The Democratic National Convention: What happened to the American Dream?

There is no doubt that the Democratic Party is better off today than it was just a few weeks ago. It’s hard to imagine what the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would have looked like if Joe Biden was still the nominee. There would have been more dread than enthusiasm, and as Michelle Obama said in her fiery speech, “It’s that feeling in your stomach” that would have been the prevailing sentiment. 

Thankfully, Joe Biden stepped aside and let a new generation of Democratic Party leaders take the reins. The DNC has been filled with radiating energy from its delegates, speakers, pundits, and TV spectators, but the Obamas reminded everyone that this is going to be a long fight, that nothing is certain, that we all must do our part, and that this election will be won by getting out the vote. 

It is easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment, but we have to remember that this election is still 50/50, too close to call, and all polls are practically within the margin of error – both national and in the key states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina,  Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

Kamala Harris, ¿una esperanza para los entusiastas cripto en Estados Unidos?

Don’t believe the social media hype

I’ve seen a lot of social media posts sharing “comparing the level of energy” between the DNC and the Republican National Convention. In my opinion, this is exactly the kind of echo chamber politics that can cause the Democrats to lose the election.

These posts are being shared by “true believers” and “vote blue no matter who” type of democrats that just a few weeks ago swore that Joe Biden would be the Party’s nominee and got angry at even the suggestion of change – but here we are. 

The speeches by Michelle and Barack Obama were powerful reminders of what’s at stake in this election. They rightfully warned us of the danger of being caught in the moment and thinking that a victory for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is a given. It is not.  This is not an election of memes or sharing, it is an election of getting out the vote. 

As painful as it was, I watched the Republican National Convention from beginning to end, every speaker, and every video testimonial. I can objectively tell you that Republican’s level of enthusiasm was comparable. 

We live in a world where we seek communal affirmation, a world in which we only want to listen to those who share our political opinions, which in most cases are shaped by slight variations in the rhetoric of our echo chambers.

The Democratic Party has indeed been resurrected, but that doesn’t translate into victory. This fight is far from being won. 

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What it means to be an American

Hard work, and plenty of it. Such was the saying in one of my favorite bar signs in Washington. It appealed to me because it speaks to our desire to build our own version of the “American Dream”. Oddly enough, the “American Dream” has been absent from the DNC’s primetime speakers.

That marks a very steep contrast between the Democrats’ message of “Americans wanting to build a better life”, and the Republicans’ message of “making America great again.”

Neither addresses the “American Dream” directly, but the Republican’s message more closely resembles the desire to own a home with a picket fence, a car, and afford a certain level of luxury or upward mobility.

What I’ve heard from Democrats is a lot of ideals around values, about respecting people who prioritize having enough over having more, and also demonizing American businesses. That’s not going to help with Kamala Harris’ biggest weakness – the economy and a strong voter perception that Trump is more qualified on the issue.

People’s economic reality and their prospects for upward mobility are the most important issues driving voters to the polls this election. Trump’s generalization that Harris’ economic policies are socialist isn’t fair, but the Democrats aren’t doing themselves any favors by not addressing upward mobility, by not saying that it is ok to want more, and addressing the very real feeling that the majority of Generation X Americans believe that they won’t be able to attain what their parents did. 

There are millions of Americans, myself included, who have done the right thing to achieve our own “American Dream”. We went to college, we got advanced degrees, we have paid our taxes, been productive members of society, and have given of ourselves to help improve the lives of others.

But despite all that, we are no closer to attaining even the same things that our parents did. In Southern California, a nice house in a nice neighborhood is at the minimum 900,000 dollars or slightly over one million. You have to come up with 200,000 dollars for a down payment to still be over 700,000 in debt on a 30-year mortgage.

Is that the new American Dream? Is that what it means to be an American?

Harris and Walz need to come up with a better narrative for America’s economic future and they only have 75 days to do so.

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