Dems take early victory lap

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By SUZANNE LYNCH
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GREETINGS from Chicago, where thousands of Democrats from across the United States have descended on the Windy City for a four-day extravaganza culminating in Kamala Harris officially accepting her party’s presidential nomination on Thursday.
DEMOCRATS DESCEND: I’m Suzanne Lynch, author of Global Playbook, ruminating over one of the great philosophical questions of the age — which party to attend tonight, as Democrats delegates and thousands of political and media aficionados fan out across the city. 
TAKE YOUR PICK: From tonight’s post-gavel reception hosted by Congressman Jamie Raskin at Harry Carey’s Tavern in Navy Pier, to the Irish American Democrats’ party at the Gage restaurant owned by the legendary Chicago resident Billy Lawless, there’s something for everyone, though this evening’s hot ticket is undoubtedly musician John Legend’s performance at The Salt Shed, hosted by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. 
PROTEST UPDATE: Haunted by memories of the chaotic 1968 convention, when images of police brutalizing anti-war protesters were beamed across the world, officials in America’s third-largest city have spent months assuring delegates that they were prepared to handle large-scale demonstrations. Thousands of people have converged on the city to voice their concerns about the Joe Biden administration’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war, but the protests have been smaller than expected, so far.
HOME-COMING QUEEN: One of tonight’s star guests is Chicago native Michelle Obama, who will address delegates from the convention floor before her husband Barack Obama. Both have delivered some of the most memorable moments in convention history — the former first lady’s “when they go low, we go high” moment in 2012, and the former president’s breakout speech at the 2004 convention.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:  POLITICO will continue its program of interviews at the POLITICO-CNN grill in the United Center, with Pritzker and Democratic Strategist Anita Dunn among the top names (more details below). Yours truly will chair a panel discussion hosted by the National Democratic Institute and the EU Delegation to the United States shortly at 4 p.m. in McCormick Place. Panelists include Senator Chris Murphy and Representatives Gerry Connolly and Jim Costa.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES: A little over four weeks ago, Republicans were confidently eying victory in November’s election at their convention in Milwaukee. Now it’s Democrats’ turn to take an early victory lap. 
Game-changing: The parachuting-in of Harris to the top of the ticket has transformed the U.S. presidential race, leaving Republican Donald Trump on the back foot as he tries to define and combat his new opponent. 
Call the copy editors: A reminder of just how unlikely the switch-up was considered, the Democratic National Committee’s official party platform, the key policy blue-print for the party in election year, contains repeated references to Biden’s “second term” — Democrats say it was too late to change after it was rubber-stamped by delegates before Biden dropped out.
What the polls say: Harris has been gaining on Trump in the polls since moving to the top of the Democrat ticket, and now has a small advantage over him nationally and in most key battleground states — a dramatic reversal from Biden’s position before he abandoned his presidency. My colleague Steven Shepard has a full run-down here. 
Not all rosy: But Harris has vulnerabilities, not least the on economy. An ABC-Washington Post survey published on the eve of the convention put Trump nine points ahead of his rival when asked who they trust most to handle the economy and inflation. The vice president’s economic plan, laid out in a speech last Friday, has bombed in some quarters. Her campaign also confirmed Monday that she backs Biden’s plan to raise corporate tax to 28 percent from the current 21 percent rate, unnerving many businesses.
Breaking the glass ceiling: Nonetheless, the true believers gathered here in Chicago believe victory is within their grasp, with the crowds going wild when Harris made a surprise appearance on stage last night. “Something is happening in America. You can feel it.  Something we’ve worked for, and dreamed of, for a long time,” said Hillary Clinton as she electrified the room in a speech, predicting that Harris “is so close to breaking through” the glass ceiling.
Spring in the step: “We’re going to win, I’m very confident. I think the country is energized — obviously Democrats are — but the country is energized,” Representative Steny Hoyer told Global Playbook in an interview. “Biden was elected by over seven million votes because people connected with him, but they felt that he was not necessarily up to continuing. That may or not be right but that’s what they felt.”
Hoyer, a former House majority leader, said that Harris’ relative youth has injected a “new spirit” into the race. “The vice president has been part of an administration that has helped the country a great deal. I think she will continue that commitment to the people, whether it is health care, climate or education.”
BIDEN’S SWANSONG: Joe Biden took to the stage more than an hour late at the United Center last night, but the 47th president of the United States had his reasons to take his time. After an emotional exchange with his daughter Ashley who introduced him on stage, Biden lapped up the love as diligent volunteers darted throughout the arena distributing “We heart Joe” signs.
So long, Joe: “I love the job, but I love my country more,” Biden declared. “All this talk about how I’m angry at all those people who said I should step down. That’s not true,” the president said, the closest he came to acknowledging a sore spot — the pressure that came on him to stand aside from some of the most senior Democrats following his disastrous debate performance in June.
Passing the torch: Biden, who worked on the speech at Camp David over the weekend with some of his top advisers was careful to lay the ground for Harris, presenting her as his anointed successor as she looked on from a box in the area. “Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became the nominee, and it was the best decision I made my whole career,” he said, praising her intelligence and integrity. 
Moment in the sun: Biden left for a vacation in California shortly after coming off stage, leaving the Democratic party to focus on its future, not its past. Already today, it’s as if the party has already moved on, with delegates pumped for the appearance of Harris and her running mate Tim Walz later this week.
Tributes flow: But Biden’s 50-minute speech topped a day of accolades for the president, as figures from across the party came out to praise the president. Some of the most notable:
— Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Thank you Joe Biden for your leadership,” the 34-year-old New Yorker said during her speech on the convention stage, before making a passionate call for voters to embrace Kamala Harris. 
— Senator Bernie Sanders, in an interview with our own Ryan Lizza at the POLITICO-CNN grill, described Biden as “the most progressive president of the United States since Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” a reference to the inter-war president that introduced the New Deal. 
“Do I think Biden is a great campaigner? No, I don’t,” he said. “But I think he’s an excellent president.”
— Senator Chuck Schumer: “What he did is not just right and not just beautiful and not just patriotic, but courageous. … He is going to be regarded as a huge hero,” he said about Biden’s decision to step down. He also defended his own, and other senior Democrats’ handling of the affair, in his interview with Rachel Bade at the POLITICO-CNN grill. “It felt wrong to publicly say he should step down,” he said, arguing that Democrats were right to advise Biden privately — and not publicly — to withdraw. 
BATTLE OF THE BREAKFASTS: America is the land of the power-breakfast, so it’s not surprising that the real business is being done this week at the daily delegate breakfasts hosted by local Democratic branches at various hotels across the city. 
Rush hour at the Sheraton: It’s all happening at the Sheraton on the banks of the Chicago river, where competing breakfasts are taking place during the prime 7:30-9:30 a.m. slot. Upstairs, the states of Wisconsin, Maryland and New York are holding their daily meetings, next door to North Dakota and Oklahoma who have teamed up for their daily serving of home fries and bacon. Downstairs, Puerto Rico and Connecticut are holding court.
Shuttle diplomacy: The close proximity of events allows governors, state legislators and other Dem VIPs to shuttle between banquet halls to press the flesh and stand for the requisite selfies with fans. Vice-president hopeful Tim Walz has been one of the star attractions during the week, showing up unexpectedly at the Wisconsin breakfast and congressional Black caucus meeting Monday. His wife Gwen Walz also popped into the Illinois breakfast, before heading to Milwaukee today to campaign.
KEEPING IT GREEN: Chicago’s O’Hare Airport may have been bursting at the seams Sunday and Monday as thousands of delegates arrived for the convention, but some delegations are showing their climate-conscious credentials. The delegation from Mississippi travelled on an overnight train, while some of the Iowa group took an Amtrak east for the event. 
LOG JAM:  There were lots of disgruntled media representatives and delegates at the convention Monday after many were forced to stand in line for up to an hour in security queues. In marked contrast to the Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, which was logistically a smooth ride. 
Fire and Rain: Monday night’s convention went so over-time that organizers were forced to axe some speakers from the list — including singer-songwriter James Taylor, who had been spotted tuning up on stage earlier in the day during the rehearsal. As of Tuesday lunchtime, there was no confirmation if the six-time Grammy winner would get another slot on the convention floor.
The theme of day two is “a bold vision for America’s future.” Programming starts at 5:15 p.m. local time, with all 57 delegations due to officially nominate Kamala Harris as their candidate in the symbolic “roll call.” 
Reminder: last time around in 2020, the roll call was virtual due to covid, leading to some colorful video entries from across the country, including a masked chef in Rhode Island presenting a plate of calamari and Ohio Governor John Kasich, declaring that America is at a crossroads — while standing at an actual crossroads.
Among the speakers scheduled to take the stage tonight: former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker; second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
The CNN-POLITICO Grill also has a host of speakers throughout the day. Here’s a rundown:
— 3:00 p.m. Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
— 3:30 p.m. CT: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker 
— 4:30 p.m. CT: Democratic Strategist Anita Dunn
— 5:10 p.m. CT: NATO panel with U.K. Ambassador Karen Pierce, Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman and Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk
—5:30 p.m. CT: Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.) 
— 5:45 p.m. CT: Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) 
—6:05 p.m. CT: Representative Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) 
—6:30 p.m. CT: Colorado Governor Jared Polis
Other events:
— 4 p.m. EU Delegation to the United States and the National Democratic Institute. “Our democracy, our security: the EU-US alliance for a secure future.” McCormick Place South Building, grand ballroom B & C, followed by reception.
— 5:30 p.m. Munich Security Conference & Chicago Council on Global Affairs family & friends reception, The Hubbard Inn. 
— 5:30 p.m. Every town for gun safety host a “toast to gun violence prevention mayors” at Mayors Pub, United Center.
— 7 p.m. One Fair Wage hosts “Raise our spirits, raise the wage — a night of inspiration” at Greenwood Oasis, Greenwood Avenue. 
— 8 p.m. Center Stage, Third Way, and NewDEAL convention celebration, City Winery. 
— Global Playbook will be in your inbox Thursday and Friday morning at 7 a.m. CDT bringing you all the latest from the Democratic National Convention.
Thanks to editor Joe Stanley-Smith and producer Sasha Schroeder.
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