CHICAGO — Michelle Obama emptied the clip and Barack Obama reloaded it. Great orators don’t need violence, they use words, and on Tuesday night, the duo put Donald Trump’s political career in a body bag.
With the theme of the day being “A bold vision for America’s future,” there was nobody better to speak to what it takes to elect, and how it will be, for a Black candidate to reach the Oval Office than the only Black people who’ve ever occupied it.
The Obamas were in their bag, like two great jazz musicians who knew what notes to play and what buttons to push at the right moments while keeping rhythm.
In 2016, the last time the DNC was held in-person, Michelle and Barack both took the stage, but on different days. This time, they were back-to-back on the lineup card. However, the spotlight was on Michelle, as eight years ago she said something that crippled Democrats.
“When they go low, we go high.”
In the moment, it was an honorable mantra from a classy First Lady. Unfortunately, it hurt more than it helped, as the years to come would prove that always taking the high road in politics was a setup for failure, especially against a party led by a man who refuses to play by the rules.
The gloves are off now, though.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” she explained. “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black! Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?”
And then, she just kept spitting bars.
“We don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead.”
“No one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American.”
“The Affirmative Action of generational wealth.”
“We don’t get to change the rules, so we always win.”
“If we see a mountain, we don’t expect there to be an escalator to take us to the top.”
In a moment where America is on the brink of electing its first Black woman to serve as president, the time for ignoring the elephant in the room is over. Some “real talk” is necessary. Voters needed to know what is at stake and who/what is on the other side of the ballot. And the only way to do that was to have a Black family give a Black speech in a Black city.
“No matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle,” she warned, encouraging Democrats and undecided voters not to be their own worst enemies by focusing on the things that don’t matter. “We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right.”
The image of the Obamas passing the baton to Harris isn’t just one that someone will certainly put on a t-shirt or hang on a wall. It goes beyond Black pride, as their connection exceeds their skin color. Like many Americans, they are linked by the sadness that comes with the loss of a mother.
“I wasn’t even sure if I would be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel to honor her memory,” Mrs. Obama expressed about her mother — Marian Robinson — who passed away at age 86 in May. That shared pain was a reminder of how both the Obama and the Harris campaigns have been ones that are founded on humanity, in anticipation that it will bring people together through shared experiences.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” she declared.
When the words were uttered, you could feel the sense of positivity spreading throughout the United Center, especially as the 45th President prepared to take the stage.
Being in the room when Barack Obama speaks is like attending an assembly led by the teacher who’s everyone’s favorite. People sit up straight or lean forward. The side conversations stop. Listeners are locked in on every word and voice inflection. You become a witness to individuals who would pay good money to hear a free speech.
And although the former president dusted off his “Don’t boo, Vote” line and talked about Trump’s “weird obsession with crowd sizes,” the highlight came when he focused on looking forward and not back. “We do not need four more years of bustling, of bumbling and chaos,” he said. “We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.”
Coming into the second night of the DNC, there was excitement in the air about what the Obamas would say on their home turf. But Valerie Jarret, former Senior Adviser to President Obama, already knew what it was — she’s a prophet. “I think it will be a personal message … one of why this is an opportunity for us to be joyful and get engaged again and be enthusiastic again and work hard again,” she said at an event held by Axios earlier in the day.
At some point in 2008, it became clear to Black America that the Obamas had a good chance of winning, despite having our fingers crossed. That feeling was in the air again on Tuesday night inside the United Center. Now, here comes the hard part — keeping that same energy until Election Day.