There were a number of excellent highlights from night four of the Democratic convention which I thought was the strongest of all of them, as it should be. Considering what they were up against I think the producers did a great job. Maybe we’re all used to zoom calls and watching people talk from their living rooms so it didn’t seem strange. But it felt more intimate than they normally do and when it comes to politics, the less abstract the better.
This is not a time for a bunch of screaming and cheering in funny hats. The intimate, virtual approach worked.
And they did some excellent videos, like this one that introduced Biden:
I don’t know who wrote it but it was really good, well paced, thematic and inspirational. The direction was well done as well, with the camera very slowly moving to a big close up as the speech built to a crescendo.
And Biden delivered it perfectly:
Earlier they did a zoom meeting of most of the primary candidates that was kind of fun. But I think it was Bernie Sanders who used the one word to describe Biden that is most potent in this election and it isn’t “empathy.” He said Biden is honest. Nothing is more important right now.
Biden came out and said we can handle the truth. And like Obama the night before, he laid it out: our democracy is at stake and it’s really, really serious. Throughout these last three years, I have had to question my sanity, wondering if what I was observing was actually happening. Seeing Democratic leaders as concerned as I am and sharing that with the whole country at their convention is reassuring. At least I’m not crazy.