by Randy Shaw on August 26, 2024 (BeyondChron.org)
My view of Oprah at DNC
Activism on Display
I had a whirlwind trip to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Here are my top 5 highlights.
- Convention Attendees Are “Doing Something”
“It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: Don’t just sit around and complain — do something!”—Michelle Obama.
My top highlight was seeing how many DNC attendees were activists. They weren’t just talking politics; they were doing something.
I spoke with one woman who set up a website to maximize the vote from abroad. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of votes could be gained. A Minnesota activist told me how he got 20 billboards up in rural areas with the message “Protect Medicare and Social Security! VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS.” He also distributes yard and barn signs as part of his larger campaign to win votes in rural America.
I could go on and on with examples. It was very encouraging.
Nearly everyone is registering voters, making phone calls or door knocking in swing states. Activists were of all ages. I was thrilled to talk with the wife of former Oklahoma Senator Fred Harris, who I backed in the Democratic presidential primaries in 1976 (Harris was the Bernie Sanders of his time). Harris is 93 and his wife is actively engaged in the national campaign.
Most DNC attendees know the exact countdown to Election Day (70 days from today). Many knew what Simon Rosenberg of Hopium Chronicles keeps reminding—that early voting in three states starts September 20!
As a lifelong activist it was great to see.
- There is A Post-Election Plan
It’s painful to recall how President Obama failed to take advantage of large Democratic House and Senate majorities in 2009-10. I recall interviewing then powerful SEIU labor leader Andy Stern and he foresaw passage of health care reform, labor law reform and comprehensive immigration reform in Obama’s first year! None of this happened.
Activists’ failure to hold Obama accountable in 2009 was acknowledged as a mistake at a panel I attended hosted by MoveOn, Indivisible, and the Working Families Party. Moderated by Patrick Gaspard, leader of the Center for American Progress, these groups and others are ready to mobilize behind a legislative agenda following a Harris-Walz victory.
If Democrats take control of government in 2025, expect big things. That’s what Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told green activists at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) event I attended.
- A Policy Program Exists
My third highlight was seeing national campaigns for the child care credit and for addressing homelessness still topping Democratic priorities.
President Biden’s COVID-driven American Rescue Plan vastly expanded the Child Care Tax Credit. It sent families $3,000 per child for ages 6 to 17 and $3,600 annually for children under 6 for the 2021 tax year. It cut poverty by a third and child poverty by nearly half!
But Democrats could not get a single Republican vote to make the tax credit permanent. The Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which I head, was part of the large coalition coordinated by Community Change to pass this expansion (See my story, “Will U.S. Slash Child Poverty Permanently?, May 18, 2021). When turncoat Senator Manchin opposed it, the measure fell one vote short.
San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood—and low-income communities across the nation—desperately need the expanded child-care tax credit. It was great to see Democratic activists and elected officials describe the bill as an urgent priority.
I also wrote in support of President Biden’s original Build Back Better strategy to combat homelessness. The measure would have added $213 billion in new affordable housing funding (See “Can Biden End Homelessness?,” April 6. 2021). It also failed to get any Republican support and was then killed by Senator Manchin.
An event put on by Economic Security Project Action, Unrig the Economy and The Hub Project (“People, Power, Progress: A Toast to the New Economy”) promoted many economic justice goals. Pete Buttigieg explained how these goals also further prosperity. When “moderates” like Buttigieg are promoting economic policies commonly identified with progressives, it’s clear the Democratic Party is ready to pass these vital measures.
Kamala Harris strongly backs the child-care credit expansion. She also supports funding a lot more affordable housing, highlighting the challenges many have affording rent. Harris has also made housing construction a top priority with her commitment to have the federal government boost the creation of three million new homes. Her plan for $25,000 in downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers will have a major impact in many states.
I left Chicago feeling more hopeful than I have felt in years that long overdue and incredibly important domestic priorities could soon be addressed.
- Some Great Speeches
My fourth highlight was getting to hear some great political speeches. Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey joined Harris in mesmerizing their audience.
Has there ever been a greater example of black woman power on a national stage? The nation should not take for granted what a dramatic departure this was from the past.
I had never heard Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who was terrific. Nor had I heard this version of House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose rhythmic speech compared Trump to a boyfriend who can’t accept that the nation has broken up with him. I heard Jeffries at the private LCV event where he kept his energy on the down low. The 20,000 seat United Center better suited him.
- Public Display of Love
Walz’s speech has become known for his son Gus standing up to say proudly, “That’s my Dad!” I was there that night and didn’t immediately hear those words. What I did see as it was happening was his daughter Hope getting tearful at her Dad’s proclamation to the nation that the most important part of his life is his family.
Kamala Harris’s family also exposed their love and closeness. The presidential nominee offered a model of how to connect with stepchildren. Her grandnieces almost stole the show.
I can’t recall a political moment that matches Walz’s declaration. Few national politicians want to get that open, that emotional, that honest about declaring their love for family. I think a lot of parents watching that scene were moved.
I know I was.
Randy Shaw
Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s latest book is Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. He is the author of four prior books on activism, including The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. He is also the author of The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco
