DNC Night 4: Biden Veers Toward The Center, Calming Dems With A Strong Finish To A Mismanaged Convention

The Federalist ^ | August 21, 2020 | Christopher Bedford

[Kaslin]

Convention bets hard on hope Kamala pick will provide left-wing cover for sharp messaging return to the center.

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Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up the Democratic Convention Thursday night, putting an authentic and well-received closing argument at the end of an otherwise halting, depressing and frankly alien four-day rally, and previewing what may be the campaign’s calculation that a Kamala Harris VP provides left-wing cover for a rapid return to messaging from the Democratic Party’s political center.

Biden used the 25-minute speech, delivered from an empty convention center in Wilmington, Delaware, to contrast President Donald Trump’s “darkness” with his own “light,” and continued to stress the moderate credentials that have been a major theme of the Democratic National Convention. His words gently repudiated the more radical shifts of the Democratic Party, including anthem protests, demonizing white people, and The New York Times’ anti-American “1619 Project.”

Americans, Biden said, must, “Live up to the promise of our sacred founding documents that promise our rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The highly contentious “Black Lives Matter” group powerful Democrats have literally bowed to went unmentioned, replaced instead with the late Rep. John Lewis’s call for America to “lay down the heavy burden of hate.” A mere moment later, however, Biden paid homage to “systemic racism” — the concept that America is a racist country that’s very systems conspire to subjugate minorities.

“No miracle is coming,” he angrily charged, blaming the president for the Chinese coronavirus and later adding, again with anger, that “the president still does not have a plan, but I do.” His plan, he said, is to make and distribute tests (as the president has done), “to take the muzzle off our experts” (who have dominated the White House press conferences for months while liberal tech companies censor and punish expert dissent), and to “have a national mandate to wear masks,” describing it as “a patriotic duty.”

Free the experts already running the country and mask the people is a very strange message, but played to the entire four days of coronavirus cowering. While public gatherings are allowed in every state of the union, many restaurants and bars are open, people are returning to work, politicians have locked arms with protesters, and riots have raged in the streets, the Democratic Convention paid high homage to the insistence that gathering in America is a deadly exercise.

Despite the existence of rapid-result tests, as used by the White House Press Corps — and by wealthy Hollywood Democrats for their social parties — the Bidens kept their distance from his vice presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, and her husband. Despite President Donald Trump meeting multiple times a week with reporters, daily with his staff, and traveling the country speaking to crowds of cheering supporters, neither the Bidens nor any other Democratic speaker appeared with or in front of the public.

Although forceful at points, Biden, just three years older than Trump, seemed far older than the spirited and combative president, who spoke to a public crowd earlier the same day in his opponent’s hometown. The vice president, to Democrats’ relief, did not commit any gaffes or lose his place during his longest speech since winning the primary, making strides against the increasingly bipartisan observation he is fighting a losing battle against cognitive decline.

It is difficult to imagine four days of empty seats and moderate messaging, capped with a strong and well-delivered speech by Biden, will make up for months of dodging interviews, banning questions, and sheltering in place while shifting increasingly leftward. Conventions are almost never a messaging anomaly, though, and are most often used to set the campaign’s tone for the rest of the race.

If that’s the case here, then the campaign has calculated that the nomination of a black woman will satiate the party’s activist wing thoroughly enough to provide cover for a rapid return to the party’s political center. Biden, after all, won the primary from the center of the party. Casual observers might have forgotten this, given his post-win shift left and socialist Bernie Sanders’s enthusiastic stumping on his behalf. Fortunately for Biden, if Sanders’ playful appearance Thursday night is any indicator, the personal animus the senator held toward Hillary Clinton is absent this time around.

Biden’s speech closed out a night that lurched awkwardly from segment to segment, room to room — and always without an audience. The convention’s deficiencies were obvious for everyone but a Washington Post theater critic. Even the master of ceremonies, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, opened her set with a joke that the first three nights had gone so well they were going to add a fifth.

The theme of tragedy and loss has dominated the convention’s effort to reintroduce Biden to the public, with Tuesday night revolving around it, and death and sadness still circling Thursday’s more triumphant, patriotic-toned videos and speeches. Beyond the story of his eldest son Beau’s death of cancer five years ago, a documentary-style remembrance of John Lewis delivered a touching moment, ending with a moving performance of “Glory” by pianist and singer John Legend, rapper Common, and a Gospel choir.

These 10 minutes were among the most flawless emotional peaks of the convention, drawing tragedy up into political resolve and a biblical, godly crusade for justice and the people — all to a great tune. Like so many moments, however, the DNC almost immediately squandered it.

WATCH: John Legend and Common perform ‘Glory’ at the 2020 Democratic National Convention

“Wow, that was so beautiful, ” Louis-Dreyfus followed up with the tone you might use with a child showing you a bowl of Cheerios for the fifth time that morning. “Wow,” she repeated for good measure before launching into a repeat of a joke about mispronouncing Vice President’s Mike Pence’s name (because mispronouncing “Kamala” is racist now) and one about Trump cheating at golf. There was no one in the audience, so no one laughed, and for the following eight minutes we were subjected to Jon Meacham, who most people don’t recognize, talking about our souls.

After Jon, Rep. Deb Haaland came on the screen. She told us about her “people, the Pueblo people,” and drew on her mother’s military service. No one knows who she is either, but when a San Felipe Pueblo Indian family with 60 years of military service in just two generations asked her to help them bury Master Sgt. Joseph Velasquez with the honors he deserved during COVID, Haaland ignored her constituents. The congresswoman did, however, find the time during Covid-19 to attend George Floyd’s funeral — and to represent military service and the Pueblo people during a DNC speech.

After Jon and Deb, viewers were treated to the baseless conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump made the Post Office bad. This isn’t all to give a play-by-play of the convention, but to illustrate how badly the emotions the DNC worked tirelessly to evoke were wasted on stupid segments.

One portion that managed to get beyond the terrible awkwardness of speeches to empty rooms was a playful conversation between some of Biden’s defeated opponents, recalling their favorite memories of Joe from the trail. Another strong segment featured a veteran of World War II and Korea remembering his combat jump, listing his NRA membership, and saying that he will change his vote from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020. The veteran’s short story kicked off a military-themed portion on Biden’s devotion to our servicemen and women.

In the end, the documentary-style medium — one invented for television audiences — won out over nearly every speech, which is great for a long commercial but rough for eight hours of primetime television. Biden’s closing speech can’t give the burst of energy a successful public convention would have, but the sighs of relief from consultants, pundits and supporters increasingly wondering if he could still give a strong speech will have to suffice, and the increasingly uncomfortable defense of a hidden candidate will certainly get a burst of energy.

On Monday evening, the Republican National Convention will begin. While details are still being finalized, early reports indicate the president will speak from the South Lawn of the White House, Pence will speak from Fort McHenry (of “Star-Spangled Banner” fame), the public might be treated to a fireworks show on the National Mall, and many or all of the speeches will be delivered in front of live audiences.

[yoe]

"Something is going on">

The propaganda about Joe's "dementia" is a bit over the top, why? Making it easier to step aside for the Left's pick of Harris, the Socialist president to be? Anything is possible...for this career politician who has all the buzz words and accolades for a strong acceptance speech vaguely familiar to thing President Trump has been saying...and the left smearing the POTUS for saying "good for America" things....however, the campaign keeping Joe in the basement has made him look like a coward...while this POTUS Trump, is out and about running the country. Joe won't even face reporters for questions....isn't that cowardly? Afraid he might catch something? Something smells fishy....

[Mercat]

Was it pre recorded? If it was, he could have done it in segments and re-recorded parts that didn’t work.

[Robin12]

Does any know if Biden’s speech was pre-recorded? I’ll bet it was.

[GoldenPup]

Wonder what Biden’s handlers “juiced” him up with so he didn’t make a complete ass of himself, as usual.

Ignore the needle, Joe...this wont hurt a bit.

[Luke21]

That was moonbat left. What the hell?

[Jane Long]

A few posters have said it was pre-recorded. I have no idea.

[Jane Long]

Agree....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3876328/posts?page=67#67

[Captain Peter Blood]

It’s possible Biden was on a drug cocktail to help him, well if so they can’t keep giving him that all the time.

[Jane Long]

Spot on!!

[Jane Long]

Agree.

Especially enough to handle regular, public appearances AND debates.....

(h/t yoe)

[cranked]

Great, another DEM shill shilling......

[Fledermaus]

Was it pre-recorded?

[I-ambush]

If there were real journalists, Biden or his handlers would be asked if he is on medication for dementia, like Aricept, Razadyne, Exelonor Memantine.

[Liz]

Hollywood has may tricks to get perfection on film.

Older stars were filmed through a camera lens layered w/ vaseline to wipe away those wrinkles.

When mega-stars begin to lose their staying power on film——aging forgetful stars cant remember their lines,
are filmed in spurts...... then the filmed bits are edited and spliced together.

[Liz]

NOTE Former US Senator Chris Dodd is Biden’s best friend.......and is especially well-connected. After The Senate Swamp, in 2011 Dodd then went to Hollywood to become the Motion Picture Association of America chairman— Hollywood’s top lobbyist — representing the six major studios.

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How Joe Biden won friends in Hollywood by helping studios get their movies into China
By EVAN HALPER, LA TIMES STAFF WRITER , JULY 18, 2019

PIC Xi Jinping, then the vice president of China, speaks with then-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while Jerry Brown, then governor of California, watches a game between the Lakers and the Suns at Staples Center in 2012. At top right is Jeffrey Katzenberg, then-CEO of DreamWorks Animation, who used his ties to California politicians — and to then-Vice President Joe Biden — to lobby Xi for access to the Chinese market. Xi Jinping, then the vice president of China, speaks with then-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while Jerry Brown, then governor of California, watches a game between the Lakers and the Suns at Staples Center in 2012. At top right is Jeffrey Katzenberg, then-CEO of DreamWorks Animation, who used his ties to California politicians — and to then-Vice President Joe Biden — to lobby Xi for access to the Chinese market.(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options

WASHINGTON — When then-Vice President Joe Biden hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a five-day diplomatic blitz in 2012, a Hollywood Democratic mega-donor kept popping up with them. There was Jeffrey Katzenberg, then the head of DreamWorks Animation, dining alongside Xi, the then-vice president of China, at a State Department welcome lunch in Washington. And there he was again, standing just behind Xi, then-Gov.

Jerry Brown and then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at a Lakers game in Los Angeles. And there was Katzenberg hanging out in a nearby hallway with Disney CEO Robert Iger to provide last-minute counsel as Biden closed a deal in which China committed to considerably expand its market for American films.

On the final day of Xi’s visit, Dreamworks announced Xi had signed off on the company’s own deal — the launching of Oriental DreamWorks, a $330-million joint venture with Chinese companies to develop and distribute animated films in China.

Several of the candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination have significant support in Hollywood — Katzenberg, for example, has kicked in $2,800 each to 14 of them already — but none has as long a history of delivering for the industry as Biden. His deep ties to studio executives and decades-long advocacy for their agenda has helped cement Biden’s support even as it may also open him to criticism for too cozy a relationship with big donors.

Biden is returning to Hollywood this week for another round of fundraisers, including the second Biden event co-hosted by Katzenberg and leaders of several major studios. Biden’s first Southern California fundraiser, which Katzenberg co-hosted in May, netted more than $700,000 in one night. “Joe was our champion inside the White House,” said former Sen. Christopher Dodd, who led the Motion Picture Assn. of America for much of the Obama era.

“There is no question about it. Even before Joe Biden decided to run, I would get calls and have conversation with the major studio figures, with them saying, ‘You tell Vice President Biden 100% we want him to run.’ This wasn’t waiting around to see who would do well in polls.”

[CharlesWayneCT]

He was all morose about how we were in darkness, and needed to be “led out”. I mean, maybe he’s been putting his mask over his eyes or something.

I’m not in darkness, although I guess if you are a democrat living in a city, you might be in darkness; if you are a democrat in california, you might very much be in the dark, and also very hot, right now.

But other than the left murdering people, beating people up, burning cities down, and stealing crap, there is a lot of light in this country now. Most of us are living our lives in peace, because we weren’t stupid enough to live somewhere run by democrats.

[CharlesWayneCT]

How did Biden get away with a COVID plan that doesn’t mention delivering a VACCINE?

[Liz]

Joe Biden in Hollywood helping studios get their movies into China
By EVAN HALPER, LA TIMES STAFF WRITER , JULY 18, 2019

P

Xi Jinping, then the vice president of China, speaks with then-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while Jerry Brown, then governor of California, watches a game between the Lakers and the Suns at Staples Center in 2012. At top right is Jeffrey Katzenberg, then-CEO of DreamWorks Animation, who used his ties to California politicians — and to then-Vice President Joe Biden — to lobby Xi for access to the Chinese market. Xi Jinping, then the vice president of China, speaks with then-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while Jerry Brown, then governor of California, watches a game between the Lakers and the Suns at Staples Center in 2012. At top right is Jeffrey Katzenberg, then-CEO of DreamWorks Animation, who used his ties to California politicians — and to then-Vice President Joe Biden — to lobby Xi for access to the Chinese market.(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options

[Jane Long]

It’s a tangled web that Joe is caught up in, isn’t it?

Interesting, today, to see of the Hollyweirdos with their panicked ‘warnings’ about voting for Joe, or....they’re busted, I mean, the country is at stake.

[FlipWilson]

He can “veer” as much as he wants. He has already driven far far off of the left side of the road. He should have veered right after he clinched the nomination.