DNC: Kamala Harris accepts Democrats' vice president nomination in historic speech

 

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Vice President nominee Kamala Harris

For the second tine in a week, Kamala Harris made history. The first time was when Joe Biden chose her as the first black woman, first Asian American woman and first black woman as his vice president; the second time was Wednesday night (Aug. 19) when she accepted the Democratic Party's nomination.

Speaking virtually from Wilmington, Delaware, Harris told the Democratic National Convention and the rest of the nation of her Indian American immigrant mother, Shymala Gopalan Harris, and how she and her sister grew up in the midst of the civil rights protests occurring in Oakland and Berkeley. Calif.

Her mother, who raised her daughters by herself after divorcing her father, taught Harris and her sister, Maya, “to believe public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility.”

"She raised us to be proud, strong black women. And she raised us to know and be proud tof our Indian heritage." 

“I keep thinking about that 25-year-old Indian woman — all of five feet tall — who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California,” Harris said. “On that day, she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now speaking these words: I accept your nomination for vice president of the United States of America.”

Harris spoke about the values her mother taught her:

“To walk by faith, and not by sight, And to a vision passed on through generations of Americans, one that Joe Biden shares, a vision of our nation as a beloved community where all are welcome no matter what we look like, no matter where we come from or who we love.”

Then she turned to the kind of leadership that she, with Joe Biden as President, would offer and some of the issues they would address, including the national reckoning on race spurred by the death of George Floyd that gave new energy to the Black Lives Movement.

“This virus has no eyes, and yet it knows exactly how we see each other — and how we treat each other,” the California senator said. “And let’s be clear — there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work.”

"For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For the lives of too many others to name -- for our children, for all of us."

"We've got to do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law. Because, none of us are free until all of us are free," she said.

“Years from now, this moment will have passed,” she concluded. “And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high? They will ask us, ‘What was it like?’ And we will tell them. We will tell them not just how we felt. We will tell them what we did.”

Prior to Harris groundbreaking acceptance speech, former President Barack Obama spoke from National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in strongly denouncing Donald Trump.Obama's unprecedented dressing down of Trump was delivered with a trace of sadness

“I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care,” said Obama, .

“But he never did,” Obama lamented. “He’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves. Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t.”

AAPI delegates, voters ethnusiasm spurred by Democratic convention & Kamala Harris

For Democrats of all ilk, the Democratic National Convention is their Superbowl. AAPI politicians, activists and those concerned about the future of the United States have enthusiastically jumped into the political mosh pit. 

Having an Asian American on the ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is helping build excitement and involvement of the AAPI communities.

Milwaukee probably hasn't felt the presence of so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since ... well, since 2018 when the Hmong community won a record number of local and state political positions.

Milwaukee County has about 41,000 AAPI, according to AAPI Data with a strong political influence of the Hmong community. Other stats on Wisconsin's AAPI communities.

Unlike previous conventions where all the delegates came to one citiy, in this era of COVID-19, the Democrats opted for safety and health over glitz and crowds. There are four main electronic hubs. Besides Milwaukee, there will be setups in New York, Los Angeles and Wilmington, Delaware, where Joe Bide resides.

While the highlights of the Democratic National Convention are being done virtually, there's still a lot to keep those AAPI delegates in attendance busy. And fortunately for the rest of the country, some of those events are open to the public online.

It began Sunday with an event to welcome AAPI delegates and political junkies featuring a host of AAPI celebrities and political figures. Those who paid to join in contributed to a fund that went to two Milwaukee-based AAPI charities, the Hmong American Women's Association, and the Wisconsin United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Association, which advocates and supports the state’s Hmong and Southeast Asian Communities.

The event was presented by Lou actors Diamond Phillips and Keiko Agena. and hosted by Bel Leong-Hong, Chair, DNC AAPI Caucus, in conjunction with CAPA21, AAPI Victory Fund, ASPIRE, and the Asian American Action Fund.

More about Wisconsin's AAPI communities. Source: AAPI Data.

And if you just can't wait for the main speakers tonight, join Daniel Dae Kim, DNC Chairman Tom Perez, Congresswoman Grace Meng and Asian American and Pacific Islander supporters across the country to watch the Democratic National Convention! We'll come together, virtually, to watch the convention and take action each day.

Please RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/joebiden/event/298794/

Monday, Aug. 17:

Today, the first working day of the convention, the AAPI Caucus held its first meeting at 1 p.m. ET, that discussed the AAPI agenda and what it hoped to accomplish at the DNC. Non-delegates could attend this insiders' meeting by registering beforehand.

If you missed that meeting, the caucus will convene again Wednesday, at 1 p.m., ET. in which the online public is invited. RSVP here.

3:30 p.m. —APIAVote/APAICS/NCAPA: Asian American and Pacific Islander Mixer

4:30 p.m. —APIAVote/APAICS/NCAPA: Learning How to Mobilize and Motivate Asian American and Pacific Islander Voters

9 p.m. -- Tonight's speakers will include Sen. Amy Klobuchar, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former First Lady Michelle Obama, one of the most admired public figures in the U.S.

Tuesday, Aug. 18:

4:30 p.m. — AAPI Progressive Action: AAPI Activation 2020

8 p.m. — ASPIRE PAC: Asian American & Pacific Islander Trailblazers

9 p.m. -- Tuesday night's speakers are: Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., former Secretary of State John Kerry, N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester,former second lady Jill Biden and  former President Bill Clinton.

 

Wednesday, Aug. 19:

1 p.m. -- AAPI Caucus will reconvene and the meeting is open to the online public. RSVP here.

7 p.m. — Asian American Action Fund: Young AAPIs Mobilize

8:30 p.m. — All* Above All Action Fund: Women of Color Mark the Historic Vice Presidential Nomination

9 p.m.-- Wednesday night's speakers will be topped by Vice President nominee Kamala Harris and ormer President Barack Obama. Preceding them will be a covey of rising stars of the Democratic Party, including Georgia State House Representative Sam Park, the first Korean American and openly gay state Representative in Georgia. Other speakers include Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, N.M. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Thursday, Aug. 20: 

 9 p.m. -- Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, presidential candidate Andrew Yang will precede the acceptance speech by Joe Biden, which he will deliver from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. After his speech, he'll invite his Vice President nominee Kamala Harris onto the stage with him. Other speakers include N.J. Sen. Cory Booker, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons.

SCREEN CAPTURE / CBS

Joe Biden will accept the Democrats' nomination for President on Thursday.

How to Watch the 2020 Democratic National Convention

Perhaps the busiest room at the DNC will be the control room coordinating the multiple feeds.

The huge traditional cheering boistrous crowds of adoring Democratic faithful that usually attend the 2020 Democratic National Convention won't be in attendance this year.

After ongoing consultation with public health officials and experts—who underscored the worsening coronavirus pandemic—the speakers for the 2020 DNC will not travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order to prevent risking the health of the host community as well as the convention’s production teams, security officials, community partners, media and others necessary to orchestrate the event. 

That means presumptive Presidential Nominee Joe Biden and his Vice President nominee Kamala Harris won't be in the Wisconsin Center to give their acceptance speeches. They are scheduled to speak from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where it is presumed a small audience of Delaware residents, including family and friends of the nominees, will be in attendance.

Democrats will offer four nights of programming, which will include a mix of both pre-recorded segments and live broadcasts from locations across the country. 

There's a number of ways viewers can watch this most unconventional of Democratic National Conventions.

In order to ensure that the convention will reach viewers wherever they are, convention officials have been working with partners to house convention content on over a dozen platforms, in addition to traditional broadcasts on NBC, ABC, and CBS, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the DNC’s social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube.

The news channels such MSNBC, Fox and CNN will most likely have additional analysis and commentary before and after the slotted times.

The official live stream for the 2020 Democratic Convention will be hosted on DemConvention.com, where viewers can also find the full convention schedule, and a digital tool kit to get involved.

Besides the speakers and videos, viewers can expect inspiring performances from artists including Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce, Stephen Stills and more. The musical acts will be featured across all four nights of the convention.

The time leading up to the primetime speakers will be filled with meetings of the various caucuses and councils of sspecific  interest groups.

The AAPI Caucus, which is open to the public, will be meeting on two separate days, Monday and Wednesday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. ET. Click here to RSVP.

"This will be certainly different than any other convention. You’ll see fewer podiums but you’ll see more people in living rooms," DNC chair Tom Perez told the New York Times. "You’ll see them on factory floors and schools and communities. And I think it’s going to be an opportunity to really capture the moment."

The AAPI Caucus, which is one of the DNC’s official constituency caucuses, will meet on August 17 at 1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PDT) and will be open to delegates and the public. Click here to register.

Democrats give Andrew Yang time to speak during it's convention

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTU BE

Andrew Yang has been added as a speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

After former presidential candidate Andrew Yang tweeted Tuesday that he was disappointed that he wasn't given a speaking slot during the Democrats' virtual convention, he confirmed Thursday that he has been added to the list of speakers.

When the lineup of speakers for the Democratic National Convention was released Tuesday, Yang's name was not on it.

"I've got to be honest I kind of expected to speak," Yang, who has 1.6 million Twitter followers, tweeted. In a follow-up tweet, he joked, "maybe I endorsed against one too many incumbents." 

Yang, an entrepreneur who had never run for office before, surprised everyone with his unusual campaign which outlasted the campaigns of more seasoned and better known politicians.

What got him the most attention was his plan for a Universal Basic Income of $2000 a month for every adult in the U.S. He said the money would be spent and recirculated, spurring the economy. Evidently, people like the idea.

The New York-born Yang also spoke about the future workforce and manufacturing environment, two topics not on any other candidates' talking points until Yang's message began bringing in dollars and volunteers to his campaign. He connected with a younger, college-educated audience who dubbed themselves the Yang Gang.

When his name was not among the scheduled speakers, the Yang Gang sprang into action flooding the DNC with #LetYangSpeakDNC messages.

He also got support from some Democratic politicians.

"Asian Americans are the fastest increasing group in America, including in multiple swing states," Rep. Ted Lieu of California tweeted on Tuesday. "The gross underrepresentation of Asian American speakers in the four days of the DNC Convention is tone deaf and a slap in the face."

What stung the most was Yang was omitted even though several other former 2020 presidential candidates were scheduled to speak including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris were the only AAPI politicians scheduled to speak. With Yang's addition, there will only be three AAPI speakers over the eight hours spread over four nights.

In 2016, in a more traditional convention format, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus was presented on stage, the first time the DNC noted that many AAPI politicians at one time.

After Harris was named as Joe Biden's pick for Vice President, Harris was given the slot reserved for -- at the time, unnamed -- vice president, leaving an opening for an additional speaker. 

Harris will now deliver her speech as the presumptive Vice President on Wednesday night. Biden will be the keynote speaker Thursday night. Both will speak from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, rather than travel to Milwaukee, where the convention was originally scheduled to be held.

The DNC has had to alter its speakers' list to jam in as many people into the two-hours over four nights, (Aug. 17-20) during the TV networks' primetime. Besides Yang, the DNC said it is adding Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, billionaire philanthropist and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, and historian Jon Meachem.

The virtual setup for the unconventional convention was made necessary because of the coronavirus pandemic limiting social contact for health reasons.

Nevertheless, considering what's at stake in this year's presidential elections, you would think the networks would add at least another hour to it's coverage of what could be the most important U.S. election in decades.