On Politics

Tue Aug 20 2024

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Happy Tuesday! That's what day it is, right? I'm Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. I've been running around Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, which is on Day 2. Questions or comments, send them to rdmorin@usatoday.com .

21 days until the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. 76 days until Election Day.

How Barack Obama and Kamala Harris' campaigns compare

Forward. It was a simple slogan that helped catapult former President Barack Obama, who's headlining Tuesday's primetime speakers, to the White House. And it's a message that is resonating throughout the convention this week. We are seeing a lot of similarities to Obama's campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign – from pop stars, massive crowds and the history being made. But how do their campaigns compare? Read more.

It's not just the Harris campaign that is looking "forward." It's Democrats as a whole. Remember, Biden passed the torch last night. This morning, I attended a breakfast with advocates from progressive orgs like Dream.org, which focuses on criminal justice reform, and NextGen America, where that was very much the theme.

•	Reps. Maxwell Frost, D-Fl., who is the youngest member of Congress, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke at the event.
•	Ocasio-Cortez during her remarks talked about the future of the Democratic Party, saying there is now a "generational shift" after Biden passed the torch Monday.
•	"We get to define what this next chapter is going to be. And to me, this next chapter is going to be feminist. It's going to be multiracial," Ocasio-Cortez said.

A politics pit stop

•	Why are there so many empty seats at the DNC?
•	'He's just, like, an old guy': Gen Z Democrats laugh at Donald Trump-Taylor Swift AI drama
•	Day 1 of the DNC: Joe Biden's goodbye, Gaza ceasefire protests swarm Chicago streets
•	Biden wanted his Democratic convention speech to be a launchpad. It became his swan song.
•	Why didn't James Taylor perform at the DNC Monday night in Chicago?

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Merchapalooza

What am I seeing? Well, a lot of vendors were quick to line up near the prime locations of the Democratic national convention. Have any political swag or merch that you would like me to feature in the newsletter? Send it to rdmorin@usatoday.com.