Drenched In The Past (Some Quick DNC Thoughts)
plus our usual collection of dates and more
Welcome to the This Day In Esoteric Political History newsletter. Each week, a member of our team (or a friend of the show!) gathers together past bits of America’s past and attempts to find a throughline that might add a little understanding to our current moment.
Today, you’re in the steady hands of host Jody Avirgan.
Before we get going, a reminder for those of you in Boston that we have our first ever live show on Friday, September 13th! Tickets are available now. We’re so excited that Jody even said nice things about Boston.
A quick recap of next week in American history.
August 22
1926: Throughout the late summer of 1926, legendary journalist Ida Tarbell is publishing a series of flattering profiles of Benito Mussolini
1964: Fannie Lou Hamer testifies on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. “If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America,” Hamer said. “Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to asleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?”
August 23
1987: Joe Biden’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for President collapses in part due to plagiarism allegations
August 24
1814: The British burn the US Capitol using torches and gunpowder paste
1921: Tensions are mounting in southwestern West Virginia, where ~15,000 miners are going on strike to protest working and economic conditions. Eventually, this would lead to a violent showdown with the mining companies, local police, and federal forces.
August 25
1920 - Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signs papers ratifying the 19th amendment, which stated that the right to vote would not be denied “on account of sex.”
August 26
1814: Brookeville, MD, becomes "U.S. Capital for a Day” during the War of 1812.
1957: The Soviet Union announces that it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, sparking a national debate over the “missile gap” between America and Russia.
1964: President Lyndon B. Johnson is nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J.
August 27
1918: Spanish flu arrives in Boston, marking the beginning of the second and deadliest wave of the disease in the U.S.
1945: American troops begin landing in Japan following the surrender of the Japanese government and end of World War II.
2008: Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
August 28
1786: Combat begins in Shay’s Rebellion, the first major armed rebellion in the post-Revolution United States
2014: President Barack Obama wears a tan suit, leading to controversy
Usually this section riffs on the above, but I’m writing this the day after the DNC, so I’ll share some thoughts on that instead.
I’m still processing Kamala Harris’s speech from last night, and the DNC as a whole. (See, this is why I’m so glad to not be in the breaking news game anymore!) Overall, I thought it was very strong and well-delivered, particularly the foreign policy section.
But as I watched the speech, I couldn’t help but think about how drenched in the past her remarks were.
This was often framed as “we’re not going back,” to point out that the America that Donald Trump wants to revert to isn’t so great. But even while trying to paint a hopeful and joyful vision for her candidacy, Harris kept returning to what has been more than what might come. Look at this section:
We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. We are not going back to when he tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, when insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions. We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools.
We are not going to let him end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and child care for our children. America, we are not going back.
And we are charting — and we are charting a new way forward. Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success, and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.
Maybe I just have my history-podcast-host glasses on, but in this stretch, Harris is still making an argument that relies on a halcyon vision of the past, when the American middle class was thriving. I think part of this is strategic — Harris wants to beat Trump at his own nostalgia game. But I also think it’s a sign of how unmoored and unstable our current era feels.
In 1996, Bill Clinton gave his famous “bridge to the 21st century” speech at the DNC. Could you imagine how a speech like that would land now? I think it would feel a little hollow, maybe even naive. Harris did end her speech with talk of “the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told” and for that I am grateful. But overall, it felt like she was trying to help us process where America has been, and help us pick through the rubble for the parts of our history that we can carry on the path forward.
And this scans for me. I suppose that when we feel a little wobbly, we look for something to hold on to. And in those moments, we tend reach back, not forward.
I texted Kellie and Niki this morning to ask if they had any quick thoughts, here’s what Kellie said:
This is the first time I've watched all 4 nights of the DNC glued to the TV like it was an American Idol finale! It was a political Coachella. From the concert roll call to every inspiring speech, the joy was palpable. It was a new brand of patriotism. Harris was every bit presidential. The history of it all was a lot to take in. Consider this, 3 of the last 4 Democratic Nominees have been a black man, a white woman, and a black woman. Democrats aren't perfect. But they are indeed a portrait of progress. We've NEVER seen a convention like this. I love it!
I’d love to hear your quick reactions to the speech, or if you disagree with any of our reactions. Drop a comment or reply to this email and we’ll keep the conversation going.
Wrapping Up, Esoterically
I got a great series of follow-up tweets to our conversation about the Dems dancing the Macarena at the 1992 DNC. Hillary Clinton herself didn’t actually try to dance the Macarena, and I think that this listener is right to point out that this says something about how the press and the public think of Hillary. Here are the first two tweets, but be sure to check out the full thread.
And here’s the video to watch for yourself.
Music once again played a starring role at this year’s convention. NPR rounded up the tracks each state and territory went with during Tuesday night’s roll call.
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