Perhaps the most memorable moment of this year’s Democratic National Convention came the night before Kamala Harris officially accepted the party’s nomination for president.
It was no simple matter for anyone to follow a lineup of such stars as Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, and Barack and Michelle Obama, just to name a few.
But countless eyes and TV cameras in the United Center on Wednesday night turned to a young man front and center in the audience whom most of us had never seen before. He was Gus Walz, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s 17-year-old son, who wept throughout his dad’s speech and wiped his eyes with tissues. Through tears of joyful excitement, he proudly mouthed, “That’s my dad.”
There’s no way to tell how much this heartwarming sight transcended partisan lines. But as a fellow dad whose heart is not made of stone, I felt myself getting more than a little choked up, too. And when it was subsequently pointed out that Gus has a nonverbal learning disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and an anxiety disorder, it only deepened the impression of how relatable and compelling the Walz family is.
When Gov. Walz spoke, he offered proper thanks to Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden’s endorsed successor, and the rest of the delegates in the Chicago arena for “bringing the joy” to this election. That sounded familiar. Was it a reference to the “politics of joy” that many of us old-timers associate with another decade and another Minnesota Democrat?
Could be. Former Vice President and U.S. Sen. Hubert Humphrey used this phrase while announcing his own candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination back in 1968. It was a fateful year of the sort that Democrats have been trying to live down ever since. Amid widespread protests against the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson had decided to step aside without running for another term, and Humphrey won the Democratic Party’s nomination. Unfortunately for Humphrey, the tumult surrounding the convention in Chicago defied his attempts to forge unity and promote the “politics of joy,” which seemed disastrously out of touch with the riots and protests on the streets. Worse, Humphrey failed to distance himself from Johnson’s unpopular war policy, of which he had been a loyal defender. He lost a close election to Richard Nixon.
Against that historical backdrop, it is easy to see why Walz would be delighted to see signs of joy returning to Democratic politics.
It remains to be seen whether the theme will attract enough new voters to bring a Democratic victory. But the chances have been helped by the former schoolteacher’s folksy charm and, from what we’ve learned about him, an admirable record of public service.
Walz’s years as a popular and successful high school football coach and member of Congress look impressive, along with his 24 years in the National Guard — a record that Team Trump has tried to pick apart in an effort that sometimes reeks of desperation.
In response to his detractors, Walz offered joy.
”We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason: We love this country,” Walz said as thousands of delegates waved placards reading “Coach Walz” in red, white and blue.
It was a moving moment of political theater, paired on the substantive side by the harrowing experiences Walz and his wife have described in their struggle to have children, speaking terms that cut through much of today’s heated abortion and birth control debates.
Of course, it’s too early to tell whether Walz will attract new voters or how much new controversies will rattle the Harris-Walz ticket. But ultimately, that’s why we have election campaigns. For now, after years of pushing back against Republican culture war debates that cast Democrats as out-of-touch cultural elites, Walz and his family offer a persuasive alternative.
Despite Harris’ experience as vice president, voters are still getting to know her after four years of her working in Biden’s shadow. We media folks are still waiting for Walz and Harris to hold their first full-fledged news conference. But Walz seemed to clear one obstacle. He apparently knows how to make a lot of Americans feel how much we have in common with him.
That’s saying a lot, especially when you have the other party’s candidate nipping at your heels and poring through your background for useful dirt.
Political success often comes when candidates and campaigns make voters comfortable enough to give them, at least, the benefit of their doubts.
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