At DNC, Michelle & Barack Obama Champion Kamala Harris While Skewering Trump’s “Same Old Con”

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: In Chicago, Democrats held a ceremonial roll call at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to be president, along with her running mate, Governor Tim Walz. Harris accepted the nomination virtually from Milwaukee, where she and Walz addressed a packed arena, the same site where the RNC was held last month. The second night of the DNC in Chicago was headlined by former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. This is part of what Michelle Obama said.

MICHELLE OBAMA: She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business — if we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third or fourth chance. If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead, no. We don’t get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No, we put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.

And throughout her entire life, that’s what we’ve seen from Kamala Harris: the steel of her spine, the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example and, yes, the joy of her laughter and her light. It couldn’t be more obvious. Of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.

Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black. Wait. I want to know. I want to know: Who’s going to tell him — who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those “Black jobs”?

Look, it’s his same old con, his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better. Look, because cutting our healthcare, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF, like I did, those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers and daughters. Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books, none of that will prepare our kids for the future. Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love, look, that doesn’t make anybody’s life better. Instead — instead, it only makes us small.

And let me tell you this: Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty. It’s unhealthy. And quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.

AMY GOODMAN: That was former first lady Michelle Obama at the DNC on Tuesday night. She then introduced her husband, former President Barack Obama, who repeatedly criticized Donald Trump.

BARACK OBAMA: As we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about my future, about my children’s future, about our future together?

One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question. Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances, that’s actually been getting worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. There is the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.

AMY GOODMAN: Former President Barack Obama, speaking at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night. When we come back, we’ll look at how Democrats have been focusing on reproductive rights here at the DNC. We’ll be joined by professor Michele Goodwin. Stay with us.

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AMY GOODMAN: Chicago native Common singing “Fortunate” last night at the DNC with Jonathan McReynolds.