“We’re Not Going Back”: Day 3 of the DNC Offered A Forward-Facing Vision For The Country With Tim Walz’ Debut, Punchy Speeches And A Surprise Appearance By Oprah – Essence

The theme for the third night of the Democratic National Convention(DNC) was “A Fight For Our Freedoms,” and many of the evening’s speeches addressed that directly. While party veterans like Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi had major speaking roles, the night belonged to the younger generation. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Philadelphia Governor Josh Shapiro, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries all gave memorable speeches. Amanda Gorman, history-making in her own right as the nation’s youngest inaugural poet, also delivered a powerful poem. Here are some of the top highlights.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES TELLS DONALD TRUMP, “WE BROKE UP WITH YOU FOR A REASON”

Like Kamala Harris, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries also stands to make history in November. If Democrats regain control of the House, Jeffries (who’s already made history as the first Black person to lead a party in either chamber of Congress) would become the chamber’s first Black male speaker. Additionally, at 54 years old, Jeffries represents a younger generation of Democratic leaders who have infused the party with an upbeat, forward-looking energy and a sly sense of humor, reflected in this year’s DNC.

“Donald Trump is like an old boyfriend that you broke up with who just won’t go away. For four years, he’s been spinning the block and trying to get back into his relationship with the American people. Bro, we broke up with you for a reason,” Jeffries said.

He then recited a litany of those reasons, including the “GOP tax scam where 83% of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1% in America,” Trump’s failure to effectively manage the pandemic, his incitement of an insurrection, and the installation of three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. In short, he called Trump “a chaos agent who is focused on himself, not the American people.”

He continued, “There’s no reason for us to ever get back together. Been there, done that, we’re not going back,” which incited uproarious laughter from the crowd.

Sounding like an old-school rapper and the coolest preacher you know, Jeffries sprinkled his speech with hip-hop references and scripture.To raucous cheers Jeffries said Harris would protect people from all walks of life and their freedoms and that together we will “build a brighter future.” He then proceeded to explain how: “Strategize on Sunday. Meet the moment on Monday. Take it to him on Tuesday. Work it out on Wednesday. Thank the Lord on Thursday. Fight the power on Friday. Set it off on Saturday. Get a few hours of sleep, wake up the next day and do it all over again. Until Joy. Joy. Joy comes in the morning,” he declared.

POWERHOUSE PERFORMANCES

The DNC has always been a magnet for A-list performers—think Alicia Keys and Katy Perry in 2016 or Mary J. Blige and Marc Anthony in 2012—and this year’s DNC is no different. Last night, convention goers were serenaded by the legendary musician Stevie Wonder, who sang “Higher Ground.” He preceded the song with an impassioned plea to vote for Harris. “This is the moment to remember when you tell your children where you were and what you did as we, as we stand between history’s pain and tomorrow’s promises, we must choose courage over complacency,” He continued “it is time to get up and go vote”

R&B crooner and EGOT winner John Legend also performed, paying tribute to Minnesota’s own iconic singer, Prince, in honor of Governor Tim Walz’s role as the state’s leader. He was accompanied by Prince’s former drummer, Sheila E. They performed “Let’s Go Crazy”  

Previous nights featured performances by Patti Labelle and Lil Jon (who surprised everyone when he appeared during Georgia’s roll call vote to perform his hit “Get Low”). While we’re on the topic of the roll call, can we all agree that delegates casting their vote to the beat of state-specific songs spun by DJ Cassidy is the only way party roll calls should be done now? Check out the eclectic playlist here.

OPRAH PROVED SHE’S STILL AMERICA’S STORYTELLER-IN-CHIEF

In her DNC debut, Oprah returned to Chicago, the home of her groundbreaking TV show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for 25 years, and starkly laid out two competing visions of the country: one based on division and a politics of fear, the other based on unity and a politics based on freedom for all. “There are people who want you to see our country as a nation of us against them, people who want to scare you, who want to rule you, people who have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe, that there’s a right way to worship and a wrong way to love people who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing: when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us,” she said.

Oprah, who started her career as a journalist, reminded us of her powerful ability to tell a riveting story with the tale of the late Tessie Prevost Williams, one of four 6-year-old girls who desegregated two New Orleans elementary schools in 1954. So great was the hate and fear of Black children attending school with white children that white parents removed their children from the school so that Tessie and her friends could attend class in a completely empty building. Their bravery paved the way for a little girl named Kamala Harris to become part of the second class to desegregate a  Berkeley, California School in 1970.

Oprah went on to extol the education Harris received there and at home, which “instilled in her a passion for justice and freedom and the glorious fighting spirit necessary to pursue that passion. And soon, very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic, energetic immigrants, how this child is the 47th president of The United States. That is the best of America.” As a registered Independent, Oprah then appealed to fellow independents and undecideds to vote their values.

“Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual because that’s the best of America. Let us choose optimism over cynicism because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution; let us choose common sense over nonsense because that is the best of America. Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter returns of yesterday,” she continued. We’re not going back.”

REPUBLICANS CROSSED PARTY LINES TO ENDORSE KAMALA HARRIS

This year’s DNC has featured a number of Republicans and former Trump officials who have broken free of MAGA and thrown their support behind Kamala Harris. Two of those Republicans spoke last night. First was Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration national security official and Mike Pence aide. Troye resigned from her position four years ago and said, “Being inside Trump’s White House was terrifying. But what keeps me up at night is what will happen if he gets back there.” Troye continued saying that she was voting for Kamala Harris not because they agreed on every issue but because they agreed on “protecting our freedom.” She encouraged her fellow Republicans to do the same and put the country over the party. “You aren’t voting for a Democrat; you’re voting for democracy. You aren’t betraying our party; you’re standing up for our country,” Troye said.

Geoff Duncan, former Georgia Lieutenant Governor, had harsh words for a Republican party now beholden to Trump: “Our party is not civil or conservative, it’s chaotic and crazy, and the only thing left to do is dump Trump. These days, our party acts more like a cult, a cult worshiping a felonious thug,” he said. Like Troye, he encouraged his fellow Republicans to vote for Kamala Harris, praising her prosecutor mindset that “understands right from wrong, good from evil. She’s a steady hand. It will bring leadership to the White House that Donald Trump could never do. Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching if you vote for Kamala Harris, you’re not a Democrat. You’re a patriot.”

TIM WALZ SHOWED WHY HE’S THE REAL VP

Since Tim Walz debuted on the national stage as Harris’ running mate just a few weeks ago, he’s become known for his straight-talking, cheerful, everyman demeanor. Last night, with his wife and two children looking on (at one point, his son sobbed with pride, saying, “that’sThat’s my dad”,), he fleshed out his bio, laid out what’s at stake in this election, and laid out what he and Kamala would do to make Americans’ lives better.

The former high school teacher, football coach and 24-year veteran of the National Guard drew on the day’s theme, comparing Republican and Democratic ideas of freedom. “When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office, corporations free to pollute your air and water, and banks free to take advantage of customers.” He continued, “But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love, freedom to make your own healthcare decisions and, yeah, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall.”

Walz also denounced Project 2025, the Republican agenda for a second Trump term. “Here’s the thing, it’s an agenda nobody asked for. It’s an agenda that serves nobody except the richest and the most extreme amongst us, and it’s an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors in need. Is it weird? Absolutely, but it’s also wrong and it’s dangerous. It’s not just me saying so, it’s Trump’s own people… They’re warning us that the next four years will be much, much worse.”

He then made a formidable case for Harris, saying that she had fought “on the side of the American people” since the beginning of her career, “taken on predators and fraudsters,” and “stood up to powerful corporate interests.” Walz continued, “She has never hesitated to reach across that aisle if it meant improving your lives. And she’s always done it with energy, passion, and joy.”

If elected, Walz laid out what Kamala’s presidency would mean for Americans’ daily lives: tax cuts for the middle class, lower drug prices, more affordable housing and “the freedom to live the life you want to live.”

Sounding every bit the coach that he once was, Walz encouraged everyone to roll up their sleeves and work to get Kamala elected by calling people, knocking on doors, making donations, and the like. He said, “There’ll be time to sleep when you’re dead. We’re gonna leave it on the field. That’s how we’ll keep moving forward, that’s how we’ll turn the page on Donald Trump.”

BILL CLINTON REFLECTED ON THE JOY THAT’S DEFINED HARRIS’ CANDIDACY IN THIRTEENTH DNC SPEECH

In his thirteenth DNC speech, Bill Clinton showed that even at 78 with a voice and visage softened by age, he still has the rhetorical chops and sense of humor he’s long known for. He started out with robust praise for President Joe Biden, complimenting his handling of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and his attempts in securing a ceasefire in Gaza. Then “he did something really hard for a politician to do. He voluntarily gave up political power…it will enhance Joe Biden’s legacy, and it’s a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party. So I want to thank him for his courage, compassion, his class, his service, his sacrifice,” Clinton said as the crowd chanted, “Thank You, Joe!”

Clinton then pivoted to Harris’ strengths and what she’d bring to the presidency. “Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and yes, the sheer joy to get something done.” He contrasted that with Trump’s self-absorption. “I mean, look, what does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself. So the next time you hear it, don’t count the lies count the “I’s.”

Clinton continued to sing Harris’ praises: “She’s gained an invaluable amount of experience as vice president advancing our values and interests around the world. She’s already said she’s going to work really hard to make sure that no American working full-time lives in poverty or has to worry about their children living in poverty. She says that we’ve got to make homeownership an achievable dream for everyone, not just a privilege. She said…that she would protect everybody’s right to vote, whether or not they voted for her.”

However, like Michelle Obama the night before, Clinton cautioned against overconfidence; even with Harris’ stellar qualifications, nothing could be taken for granted. Undoubtedly, he remembered his wife Hillary’s own bruising defeat to Donald Trump in 2016, saying, “We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfidence. This is a brutal, tough business.” He continued, “One of the reasons that President-to-be Harris is doing so well is that we’re all so happy. But you should never underestimate your adversary; these people are really good at distracting us, triggering doubt, and triggering buyers’ remorse.”

Perhaps also referencing Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” line, Clinton urged the audience to engage with but not demean those who disagree with them politically.

Finally, on a touching note, Clinton said he didn’t know how many more DNCs he’d be able to attend. “But here’s what I want you to know: If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you’ll be proud of it for the rest of your life. Your children will be proud of it. Your grandchildren will be proud of it,” he said.

The Democratic National Convention is ongoing in Chicago. On the convention’s final night, Kamala Harris is scheduled to formally accept the party’s nomination for the 2024 Election.