At the Democratic Convention, a Historic Nomination

I'm standing in a sea of people coming. out of this vast. convention and people are holding signs. smiling there's confetti everywhere. there are balloons uh white red and blue. and there's a lot of. excitement from The New York Times I'm. Sabrina tavernes and this is the daily. from inside the Democratic National. Convention. Hall where kamla Harris has just.

accepted her party's nomination becoming. the first woman of color in US history. to do. so today the story this convention told. about Harris and whether that story. could be enough to. win it's Friday August. [Music]. 23rd the work and prayers of. centuries have brought us to this day.

[Music]. what shall our leg our Legacy be what. will our children. say let me know in my heart when my days. are. through America America I gave my best. to. [Applause]. you on night one of the Democratic. National Convention the evening was. really defined by this very emotional. quite Bittersweet goodbye from President.

Biden and there's nothing we cannot do. when we do it. together God bless you all and may God. protect our. [Applause]. troops it was the closing of one chapter. so that another could begin it was kamla. Harris's. [Music]. moment so right now it's 7:40 we are on. the floor at the Democratic National.

Convention it is a crazy party. atmosphere which is like a massive. understatement day two kicked off with. delegates gathering on the convention. floor casting their votes in a kind of. symbolic way to make Harris the party's. nominee this giant Festival of Lights. people in cowboy hats people with. blinking bracelets people with Christmas. lights wrapped around their hats Heads. Shoulders people wearing donkey hats I. mean it's very very very celebratory in.

hearing we need to see that we're moving. on WE turning a chapter in America how. do you feel right now awesome excitement. energized ready to win this election I. love it I love it I love it people are. just excited electrified and they're. just loving it and they're happy this. has been the most electrifying event. I've ever attended in my life it's my. first convention but what a convention. to come for right to make history right.

now as we charge forward to November 5th. to elect the first female black. president I'm. excited so with Harris now the nominee a. new campaign slogan appeared everywhere. and that was a new way forward but in a. campaign that's just 4 weeks old it was. really an open question what a new way. forward actually meant we're not going. back.

and then over the course of the week as. Speaker after speaker took the stage we. started to get an. answer the story of forward would be. told through the story of comma Harris. herself and the question hanging over. the week was really whether that story. could appeal to a broad majority of. Americans voters outside of the. convention hall who will ultimately. decide the.

[Music]. election aad welcome to the show thank. you for having me I think again the. second time in a week and I very excited. for it me too so estad we had you on the. show on Monday to answer a question for. us that I think a lot of people have. which is who is KLA Harris and you ended. that conversation by saying that the. Democrat ratic party also recognizes.

this reality that for a lot of people. she is still this sort of unknown. quantity and that the party had a big. task here at the convention this week. which was to find a way to finally tell. her story does seem like they've tried. to do that so let's walk through the. case that they're making for her and and. what you've seen here in your reporting. for your show the runup yeah I mean I. think that the Democrats have definitely. laid out a case for her as a candidate. but also a story for her as a person.

they have leaned into the different. parts of her biography to really follow. through on what I think is the best. version of her Campaign which is a. little bit for everybody there is a. story there about you know more moderate. legislation of pieces of kind of. progressive history there's different. parts of her bio that speak to you know. black communities immigrant communities. you know of course the historic nature. of her gender and the roles like that. and I really think it has followed. through on kind of what I expected for. this week which is that she seems to.

function politically as a mirror of some. sort where the party wants to position. her as someone who basically no matter. what you're looking for in your terms of. a vessel to beat Donald Trump you can. find it in this candidate so let's dig. into that more where did the convention. start that story hello. Democrats yeah I think it really starts. in her personal biography and I'm here. tonight to tell you all about the kamla. Harris that I know they have told a.

story that she often tells about her. being a first generation American mother. moved here from India at being a. daughter of an immigrant mother who. really raised two daughters in the Bay. Area from kind of working class roots. and that's been a real thing that. they've tried to own kamla was not born. into. privilege she had to work for what she's. got when she was young she worked at. McDonald's they talk about her working. at McDonald's in college and she greeted. every person with that a thousand watt.

smile and said how can I help you I. think it's overall about trying to. present this as someone who pulled thems. up by bootstraps represents an American. dream and I think for Democrats it. really returns them back to the place. they want to be Democrats like thinking. of themselves as a party who appeals to. the diversity of America both in racial. ways and gender ways but also in class. ways in KLA Harris we have a chance to. elect a president who is for the middle. class because she is from the middle.

class and I think they used other parts. of her identity specifically thinking. about being the first black woman to. accept a major party's nomination we. know folks are going to do everything. they can to distort her truth and I. think Michelle Obama speech specifically. spoke to the power and anxiety that. sometimes that identity can bring my. husband and I sadly know a little. something about. this for years Donald Trump Trump did.

everything in his power to try to make. people fear. us see his his limited narrow view of. the world made him feel threatened by. the existence of two hardwork and highly. educated successful people who happen to. be black and I would also say that it. was an implicit response to what. Republicans and others have been trying. to say talking about KLA Harris as a Dei. hire someone who was only in their. position because of their identity but. the way that Melle Obama framed it was.

that those identities have power I I I. want to. know I want to know who's going to tell. him who's going to tell him that the job. he's currently seeking might just be one. of those black. jobs just because someone the first to. be in a position does not mean that that. is the only reason in the position but. it also doesn't make those identities. meaningless the fact that she is a black. woman should be seen as a strength not. as a weakness is there a risk to that.

though I mean you know by openly talking. about race is there a risk that goes too. far and begins to alienate voters. outside the convention out in the world. who you know they need to win in. November um I mean there's always a risk. but I don't really think so Democrats. have had increasing trouble with black. voters there's been a downturn in Black. vote share all the way dating back to. 2012 right and Biden's now suspended. candidacy that was one of the things. driving his polling weaknesses was kind. of tet reception from black folders you.

know a pitch to them is something that. is a upside of the comma Harris campaign. and the hope that they could consolidate. that Community is where any Democratic. nominee needs to be as a. baseline we both got our start as young. lawyers helping children who were abused. and neglected one thing I noticed that. came up a lot during the speeches was. her background as a prosecutor how did. the party present that part of her. biography as a prosecutor KLA stood up. for children who had been victims of.

sexual abuse she put rapists child. molesters and murderers Behind Bars they. talk about it in the way that I think. fuels what they want to say is the. reason she can take on Trump that this. is someone who has stood up to bullies. before who's not going to be intimidated. easily and comma is as tough as it comes. who's tough and who doesn't Sher away. from a challenge and she knows the best. way to deal with a coward is to take him. head on because we all know cowards are.

weak and KLA Harris can smell weakness I. think all of that adds up to say you can. trust this person to go up against. Donald Trump you can trust this person. to go up against the Republican party. because she's not someone who is scared. she never runs from a fight a woman a. fierce woman. for the. people but then of course we heard about. another side of K Harris a more personal.

side hello yeah and I think this is the. part of K Harris where I think was kind. of most missing in the presidential run. frankly it's the part that she keeps. most private she is a warm family member. and friend hello to my big beautiful. blended family up. there and I think with the speech from. her husband did was really show and lay. that out I got married became a dad to. col. Ella unfortunately went through a.

divorce but eventually started worrying. about how I would make it all work and. that's when something unexpected. happened I ended up with kamla Harris's. phone. number he talks about the kind of. awkwardness of their first interaction I. got koo's voicemail and I just. started. rambling hey it's Doug. and I think you have a real kind of.

sense of their genuine connection to one. another by the way KLA saved that. voicemail and she makes me listen to it. on every. anniversary like yes this is someone who. is tough who is taking on corporations. and cartels and all of that stuff by day. but someone who also makes a point to. cook Sunday dinner for family every week. and she makes a mean brisket for. Passover and make sure to go close to.

his kids and it's very close with her. family that's comma she's always been. there for our children and I know she'll. always be there for yours. too you know going back to the last time. the Democratic party nominated a woman. Hillary Clinton she had presented. herself in a very different way right. she was like kind of ran away from that. stuff she was saying you know I don't. bake cookies that's not what I do I'm. kind of out there with the men fighting. and this Con ion and this candidate.

Harris is very different she's a newer. generation and she can do her career and. baked cookies those things are not in. Conflict this is like a different type. of woman leader you know this week we. talked to Senator Elizabeth waren on the. runup and one of the things that she. mentioned was she feels that there's. been a big change from 2016 even 2020 to. now not just the amount of women in. public office but she said they don't. have to choose between sides of. themselves and I think that's what means.

right like of course KLA Harris can be a. tough politician and also bake cookies. Hillary Clinton did that too it was just. that she was told that that was not the. way that she had to present herself what. KLA Harris is is benefiting from is. there's a greater space an ability to. choose multiple things at once and so. particularly if others are going to talk. more directly about gender or race or. other things that kind of frees her from. having the burden of doing that herself. and in fact Hillary Clinton herself did. speak of course on day one one she. talked about that glass ceiling in the.

history that has led to now including. her own experience in 2016 yeah I. thought the Hillary Clinton speech was. really powerful I think a lot of the. speakers put this moment in kind of. historical context both politically and. personally you know my mother Dorothy. was born right here in Chicago before. women had the right to. vote that changed. 104 years ago yesterday.

and since that day every generation has. carried the torch forward in. 1972 a Fearless black congresswoman. named Charley. Chisum she ran for president in. 1984 I brought my daughter to see. Geraldine Ferraro the first woman. nominated for Vice president and then.

there was 2016 when it was the honor of. my life to accept our party's nomination. for. president the last time I was here in my. hometown was to memorialize my. mother the woman who showed me the power. of my own voice my mother volunteered at. the local school I'm the proud. granddaughter of a house housekeeper.

Sarah. Daisy who raised her three children in a. one-bedroom. apartment it was her dream to work in. government to help people my. grandmother the woman who helped raised. me as a child little old white lady born. in a tiny town called Peru. Kansas I want to talk now about somebody. who's not with us tonight Tessy Pros. Williams was born in New Orleans not.

long after the Supreme Court ruled that. segregated Public Schools were. unconstitutional that was in 1954 same. year I was born parents pull their kids. out of the school there was a way that I. think the candidacy and the person was. placed in a long Legacy both about. gender identity and racial identity that. kind of teed up this Thursday as a. culminating moment both politically and. I think in a broad hisorical cont.

together we put a lot of cracks in the. highest hardest glass. ceiling and you know what on the other. side of that glass ceiling is kamla. Harris raising your hand and taking the. oath of office as our 47 president of. the United. States I wish my mother and kamla's. mother could see us they would say keep.

going shley and Jerry would say keep. [Applause]. [Music]. going I think you could do a lot to set. up a candidate to be in a good position. like all of this stuff adds up to some. part of the puzzle but the biggest piece. is the candidate themselves at the end.

of the day they have to close the deal. and I think this moment is her chance to. tell her own story in a way that. sometimes she has not decided to and. that's still with this whole convention. success and failure will ride. on so we're going to watch tonight we're. going to watch with our colleague Reed. Epstein and you are going to have a. great episode of the runup on Friday we. will all be tuning in thank you I. appreciate you doing this now really. thanks a lot estad.

are you a delegate oh. yes sorry we caught you mid French pie. eating what's your feeling about kamla. and kind of what her story has been are. you getting to know her this week are. there things you've learned about her. this week yeah I'm learning more and. more as we go along the more and more I. learn about her the more I'm impressed. with her I mean she worked at McDonald's. when she was going to college to try to.

pay her way through her very small. Beginnings not a trust fun baby type of. thing I relate to that like I was on. food stamps this year you know so it's. like if she can do it with that. background it gives everybody. hope Hillary was my girl when Hillary. ran I championed her as well but I. didn't feel this way as I feel about um. Harris I'm like do I want to run for. office if she can do it I can she looks.

just like me right she represents she. works at McDonald's she PID for every. it's relatable and that's what everybody. needs. so we're going to break that class. ceiling and getting tees te in my eyes. and it just means so much you know to be. [Music]. inclusive what does it mean to you that. KLA is a woman what does it mean to you.

that she's a black woman oh to have a. black woman become the president of the. United States and for her to have turned. the world upside down in 30 days to know. that I'm in the midst of this miraculous. history is. phenomenal one delegate who really stood. out to us was Beverly Hatcher a. 76-year-old black woman from Texas I was. raised by a.

wonderful Baptist mama I just lost her. but I am who I am because of my mother. we were always. pushed to do whatever we wanted to. do I'll never forget I wanted to be a. majorette I taught myself because we had. no money for uh what is it called. lessons and a majorette is like the.

Baton twirler right yes yeah and when I. did finally try out in my 11th grade I. won right off and my classmates who were. predominantly white as years have gone. by have told me at class reunions and. stuff Beverly the Sleepy town of. Wellington woke up oh my God we got a. black girl getting ready to be the head.

majorette. but it happened. because I had the drive and the will my. mother and my family stood behind me and. um didn't miss a parade or a football. game or a basketball game and you see. that in Harris. yeah Beverly what would your mom say if. she saw this.

my sisters have been telling me every. day how how proud my mom is and I'm just. happy. to I'm happy to make her. happy yeah we we. women who have had. mothers like. kamla like. Michelle I remember. Hillary's.

mother we women value their. strength and their. wisdom and we're just glad that they. gave us a legacy to pass it. on thank you. [Music].

we'll be right. back weed hello. hello. okay kamla Harris just wrapped up her. acceptance speech before we talk about. what she said in the case she presented. tell us how her campaign was thinking. about the stakes of this moment you know. Sabrina this evening was one of two. opportunities ities along with the.

debate next month for her to speak to. tens of millions of people at once and. so for that the stakes were really high. you know her goal was to present herself. as a serious person and a serious. candidate who was not the candidate who. flamed out in 2019 or the unsteady vice. president from the beginning of her term. she had to show that she has a gravitas. to be the commanderin-chief the. political aptitude to reach out to the. middle and also to progressives in her.

party all at the same time so a very. tall. order tell us how she went about doing. that good evening. everyone good evening well she started. talking around 9:30 Chicago time to a. packed United Center with 14 or 15,000. people many many wearing all white the. color of the suffragettes a color that.

makes a statement just by wearing it and. when Harris took the. stage they erupted in a cheer that. forced her for a couple minutes to wait. before she could start talking thank you. okay let's get to business let's get to. business all right and what did she. finally say when she started talking you. know she told the story of her life the. path that led me here in recent weeks. was no doubt unexpected. but I'm no stranger to unlikely.

Journeys. so my mother our mother shamala Harris. had one of her own and I miss her every. day and especially right now she talked. about the influence of her mother who. raised her and her sister and she also. taught us and never do anything half. asked and that is a direct. quote she spoke about her family's. humble beginnings in Oakland before she. could finally afford to buy a home she.

rented a small apartment in the East Bay. then she started talking about her. career as a. prosecutor in the courtroom I stood. proudly before a judge and I said five. words she brought back one of the lines. that she used in her 2020 campaign about. how when she stood up in a courtroom she. began with the same words kamla Harris. for the people. and she said she would bring that same.

philosophy to the White House that she. was not working for specific individuals. but for the people at large and so on. behalf of the people eventually she did. a big windup to formally accepting the. nomination on behalf of every American. regardless of party race gender or the. language your grandmother speaks and. listed the people on whose behalf she.

did so on behalf of everyone whose story. could only be written in the greatest. nation on Earth it was really a kind of. a feat of speechwriting to build up to. this big emotional moment I accept your. nomination to be president of the United. States of America. and what did you make of that how she.

was doing it you know it was building up. this speech to be a serious political. document and present her as a serious. figure in this moment and so she still. has to prove to people that. she is capable of being the. commanderin-chief and running the. country and how does she try to prove. that she's capable of that of of being a. commanderin-chief. you know what she did was try to draw.

the distinction between herself and. Donald Trump in many ways Donald Trump. is an unserious. man but the. consequences but the consequences of. putting Donald Trump back in the White. House are extremely. serious and she warns that Trump would. not have guardrails on him if he were. elected to a second term just imagine in. Donald Trump with no guard.

rails and how he would use the immense. powers of the presidency of the United. States not to improve your life not to. strengthen our national security but to. serve the only client he has ever had. himself.

the speech was very cleare eyed about. the sakes of the. election they know Trump won't hold. autocrats accountable because he wants. to be an autocrat. himself there was a whole section in the. middle of the speech where she ticked. through you know one by one a whole. series of warnings about things that. Trump would do to the country if he were. back in the White House get this he. plans to create a national anti-abortion.

coordinator and force states to report. on women's miscarriages and. abortions simply put they are out of. their. minds what else stuck out to. you you know it was remarkable the. section of the speech where she talked. about Gaza president President Biden and. I are working around the clock because.

now is the time to get a hostage deal. and a ceasefire deal. done she did not Veer too far to the. left I will always stand up for Israel's. right to defend itself you know she. managed to say things that would be. appealing to both sides President Biden. and I are working to end this war such. that Israel is secure the hostages are.

released the suffering in Gaza ends and. the Palestinian people can realize their. right to dignity security freedom and. self-determination it was a remarkable. moment to hear the arena erupt at the. end of that section to hear her support. for both the Israelis and the. Palestinians. reveal that kind of.

enthusiasm you know after the party has. been really ripped apart for months. about how to handle the. situation fellow. Americans I I love our country with all. my heart you know she ended the speech. with a pay on to patriotism we are the. hirs to the greatest democracy. in the history of the.

world she Dove headlong into the. American exceptionalism argument that is. native to Republicans and to older. generations of politicians like Joe. Biden it is now our turn to do what. Generations before us have done Guided. by optimism and Faith to fight for this. country we love to fight but is not.

something you always hear from younger. Democrats who are a little less. comfortable with some of the flag waving. let's vote for it and together let us. write the next great chapter in the most. extraordinary Story Ever. Told thank you God bless you and may God. bless the United States of America thank. you all.

she seemed to really be taking aim at. this criticism of her which is that. she's you know this radical California. liberal and she can't be trusted with. the keys to the country I mean that was. one of the tasks that she had tonight. was to make the argument particularly. the voters in the middle the Suburban. voters that used to vote for Republicans. but have been repelled by Trump and. driven to Democrats. in the last several years that they can.

vote for her without worrying that she's. some kind of sort of Bernie Sanders. acolyte you know and some of that is. based on the way she ran her last. presidential campaign some of it frankly. is because she's a black woman from. California and that the voters who will. determine this election are you know. voters in less diverse States for the. most part so we stepping back here you. know it feels worth remembering just.

where we were at the end of the. Republican National Convention that was. you know just over a month ago things. couldn't have felt more different the. GOP was on top of the world while the. Democrats were in disarray over Biden's. refusal to leave the race and now here. we are and it feels like things couldn't. be better for the Democrats at lead. that's the feeling I'm having coming out. of this convention I mean the whole race. has turned upside down from where it was. when we left Milwaukee and Democrats are.

upbeat they are confident it is a party. that is remarkably United behind their. candidate but you have to remember this. election will be very close it is indeed. a game of inches in the key Battleground. States and what she was trying to do was. to present herself as someone who can be. trusted as. commander-in-chief to win over the tiny. slices of the electorate that will. determine the winner in places like.

Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania. Georgia and Arizona and those are the. states that will determine the. election and they have made a calculated. decision that those voters needed to see. her as a commander-in-chief something. they had not seen from her before and we. will see in the coming days and weeks. whether she's accomplished that in a way. that brings enough of those people on. board for her to win a term as.

[Music]. precedent Reed thank you thank you. [Music]. Sabrina we'll be right. back here's what else you should know. today. on Thursday the Supreme Court allowed.

Arizona Republicans for now to impose. tougher voting requirements including a. new rule that people registering to vote. there before the coming election must. show proof of. citizenship as a result arizonans newly. registering to vote for this year's. presidential election must provide. copies of one of several documents such. as a birth certificate or a passport in. order to prove that they are US citizens. Democrats have denounced the new rule as.

an attempt to prevent legal immigrants. from. voting and US Health officials have. approved the latest slate of annual. covid vaccines clearing the way for. Americans 6 months and older to receive. updated shots in the coming days the. approvals come amid a prolonged surge of. covid infections which have risen all. summer. remember to catch a new episode of the.

interview right here tomorrow this week. Lulu Garcia Navaro talks with Jenna. Ortega the star of the Netflix series. Wednesday and the new Beetlejuice sequel. about her heads spinning success over. the past few years one day I I just I. woke up in somebody else's shoes I felt. like I had entered somebody else's life. and like I didn't know how to get back. to mine. today's episode was produced by Lindsay.

Garrison Rob zipco Jessica Chung ASA chv. and Shannon Lynn it was edited by Rachel. quer contains original music by Rowan. Nimo Dan Powell Diane Wong and Maran. Lozano and was engineered by Chris Wood. our theme music is by Jim runberg and. Ben Lanser of wonderly.

[Music]. that's it for the daily I'm Sabrina. Tavern see you on Monday. [Music].