CHICAGO: The second night of the Democratic National Convention was full of special cultural moments. From Patti LaBelle singing “You Are My Friend” during the tribute portion of the program to Lil Jon making a surprise appearance during the convention’s roll call vote, the second night was brighter and more vibrant than the previous one.
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Former President Bernie Sanders delivered a scathing rebuke of billionaires, and the nation’s second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, shared affectionate anecdotes about his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, but the biggest moment of the night was a speech by former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle.
Barack Obama made the case that Vice President Harris is our next hope and blasted Trump’s dangerous and idiotic shenanigans that have been rampant for years. He exposed the Republican candidate for what he really is: “a 78-year-old billionaire who’s been whining about his problems ever since he got on that golden escalator nine years ago.”
The former president also joked about the anatomy of a crowd, holding his hands inches apart as he denounced Trump’s “childish nicknames, crazy conspiracy theories and strange obsession with crowd size.” Barack delivered his speech with his characteristic charm and poise, but when Michelle took the stage in front of him, she seemed to have more enthusiasm in her belly.
While her husband spoke smoothly about Trump’s political strategy, Michelle Obama was sharp in her comments about the racist attacks she and her husband had received from Trump, who had consistently questioned his nationality during his presidency.
“For years, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to make people fear us,” Michelle said. “His limited and narrow view of the world made people feel threatened by two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black.”
“What I want to know is, who is going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking may be one of those jobs that is just for black people?”
Michelle was referring to Trump’s recent comments about immigrants taking “black jobs.” Black Twitter erupted with user @acnewsitics tweeting, “This is what Michelle Obama has done to us all now!”, along with a GIF of a group of young black people losing their minds.
Imani Gandy, known as @AngryBlackLady, posted a tweet explaining how Michelle Obama tried to ignite her to take the noble path, while the well-known @KeithBoykin simply posted a quote from Michelle’s powerful speech.
The former first lady also strongly condemned Donald Trump’s actions, which she says have created a disturbing cult-like following.
“This is his usual con. The usual con. Piling on ugly, misogynistic and racist lies in place of real ideas and solutions that would actually make people’s lives better,” she said.
Finally, Michelle praised Harris for bringing empathy, compassion and a brighter future to America.
“Rather than venting anger and resentment, Kamala has demonstrated her loyalty to this country by living a life of service and always opening the doors of opportunity for others,” she said.
“[Harris] We understand that most of us will never have the benefit of learning from our mistakes. We will never have the benefit of affirmative action for intergenerational wealth.”