Day Three of the Democratic National Convention Focuses on Gun Control, Immigration and Abortion

The third evening of the Democratic National Convention began with complaints about gun violence and a pitch for more gun control. It featured testimonies of parents who have lost or are caring for sons and daughters who have been the victims of gun violence. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, herself the victim of a gunman’s bullet at a political rally in 2011, spoke: “We are at a crossroads. We can let the shooting continue, or we can act.” She then urged viewers to vote for Joe Biden.

Video from MSNBC

New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham opened a segment on climate change during which she promised that a Biden Administration would rejoin the Paris Agreement, an international accord entered into without Senate approval, which President Donald Trump rejected, removing the U.S. from the agreement. A montage of young people made a collective pitch for renewable energy.

Illegal immigration was next, featuring Hispanic families and entertainers all conveying the message that change was needed in the immigration system. That was followed by a video ode to women, heavily slanted toward topics like abortion and political activism.

Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, spoke next. She said she wished that Donald Trump knew how to be a president. She spoke glowingly of Joe Biden, “This can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election…If Trump is re-elected, things will get even worse…Remember in 2016 when Trump asked, ‘What have you got to lose?’ Well now we know…” 

Video from MSNBC

Clinton was followed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Cal. “Our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power,” she began. Alluding to how proud Democrats were during the administration of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, she said, “In that spirit, we come together now, not to decry the darkness, but to light a way forward for our country.”  She spoke of defending Roe v. Wade and stated that President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were the obstacles standing in the way of abortion rights.

Video from MSNBC

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., spoke about Biden’s plan for America. “We can build a thriving economy by investing in families and fixing what’s broken,” she said. “Joe’s plan to ‘build back better’ includes making the wealthy pay their fair share, holding corporations accountable, repairing racial inequities, and fighting corruption in Washington.” She zeroed in on the subject of childcare, reflecting on her experience as a single, working mom. “It’s time to recognize that childcare is part of the basic infrastructure of this nation,” she said. “It’s infrastructure for families. Joe and Kamala will make high quality childcare available for every family.”

Video from Fox News

Warren also took on the president’s handling of the pandemic in no uncertain terms. “Donald Trump’s ignorance and incompetence have always been a danger to our country. Covid-19 was Donald Trump’s biggest test. He failed miserably,” she argued.

President Barack Obama spoke from Philadelphia of “the stakes in this election.” He talked about the qualities needed in a president. “I did hope that Donald Trump would take some interest in taking the job (of President) seriously,” he said. “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. But he never did.”

Video from MSNBC

He accused President Trump of using the presidency as a reality show. He blamed 170,000 Covid-19 deaths and the resulting harm to the economy on Trump as well.

He attributed empathy and decency to Joe Biden. “He made me a better president. And he’s got the experience and character to make us a better country.”

He brought up Biden’s running mate. “And in my friend, Kamala Harris, he has chosen an ideal partner, who is more than prepared for the job.”

“Joe and Kamala will restore our standing in the world. And as we’ve learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him.”

“What I know about Joe, what I know about Kamala, is that they actually care about every American. And that they care deeply about this democracy.”

Senator Harris’ nomination and acceptance speech was next. Introduced by her family, she clearly relished the moment. “It is truly an honor to be speaking with you tonight,” she said, beaming as she stood on a stage flanked by U.S. flags. She spoke of her mother coming from India, her father from Jamaica, and their mutual interest in social justice. Her father left the family when she was five. She described being raised by her mother, now deceased. She spoke glowingly of her husband, children and the rest of her family and friends.

Video from MSNBC

“My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning,” Harris said. “And oh, how I wish she were here tonight, but I know she’s looking down on me from above. 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. On that day she probably could have never imagined that I would be standing before you now, and speaking these words:

“I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America.”

She spoke briefly of the things that unify us as a country.

“…a beloved community, where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, or where we come from, or who we love. A country where we might not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth deserving of compassion, dignity and respect. A country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one. Where we face our challenges and celebrate our triumphs together.”

That moment of unity didn’t last long. She then accused President Trump of costing lives and the country’s future with his handling of the pandemic.

She closed on a hopeful note.

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

Photo from MSNBC

 

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