By Charles Dervarics

It wasn’t the Democratic convention that Joe Biden envisioned for 2024. Instead, his appearance Monday in Chicago — part campaign speech, part wistful reflection on his career — represented the end of an era as the president made clear he is turning the keys over to new management.

With a speech that pulled on a few heartstrings, Biden touted his administration’s progress to overcome the pandemic, create new infrastructure and manufacturing jobs, reduce drug prices and install the most diverse cabinet in history. “We’ve had the most extraordinary four years of progress,” he said.

To steady chants of “Thank you Joe” and “We love Joe,” the president reflected on why he ran for president in 2020 — to honor his late son, Beau, and to help restore democracy amid the turmoil of Donald Trump’s presidency. 

“I made a lot of mistakes in my career. But I gave my best to you for 50 years,” he said. “Like many of you, I give my heart and soul to our nation.”

Even with the warm reception for Biden, the night’s activities illustrated the fast-changing political landscape of the past month. Vice President Kamala Harris made the unusual step of appearing on stage the first night of the convention, both to introduce herself to delegates and urge them to give Biden a warm welcome. 

A video and speeches about Harris’ early years were just some of the many activities that pushed Biden’s speech back until 11:30 p.m., well after prime-time television on the East Coast.

Biden spoke briefly about the tumultuous events of the past month when he faced pressure to step aside due to his age and eventually withdrew and endorsed his vice president.

The 81-year-old president said it is “not true” that he is angry at those who urged him to end his candidacy. “I love the job, but I love my country more.” Of Harris, he said, “She’s tough, she’s experienced, and she has enormous integrity.”

He also noted that his half-century career in national politics began as a 29-year-old elected to the U.S. Senate, where the minimum age to serve is 30. “I've either been too young to be in the Senate because I wasn't 30 yet or too old to stay as president. But I hope you know how grateful I am to all of you.”

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Some “apparently uncommitted” delegates unfolded a protest banner during Biden’s speech, according to The Washington Post. Outside, the “tens of thousands” of pro-Palestinian protesters organizers had predicted turned out in far lower numbers. Dozens broke through part of a perimeter security fence, which drew riot police to the site, according to a Reuters witness. Chicago Police declined to say how many were arrested.

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While Biden’s late speech served as the highlight of the evening, it was not the only dramatic event of the night. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain introduced a new campaign slogan when he removed his jacket to reveal a red t-shirt with the words “Trump is a Scab! Vote Harris!”

The convention hall quieted during a series of short speeches about protecting reproductive rights. Most dramatic was the story of Hadley Duvall, a victim of sexual assault who became pregnant by her stepfather at age 12. “What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parent’s child?” she told the crowd.

And Hillary Clinton connected the past and future in an address criticizing Trump and calling on Americans to break the glass ceiling to elect a female president. “We have him on the run now,” she said of the former president. At one point, the crowd chanted “lock him up” in reference to Trump’s recent felony convictions—a stark difference from 2016 when Trump supporters used “lock her up” as a chant against Clinton, then the Democratic nominee, over her email controversy.

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DNC Week -- MON 8/19/24

Prepping for a Loss – While Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has said he will accept the results of a “free and fair” election, he is defining for his supporters what that means; “This was an overthrow of the president. This was an overthrow,” Trump said at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, of President Biden stepping down from the race last month, The Washington Post reports. “It was a coup of a president. This was a coup.” Beware January 6, 2025.

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Of Protests and Ceasefires – As pro-Palestinian protesters gather around the DNC in Chicago, Gaza war ceasefire talks are moving this week from Qatar to Egypt, where stubborn resistance from Hamas leaders and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far prevailed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says this week’s talks are “maybe the last chance” for a Gaza ceasefire, according to The New York Times. 

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Zelenskyy Explains – What’s Ukraine doing in Russia? Has been the much-asked question since the counter-invasion earlier this month. Ukraine is creating a “buffer zone on the territory,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained in his Sunday address, Newsweek reports. Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian forces destroyed a second bridge in Russia’s Kursk region.

“It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall, to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible. … In particular, this is the creation of a buffer zone on the territory of our aggressor – our operation in Kursk Oblast.”

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa