I'm so glad we went from "when they go low, we go high" to "girl, hold my earrings while I drag this weird MF." ~ Angry Staffer
Former first lady Michelle Obama, who has been mostly absent from the political spotlight since leaving the White House, told Democrats that "hope is making a comeback."
She took the stage to huge applause.
"Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn't it?" she said. "We're feeling it here in this arena, but it's spreading all across this country we love. A familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for too long. You know what I'm talking about? It's the contagious power of hope!"
Obama has spoken at every convention since 2008, when her husband was first nominated. Eight years later, she delivered her memorable line, "When they go low, we go high." In her 2020 speech, she said then-President Trump "is clearly in over his head" and "cannot meet this moment."
On Tuesday, she sought to contrast Harris and Trump throughout her speech, while only mentioning the former president by name once.
"Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others, she understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward," Obama said.
She touted Harris "as more than ready for this moment," calling her "one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency."
But she also warned Democrats about becoming complacent, urging the party to remain united and saying they still have work to do to win in November.
"No matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is still going to be an uphill battle, so we cannot be our own worst enemies. No, the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, we cannot start wringing our hands," Obama said. "We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected."
She closed her speech with a call and response with the refrain "do something."
"It's up to us to remember what Kamala's mother told her: Don't just sit around and complain — do something," she said. "So if they lie about her, and they will, we've got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we've got to put down that phone and do something."
She continued: "So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you — no, I'm telling y'all — to do something!"
Michelle doing all she can to make sure Melania doesn't plagiarize this speech. ~ David Itzkoff
Republicans can never ever be this cool, this diverse, so joyful, so American." ~ HawaiiDeliah
Obama Didn't. No Way. Yes, He Did!
Former President Barack Obama sent the crowd at the Democratic National Convention into a fit of laughter when he made a not-so-subtle penis joke at the expense of former President Donald Trump. It wasn't so much the words as it was Obama's hand gestures that removed any doubt as to what he was getting at.
Kamala Harris is in two states tonight: Wisconsin and Illinois. Donald Trump is in two states too: denial and depression." ~ Ellen Kurz
Kamala's husband's ex-wife is supporting her more enthusiastically than Trump's current wife is supporting him. ~ Ben Wexler
Because I don't want to steal everything, there's a LOT more here…