On Politics: ‘This is the convention of the woman’

Every night, some of the most famous men in politics seemed to play more of a supporting role.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 22, 2024 Michelle Obama, the former first lady, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Todd Heisler/The New York Times 'This is the convention of the woman' By Jess Bidgood The latest, with 75 days to go At the border, Donald Trump denounced Kamala Harris on immigration and expanded his personal insults of her. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s expected decision to end his campaign is unlikely to change the race dramatically. The U.A.W. backed a last-minute push by pro-Palestinian Democrats to speak at the D.N.C. When State Senator Cordell Cleare of New York watched Michelle Obama, the former first lady, speak onstage at the Democratic National Convention this week, she heard a call to action — "Do something" — that thrilled and galvanized the Democrats around her. "Michelle Obama," Cleare said, "dropped the mic." She had a more restrained review for Obama's husband. "President Obama gave good advice," Cleare said of Barack Obama, who made his party swoon 16 years ago. This year's D.N.C., which will close tonight with the biggest speech of Vice President Kamala Harris's career, has made it very clear that, as Democrats tell the story of their party, it's women who stand at center stage. Every night, women have outshined male party stalwarts — sometimes the ones they are married to — in a development that has highlighted the rising power of women in the Democratic Party and left some of the most famous men in politics seemingly playing more of a supporting role. "You hear the eloquent voice of Michelle Obama. I thought Secretary Clinton gave one of the best speeches I've heard her deliver in her career," said Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, himself a talented orator whose soaring speech on Monday you might have forgotten amid all the big-ticket women, including Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state to whom he was referring. "A party is stronger and the whole country is better when we center the voices of women, when we hear from the entire electorate, and, quite frankly, our party is just doing a better job at that," Warnock said. It was Monday when Clinton electrified the convention center with a searing speech that cast her failed run for the presidency in 2016 as a step in an arc toward female equality. Two days later, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, his voice soft and raspy, offered a sober rejoinder about the dangers of former President Donald Trump that was indisputably less energetic. On Wednesday, by the time Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota was regaling the crowd with his Midwestern roots and attacking Trump, the most iconic speaker of the evening, Oprah Winfrey, was already long gone. And then there is Harris's speech tonight — a major test of her nascent campaign that is happening because a man, President Biden, ceded the stage. Democrats here see the dynamic as the culmination of years of change in the party. "I really do believe that this is the convention of the woman," said Sarah Godlewski, Wisconsin's secretary of state. "For so long, we've just been told to sit down and shut up. And we're not going to sit down and shut up anymore." Shifting perception The effusive reception for Clinton and Obama (the women) also represents a shift in the public perception of political spouses, said Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat. Dingell would know — she is the widow of John Dingell, a long-serving House Democrat who died in 2019 at 92. She ran for — and won — his seat after he announced his decision to retire in 2014. "When I married John, I had my own life and my own career. For a long time, people didn't see the spouse as their own person but only the person to whom they were married," Dingell said. "I do think that what you are starting to see is the recognition — you can be married and be smart and talented and be recognized for your own strength and wisdom and experience," she added. Dingell made a point of saying, though, that the rise of women in the Democratic Party should not come at the exclusion of men. "We have to make sure that men feel included, white men in particular," she said. "I don't want the gender gap to get bigger." Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George's County, Md., who is running for U.S. Senate, told me that Democratic men were an intrinsic part of women's rise here. "The boom that you heard, the enthusiasm and electricity, is because men support the women in the room, too," Alsobrooks said. Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey said he saw no problem in the possibility of men playing more of a supporting role. "It's totally OK," Murphy said. "Look at Tim Walz as the best example of that." Murphy had hoped that his wife, Tammy Murphy, would head to Congress herself. She ran for the U.S. Senate this year, with his support, but dropped out. "She's a superstar," Murphy said. "She's too much of a talent to not have another chapter in public service." Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts during an interview at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Todd Heisler/The New York Times Warren on Harris: 'How much more detail do you need?' When Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts ran for president in 2020, she built her campaign on a raft of intricate policy plans. That's something Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign has been light on so far, as my colleague Reid Epstein pointed out this week. So, before Warren took the stage tonight in Chicago, I reached out to her to ask her whether she thought more detail was necessary. Warren launched into an explanation of Harris's $5 trillion tax plan, and then compared it with Trump's plans, which include corporate tax cuts and a suggestion that he'll keep taxes on billionaires low. "Trump will fight for those at the top. Harris will fight for working people," Warren said. "How much more detail do you need?" It was a robust defense and a striking departure from Warren's message on the campaign trail four years ago — one that, ultimately, did not win her the primary — and it underscores how progressives like Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont have quickly rallied behind their former Senate colleague. "One of the country's biggest egg producers increased its profits by 718 percent," Warren said, before recycling a line from her own campaign. "Kamala Harris says, 'I've got a plan to deal with that.'" It also previewed the role Warren is likely to play in Harris's campaign, as a surrogate who will promote and explain Harris's economic plans. "Republicans have demonstrated they will fight for the rights of billionaires and billionaire corporations to have, to run this country. Democrats are fighting for working people," Warren said. "I think it's that difference." MORE POLITICS NEWS AND ANALYSIS via Joe Biden campaign Political memo Harris Leans on Memory of Her Mother, as She Reintroduces Herself The definitional power of parenthood has been an unofficial theme of the Democratic convention this week. And Shyamala Gopalan Harris, the vice president's mother, is a main character. By Katie Rogers Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump Warms to Kennedy and Belittles Walz in Fox News Appearance Donald J. Trump said he would welcome the endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is expected to end his presidential campaign. By Neil Vigdor Erin Schaff/The New York Times What to Expect on the Convention's Last Night Vice President Kamala Harris is set to take the stage to formally accept her party's nomination to be president. By Adam Nagourney Erin Schaff/The New York Times What Drives Kamala Harris: The Art of the Possible As she prepares to formally accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday night, what the vice president may be offering the nation is a future defined by the fine print. By Lisa Lerer, Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs Al Drago for The New York Times Despite Trump's Accusations, Democrats Have Largely Avoided Medicare for All The policy has played little role at the Democratic National Convention. Republicans continue to suggest Vice President Kamala Harris would pursue it as president. By Noah Weiland Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times How Kamala Harris Is Preparing for the Biggest Speech of Her Life Her convention address on Thursday will tell the story of her middle-class upbringing, cast the 2024 race as the future versus the past and appeal to patriotism. By Shane Goldmacher Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have feedback? Ideas for coverage? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com. Try four weeks of complimentary access to The Tilt Nate Cohn, The Times's chief political analyst, makes sense of the latest political data. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for On Politics from The New York Times. To stop receiving On Politics, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018