The Central Times is sending two journalists daily to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from Aug. 19-22. This was made possible by the Illinois Journalism Education Association. Each day, a reporter will be publishing a diary entry recounting their experiences from the convention. Read more of our coverage from the DNC at centraltimes.org.
9:16
Jay and I hopped on our train to Union Station in Chicago, beginning our day of reporting. On the ride there, I compiled quotes from yesterday’s reporting, including interviews with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
10:30
We arrived at Union station, ate brunch and published my story on Red & White Night. From there, we split up, traveling to our respective interviews and events. I walked to the Fairmont Hotel for an interview with Paul Harper, a delegate from Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District.
12:20
I interviewed Harper, where he compared Biden dropping out of the race to George Washington. “Our first President could have stayed in office more than two terms; he set his ambition aside and retired. We have another President now who does an act of selflessness and puts his ambition aside to let the country move forward.”
2:00
I met back up with Jay to design our Instagram post from the previous day and plan out the rest of the convention, mapping out our course of action for the United Center. I also bought a hat from the Harris campaign since my parents had begged me to get a wearable souvenir.
3:45
Jay, Carlson and I left for the United Center, where the night’s main speakers were held. We stopped outside the entrance gate where we were interviewed by NCTV17 for a story they’re writing about our experience as student journalists at the DNC.
4:30
After arriving at the United Center, I staked out a place on Media Row, home to the “blue carpet” that welcomes many famous politicians to the convention at the VIP entrance. I interviewed Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, among others.
7:40
I left Media Row to take a seat in the 300s-level unassigned press section of the arena. I watched and photographed speeches from the likes of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Kelly emphasized his military background and Harris’ position on the Senate intelligence committee. Kinzinger made the case that Trump goes against the conservative values of “standing up for our constitution and our democracy,” also highlighting his pro-America military background. At one point, over a dozen Democratic congressmen who had served in the military walked on stage to a standing ovation, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who received a Purple Heart after losing both her legs in Iraq. Overall, the speakers made a clear and concerted effort to portray the Democrats as the true party of American patriotism.
9:30
Vice President Kamala Harris ended the night with her acceptance speech. The audience, as expected, was absolutely ecstatic. In it, she outlined some of her policy platform which had largely remained secret until this point—tax cuts for the middle class, passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act and the Bipartisan Border Security Bill. Harris also outlined her position on the ongoing conflict in Israel, a carefully-crafted proposal seeking to appease as many members of the divided party as possible. It was overwhelmingly pro-Israel—including continued defense spending to Israel supporting its “right to defend itself” and not once condemning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the notable caveat that Palestinians have the “right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.” Through it all, the United Center was electric.
11:32
After taking the L back to Union Station (and walking a good bit because we got off a stop too early), we boarded our train home to compile quotes from the day’s reporting and edit photos, thus concluding the fourth and final chapter in our DNC Diary.
