was contradicted this week by all the glowing praise for his term, positioning him as one of the best presidents ever. (More accurate might be “the best to ever be removed by his party.”)
The bigger problem for the Dems are the less obvious machinations that are revealing just how bad the foundations of the party have been cracked. The first example is seen in the curious move to have Joe Biden speaking on opening night. It carried the feeling of paying respects, and getting him out of the way for the balance of the convention. This might have been done to avoid reminding the faithful of this unconventional election ticket and to prevent more verbal gaffes and bad optics from the eroding Biden. President Silveralert saw his appearance bumped from primetime as a possible sign of this distaff approach.
This is, literally, all we are going to see from Biden for the balance of the show this week. Immediately after his speech he and Jill jetted off for a California vacation, completely blowing off the convention that, until one month ago, was to be his nomination week. This is also notable because Tuesday night belonged to the Obamas, as the former president and his wife gave independent speeches. There have been whispers about tension between the two families, and Joe’s obstinate stance against stepping down - up to just days before doing just that - reflects that forces pushing him out involved his former boss.
As Day 2 commenced and the Obamas were being feted as the main speakers of the night, one thing lacking was the constant shots in the media of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz from the luxury box in the United Center. This is because neither candidate was in attendance; both of them were in a different state attending a fundraiser in Wisconsin.
It was said this was done out of respect for the Bidens, who are miffed at the former First Couple. So Harris skipped out on the convention, which is itself an odd dose of scheduling, on the night states delivered their official votes to put her on the ticket. This also means Harris was not in the auditorium as the beloved Obamas delivered their blessing for her to lead the party in November. There had to be painful strategy sessions being conducted leading to this call.
It would appear Harris may be worried a resentful Biden - who is still her boss - could undermine her campaign. (Note Biden, in his speech, conflicted with the press narrative of Harris being excused from culpability by stating she was part of all of his plans.) Hidden during this Harris honeymoon phase in the press is Puck News detailing that Biden’s close circle is resentful and possibly vengeful. Peter Hamby reported that when Anita Dunn decided to step down following Biden’s abdication she delivered parting comments displaying bitterness and hints of seeking justice.
So who does Harris appease in this environment? There have been thoughts the Obamas were looking to have Kamala invoke the 25th Amendment, seemingly having her as their ally, yet at the same time they felt she was not capable of winning the election. A source from the Bidens told the New York Post that the president might have forced the issue to make Harris the presumptive pick as a snub to the Obamas. It could have been why Obama delayed voicing support for Harris.
So now Kamala finds herself in the very middle of a power feud within the party. She has to be concerned with angering Biden who could hurt her now, and angering Pelosi and the Obamas, who will be needed to boost her chances going forward. This leads to speculation as to what the strategy is, something one DNC planner told Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich. “Obamas are still not on the White House good side,” said her source. “We are in tricky territory.”
Sure sounds like that “Joy” claimed to be the centerpiece of this campaign is in severely short supply.
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