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By Dana Milbank
Speaker after speaker thanked him. The crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe!” Yet the party thanked Joe by bumping him out of prime time. Biden, who was supposed to come out at 9:45 p.m. local time, had to wait until 10:25. So I asked my colleagues E.J. Dionne Jr. and Ruth Marcus: Was this the send-off Biden deserved?
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Dana Milbank: Biden’s speech was powerful and moving, but millions of Americans probably missed it because of the hour. Some will inevitably wonder whether the DNC did this intentionally. As his speech went on past 11 — midnight on the East Coast — I was sorry to see hundreds of people heading for the exits before he finished. I think he deserved a little better. E.J. and Ruth, tell me why I’m wrong.
Ruth Marcus: This was the speech Biden planned to give as nominee, with a Harris-Walz overlay tacked onto it. That’s entirely understandable. Biden wanted to be in Chicago in a very different capacity. This is, in all likelihood, the last great speech of his career, with more public attention on him now than he will ever have again. He is Joe Biden, after all, and — I write this with warmth — he has a lot to say. About his presidency and what he accomplished. About the clear and present danger posed by Donald Trump. About the imperative of electing Harris and Tim Walz. So, he got his time, although not in prime time.
E.J. Dionne: This was a comprehensive case for his presidency. It included a lot that he might have said if he had been the nominee, but I think it was even more achievement-heavy than an acceptance speech because he was speaking to history and to those who will judge his contributions.
Ruth: I have to say, listening to Biden, I felt gratitude for his service, but even more, gratitude for the fact that he is not the nominee and is edging out of the spotlight.
Dana: Agree. It sounded a lot like a State of the Union address. The accomplishments are huge, and he deserves the right to crow. But I did have a sense midway through it that I am very happy this is not his acceptance speech.
Ruth: It’s a really interesting question to know how it would have been different if it were an acceptance speech. I kind of tend to think it would have been much the same, a justification and defense of his first four years as part of a case for another four. In this setting, it takes on a new air of trying to write the history books. And I agree, he gets the right — and as much time as he may choose to consume — to crow. He did the right thing, eventually, by deciding to withdraw as the nominee, and “Thank you, Joe” is the only possible response to that.
E.J.: I was struck by his revisiting some of the best lines he has used over the past couple of years, including: “You cannot say you love your country only when you win” and his reference to the contemporary far right as “old ghosts in new garments.” Both keeper lines.
Ruth: It really was quite the mashup — almost a ChatGPT feel. But as I was hearing familiar lines, I did wonder whether it would sound differently to others who are not as immersed in the Biden oeuvre.
E.J.: Completely agree that many people might not have heard those lines. I was happy to hear them again. I spoke with Vinay Reddy, Biden’s chief speechwriter, on Monday morning before he left for Chicago. I asked him to distill the message of this speech. Here’s what he said: “How do you choose to use the presidency? Trump used it to divide the country and appeal to our worst fears. Joe Biden appeals to the goodness of us, the hopefulness of us, the decency of us. Kamala Harris does as well. Democracy and freedom depend on those virtues.” I think you heard some of that in this speech, and especially in the lead-up speeches.
Dana: A couple of the best lines came toward the end: “I love the job, but I love my country more.” And “I promise I’ll be the best volunteer Harris and Walz’s camp have ever seen.” Also, the crowd was adoring. It was quite emotional in the hall.
Ruth: I don’t mean to sound churlish or mean-spirited, but I feel honestly relieved to be leaving the Biden era behind. We need a fresh voice. I did absolutely love the “best volunteer” line. It evokes the selflessness of the moment. And the spirit of grace in which Biden should be addressing it.
Dana: Yes, we can at once celebrate his sacrifice for country and feel relieved. So, was he intentionally bumped into the midnight hour? Or was that just poor time management?
Ruth: Hello, these are Democrats! They’re not good at running things on time. Remember George McGovern speaking in the wee hours? I always believe in incompetence over conspiracies, and this just seemed to me to be the predictable result of loading in so many speakers, not a plot against Biden.
E.J.: Yes, they probably should have made adjustments so Biden would not have been pushed so late. But there were a lot of powerful speeches during the evening that might have done more political work for the ticket. Clinton was on fire, and so was Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.). A clean flow from Clinton to Warnock to Biden would have been good, but I think the energy and gratitude of the crowd largely made up for the lateness.
Ruth: Can I take a moment to give a shout-out to Jill Biden? It’s always harder for the spouse to turn the other cheek and give up the fight. And I thought she was really gracious and supportive toward Harris.
Dana: The Ashley Biden intro, and Joe Biden dabbing his eyes, was also very moving.
Ruth: Biden dabbing his eyes got me, too. I am a sucker for proud and loving dads.
E.J.: Agree totally on Jill and Ashley. That had to be really hard for Jill, and she pulled it off with — as you said, Ruth — a lot of graciousness.
Ruth: This was a combination of Biden’s do-over from the flubbed debate and his valedictory. Most people will experience it from headlines and TV (or social media) clips, and I suspect his “but I love my country more” and “best volunteer” lines, along with his sharp attacks on Trump, will be the most prominent. Biden achieved what he wanted to achieve, which was a defense of himself and his presidency. Democrats achieved what they wanted to achieve, which was a decent send-off. Now they can move on to the real business of the convention and the election.
Dana: Any other moments from the night you particularly enjoyed?
E.J.: I was really impressed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), United AutoWorkers President Shawn Fain and NBA coach Steve Kerr. I cannot remember hearing as explicit a set of appeals on behalf of the working class at a Democratic convention as we heard from AOC and Fain. And Kerr was great for bringing out patriotism — I love hearing Democrats chant “USA! USA!” A basketball coach defining leadership and shouting out “Coach Walz” was a good touch. (Yes, fellow Celtics fans, I agree he should have played Jayson Tatum more!)
Dana: Sadly, James Taylor got cut from the lineup to save time tonight, which confirms that the timing problem was not intentional. Dare we hope he’ll be relocated to later in the week?
Ruth: This was the tragedy of the evening for me. Bring back James.
