WE’RE NOT GOING BACK

By Ruth A. Sheets

This week was the quadrennial Democratic Convention.  The Republican affair was last month, and there was no comparison of them that would be helpful because the Democrats overwhelmed anything the Republicans tried to do for their pathetic, though still popular candidate. 

I had listened to parts of conventions as early as 1964.  That year, my dad attended the convention in Atlantic City with his union and encouraged us to listen to the speeches.  I can’t remember if I heard Fanny Lou Hamer’s speech then or just replayed in the future, but I knew about it.  My dad told us he was impressed with her speech and her courage.  He also heard Andrew Young, another civil rights worker and told us he would be a great President of the United States.  Dad was very political, but not outwardly interested in the Civil Rights Movement.  I think his attending that convention changed his perspective on that. 

The 1968 Convention was plagued with police violence in Chicago.  I admit It brought back memories of 1968 when I learned the 2024 Convention would be held in Chicago.  Police have learned a lot in 56 years and they proved it in their dealings with protesters this year.  Even though I heard some of the speeches and roll call back then, I remember none of it, just the police violence.

In 1972 I was working at a residential summer camp for the children of working-class families.  I was a counselor for 3^rd and 4^th graders during the day and 3-5 year-olds at night.  By the time the Democratic convention came on each night that week, I was exhausted, but listened to the speeches until I finally fell asleep around midnight.  I loved the diversity of the speakers, the ideas they were putting forward for getting us out of Vietnam and ending racism and sexism.  I really liked George McGovern and Thomas Eagleton, and wanted them to take Nixon out of office.  As we know, Eagleton was replaced on the ticket due to past mental health issues, Nixon won by a landslide.  Watergate was only a blip that a small number of us thought could be a problem, a quick news item, and two years and about a month later, Nixon would resign, most of which overshadowed memories of the convention.

I listened to parts of the conventions after that but only in passing.  I always tried to hear the nominating and acceptance speeches for the nominees.  Most were good:  Carter, Mondale, Clinton, Obama (twice), and Hillary Clinton.  Biden’s speech 4 years ago was just what we all needed to hear as we were faced with COVID, misinformation from the Right, and a flagging economy, none of which Trump and friends had any clue how to deal with.  I listened to most of the 2016 Convention because I really liked Clinton and hoped she would be elected over Trump, a man who had no experience, no awareness, few skills, if any, and a lot of lies that regularly poured out unchecked from his mouth during rallies and interviews.  There was enthusiasm for Clinton, but  also a lot of conflict from various branches of the Democratic Party.  Those branches had the right to have their say, but that made the convention disjointed and the Convention ended with a weak party that couldn’t get motivated the way it needed to be to win in the electoral college, that racist institution designed to negate people’s votes.  We know how that election turned out too.

The 2024 Democratic Convention was very different from those in the past, even before it began.  There was a lot of excitement for it.  The nominees were not nominees a month before the  Convention, but one would never know it from the way they were greeted by the delegates and guests.  The speeches were impressive and included a wide variety of people and perspectives, not one of the speeches a dud.

Those previous conventions were interesting, but not like this one.  Maybe it is the desperation Democrats are feeling as they attempt to challenge a man who has lots of billionaire support, lots of media coverage, a ghastly Project 2025-inspired Agenda 47 for their leader Trump who has nothing to offer but weird statements about how he is more attractive than Kamala Harris, something about the “late great Hanibal Lecter,” and an inability to focus on anything but the usual insults, lies, and fantasies.  The Democratic Convention focused some on Trump’s inadequacy and a bit about his deterioration, but mostly showed how poorly Trump compares to Harris.

The phrase most often used by the delegates as well as the speakers was “we’re not going back.”  I think it’s a good slogan because thinking back over the years and conventions, I don’t want to go back to any of those times.  They also yelled, “Freedom and the Future.”  I like that too.  So, the Democratic Convention of 2024 is over and as Michele Obama commanded us, “do something!”  She got it right and it is time to fight for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the future and “when we fight, we win.”