The Obamas are campaigning for Kamala Harris • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

CHICAGO — As in his first speech at a Democratic convention 20 years ago, former President Barack Obama emphasized the solidarity of Americans and called for a more positive climate in the country on the second night of this year's convention on Tuesday. At the same time, he called on Democrats to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Speaking at a convention at the United Center in her hometown, Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke immediately before the former president, made occasional references to the 2008 and 2012 White House elections, which Obama won, in their arguments for Harris.

“America, hope is returning,” said Michelle Obama, referring to the slogan of her husband’s 2008 election campaign and linking it to Harris.

The energy among Democrats since Harris became a presidential candidate a month ago could be described as “the contagious power of hope,” she said.

The pair also criticized former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, portraying him as a man of division and calling on voters to reject him in favor of a more inclusive nation.

“Donald Trump wants us to believe that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them,” said Barack Obama. “Between the real Americans, who of course support him, and the outsiders who don't.”

He called on the Americans to abandon this position.

In their response, Republicans also tried to link Harris to Obama.

“The Democrats want to evoke memories of 2008,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a written statement. “But this is not Barack Obama's Democratic Party – Kamala Harris is even more dangerously liberal.”

Michelle Obama's changed tone

In contrast to her convention speeches eight and four years ago, when she called on Democrats to act morally in response to Trump's attacks, Michelle Obama struck a much more confrontational tone toward the Republican candidate on Tuesday evening.

“Who tells him that the job he's currently looking for might be one of those black jobs?” she said, alluding to a Trump remark that immigrants would fill “black jobs.”

Harris would be the second black president after Obama.

Previously, the former First Lady had contrasted Trump and Harris with veiled sideswipes.

Harris “understands that most of us will never be given the grace to fail forward,” she said. “We will never benefit from the positive discrimination of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a company or drown in a crisis, we don't get a second, third or fourth chance.”

Some Republicans referred to Harris, a black and South Asian woman, as a “DEI employee,” implying that her race and gender were more important than her career and character traits. Trump inherited a fortune from his father, who was also a real estate developer.

Trump was responsible for bankrupt companies even before he entered politics. And Democrats accuse him of botching the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barack Obama also attacked Trump, calling him “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he stepped off his golden escalator” when announcing his candidacy for president in 2016.

Trump alternative

Both Obamas said Harris was a strong alternative to Trump.

Although she was not born into privilege like Trump, she has the empathy he lacks, said Barack Obama.

“In other words, Kamala Harris will not focus on her own problems,” he said. “She will focus on yours.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris's running mate, also provides a counterweight to Trump, Obama said, adding that he appreciates Walz's authentic Midwestern personality.

Both Obamas called on Democrats to work hard to support Harris' cause in the 11 weeks leading up to Election Day.

Michelle Obama made “Do something” a refrain in her speech.

“You know what we have to do,” the former first lady said. “Michelle Obama is asking you – no, I'm telling you all – to do something. This election is going to be close. In some states, just a handful of votes in each district could determine the winner.”

Tribute to Biden

Barack Obama dedicated the first part of his half-hour speech to honoring his Vice President, President Joe Biden.

Biden led the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic and initiated a strong economic recovery while reducing health care costs, Obama said.

And Biden deserves credit for sacrificing his political ambitions by withdrawing from the re-election race, he said.

“At a time when the other party had become a personality cult, we needed a leader who would stand firm, bring people together, and be selfless enough to do that rarest thing in politics: put his own ambitions aside for the good of the country,” Obama said. “History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a time of great peril.”

He nodded as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe.”

Appeal for unity

Both Obamas repeated slogans from campaigns in which his name was on the ballot and from his presidency, trying to link their historic election victory to Harris' campaign.

“On health care reform, we should all be proud of the progress we've made with the Affordable Care Act,” said Barack Obama, referring to the most important health care law he championed during his first term. “I've noticed, by the way, that since it became popular, it's no longer called Obamacare.”

Harris “knows we can't stop here,” he continued, and will work to reduce drug costs.

He also called on Americans to focus on common ties.

“The bonds that bind us together are still there,” he said. “We still coach Little League and take care of our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches, mosques, synagogues and temples.”

In his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Obama also invoked the Little League to emphasize national unity.

“The vast majority of us do not want to live in such a bitter and divided country,” he said on Tuesday. “We want something better. We want to be better.”

The excitement surrounding Harris' campaign shows that this is a popular idea, he added.

He concluded his speech by referring to Abraham Lincoln, the first president nominated at a party convention in Chicago and elected during a period of intense division in American history.

“I believe that this is what we long for more than any policy or program: a return to an America where we work together and look out for one another, a restoration of what Lincoln called 'our bonds of affection' on the eve of the Civil War, when America uses what he called 'the better angels of our nature,'” he said. “That is what this election is about.”