Democratic National Convention

Sydney Smith (1771-1845), the great English wit and Anglican divine, once said that he never read a book before reviewing it because he found that “it prejudices a man so.” (He also confided that his idea of heaven was “eating pâté de foie gras to the sound of trumpets.”) I have nothing to add to Smith’s soteriological dictum. In partial defense of his announced journalistic practice, however, I will note that while it might compromise his reliability as a literary cicerone, there are plenty of situations for which such lack of exposure is a beneficial prophylactic. I write during the Democratic National Convention. I have sat down to watch none of it. Like Smith, I know that doing so would prejudice me.

Chicago You get freedom, you get freedom, we all get freedom! At least that was the pitch from Oprah Winfrey who gave a surprise speech at the Democratic National Convention. The celebrity talk-show host and businesswoman received the most raucous applause of Wednesday night’s festivities and ignited the crowd like none other of the evening. But it’s still unclear exactly what “freedom” the Democrats are talking about besides the ability to terminate your pregnancy up until birth. Yet even Oprah couldn’t make us forget the enduring awkwardness of Joe Biden being forced out of his reelection campaign. Who could help but raise their eyebrows when President Bill Clinton claimed that Biden had “voluntarily” relinquished power?

Chicago Even for someone used to the idea of mass media lies, the dichotomy between the way the 2024 DNC is depicted in mass media versus the way it feels in practical terms is astonishing. On camera and according to a host of commentators, this event in Chicago is one marked by joy, a vibe shift, the turning of the page, the passing of the torch, the way of the future. In person, it feels like an elderly boomer white lady tripping over her orthotics while wearing a Charli xcx shirt because she was trying to send a selfie to her twentysomething daughter. How do you do, fellow kids, don't you also enjoy James Taylor? The reason for this, when you consider the facts, is rather obvious: this is still a Joe Biden convention. It just has Kamala Harris layered over it.

Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris’s allies are leaning on social media influencers to push her campaign’s message, according to a pitch deck obtained by The Spectator. The League of Conservation Voters’s Harris DNC Organic Creator Campaign is anything but organic, it turns out. “Creators need to promote and uplift Kamala Harris’s record,” they are told. Suggested visuals lean heavily into the “brat summer” meme. “This can appear as at least one of the following: Mention Kamala Harris by name — either audio or text overlay Use Presidential imagery — e.g.

The Democratic National Convention Committee announced last month that it has issued the same credentials as traditional news outlets to over 200 content creators from TikTok, YouTube and other platforms for the August convention in Chicago. The creators will be able to use dedicated workspaces at Chicago’s United Center and have access to party surrogates. They will also be able to attend related events in Chicago, such as third party panel discussions, and capture content there. The RNC also offered credentials to some content creators last month. @DemConvention shared a clip on X featuring multiple different left-wing influencers/content creators planning on attending the convention announcing their attendance.