Even when the DNC is a mess, it’s portrayed in a positive light. How do I know? This has been happening since Joe Biden went downhill during his debate with Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party reminds me of the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends finally reach the Emerald City and discover that “the great and powerful Oz” is actually just an old man behind a curtain pretending to be an omniscient being.
“Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain,” Oz screams desperately, but to no avail.
When the Democratic National Convention meets on Monday, voters should do one thing: ignore the powerful messages and look behind them.
The organizers of the DNC will do everything they can to put on a good show. But this is just a facade. The Democratic Party is promoting terrible policies that will harm Americans.
Biden, Obama and Clinton, oh dear!
President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton are scheduled to speak Monday night. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are scheduled to speak Tuesday and Wednesday. Bill Clinton is scheduled to be followed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the nominee for vice president, and presidential candidate Kamala Harris will close the convention Thursday night.
By bringing the Clintons and Obama, the party’s most eloquent and charismatic former leaders, to the stage, the DNC is sending a not-so-subtle message: Vote for us, and this is what you’ll get.
But the Harris-Walz team has nothing to do with Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. In terms of content and politics, they are much worse.
Socialist politics: Harris’ economic plan promises voters affordable food and housing. Don’t fall for it.
In terms of charisma and style, they are nowhere near as adept as the previous presidents.
The DNC hopes the prominent Democratic headliners will serve as a distraction, creating enough nostalgia for Clinton and Obama that voters won’t realize that Harris and Walz are terrible.
Biden, Harris and Walz are a disaster
The past month has shown that the Democratic Party is a lying mess. Biden was pushed aside when it became clear that he could no longer run – and that he was on track to suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of former President Donald Trump.
Suddenly, without having participated in a single primary, Harris became the party’s nominee. The speed of Biden’s demise and Harris’s rise is unprecedented in the country’s modern political history. But Democrats pressed on because they had no time to question the legality of the process.
Harris then chose Walz, one of the most liberal governors of one of the most progressive states in the country. And together they smile and laugh the whole time, as if this is all normal and good for America.
But make no mistake. The Democrats have been dishonest about their mess from the start.
The Democratic Party’s ideas are also bad. The Harris-Walz team advocates far-left policies that may sound nice because they try to help the middle class and low-income households, but if implemented they would increase government spending, raise taxes, and hurt the finances of many Americans.
The media will target you too, just wait
Even when everything gets mixed up in the Democratic election campaign, the situation is presented in a positive light.
How do I know? This has been happening since Biden went downhill during the debate with Trump on June 27.
Without even an interview, Time magazine featured a drawing of Harris looking hopefully toward the sky on its cover, with the headline that it was “HER MOMENT.”
The headline on the cover of Essence is similarly submissive: “KAMALA HARRIS: PURPOSE, POWER AND FREEDOM.”
Now compare that to the media coverage of Trump. Here’s a recent headline from Vanity Fair magazine: “Does Anyone Even Know What Donald Trump Is Talking About?”
The difference in range is ridiculous.
I know Trump is terrible. But he is still better for America than Harris.
The way the media is being subservient to Harris reminds me of a line from the movie Gladiator after Commodus pulls off his coup and enters Rome on a chariot. “He enters Rome like a conquering hero,” Gracchus observes. “What has he conquered?”
In the America of 2024, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate does not have to accomplish anything or even agree to an interview to be celebrated as a leader.
The DNC will feature a cacophony of charismatic headliners, but behind the heavy curtain is a party in chaos trying to portray its candidates and left-wing policies as the solution to America’s problems.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four children. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox..
