The Democratic National Convention is well underway in Chicago. Beyond the bright lights and glamor of the convention floor, what does the DNC mean for working people in this city, and how do workers articulate the stakes of this election? The Real News takes a detour from the convention floor to speak with everyday Chicagoans about their feelings about the DNC.
Studio: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino, Kayla Rivara
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino, David Hebden
Transcript
Maximillian Alvarez: We’re here in downtown Chicago, just off Michigan Avenue, in the shadow of the historic Wrigley Building. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 20, and as of last night, the 2024 Democratic National Convention is officially off and running.
For the next three days, the party will be convening in the United Center on the west side of town, rallying behind the party’s new nominee, Kamala Harris, and preparing to take on Donald Trump in the general elections in November.
But we wanted to come down here to talk to everyday Chicagoans about how they’re feeling about the convention and what matters most to them this election season.
Speaker 1: I’m really excited the DNC is here. Actually, I had no idea they were going to be here. I figured out when the traffic was really bad. But I also just saw Malia Obama, I think. So, as someone who considers myself very progressive and liberal, I’m just very happy to be able to live in a town in the future that holds the same ideals as me. And the fact that we can hold a convention like this is just really important to me.
Maximillian Alvarez: Awesome. And as a young person headed off to Chicago for college — congratulations, by the way — Are there issues that really matter to you that you feel are truly at stake in this election right now?
Speaker 1: Definitely women’s reproductive rights. The fact that that could be even taken away is just crazy to me. And I really think that it’s so, so important that we protect that and make sure that a nationwide ban is not even possible. And I really, really like where the Democrats stand on this issue. So, yeah.
Speaker 2: I’m not actually out here for the DNC. I was actually out here to bring my daughter to just take a look at her future college that she’s going to in about a month. And when we were booking the flights, we found out, oh, wow, it’s going to be Michelle Obama, and a host of other Democrats are going to be here hosting a DNC. So, it ended up being a twofer, but I’m actually happy that I’m here and actually able to be in the city during this time. I think it’s pretty exciting.
Speaker 3: It’s been fantastic. First of all, I grew up here, even though I’m the Oregon attorney general. I actually grew up in Evanston, and my family is very connected to the city. So, just being here is wonderful. It’s a fantastic place to have a convention. The weather is amazing. Last night was incredible. It took a while to get into the building. I’d say that’s the downside so far, but it was well worth it. It’s been amazing.
I was attorney general with Kamala Harris for three years, so we crossed paths back from 2012 to ’15. So, I’m really excited about having one of our own, now vice president, and, hopefully, our next president.
Maximillian Alvarez: And can I ask, we were in a very different position a month ago, and so, do you feel like there’s a really noticeable change inside the convention and within the party right now?
Speaker 3: Well, definitely, there’s a buzz. There’s energy. There’s incredible enthusiasm. That is not in any way to diminish our amazing, current president, who I thought was just so generous and lovely last night. We stayed till the late night hour to make sure that he got the credit that he’s due for having made the courageous decision that he did. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.
But yes, I think Hillary Clinton really said it all by really passing the torch herself, which was also tough, last night. So, it’s a really important night, and it’s going to pay off, I think, over the next few nights. It’s going to be amazing.
Maximillian Alvarez: And can I ask, what is the issue that you feel is most central in this election? If there’s one thing that you’re trying to communicate to the party, to the people, to the base that is truly on the ballot right now, what is that key issue for you?
Speaker 3: Well, as the Oregon attorney general and in a blue state, I have really taken on the role of being a protector of reproductive freedoms for not just women, but people, men and women, pregnant people, people who are suffering from miscarriages, all sorts of circumstances that they can be in. And in many, many states now, you cannot get the care that you need, the health care that you need.
And I know that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to make sure, especially just hearing about Governor Walz’s own personal experience, I know that they are going to look out for our most vulnerable people who are struggling with this issue.
It is truly shocking that we are where we are. Roe v. Wade passed when I was in law school 50 years ago, and it’s just shocking to me that we are where we are. So, that is one of many very important issues, but there’s nothing more important to me.
Maximillian Alvarez: And is there an issue that is also important to you and to folks in your state that you feel is not currently on the list of priorities in this election but should be?
Speaker 3: When I became attorney general, I didn’t even stop to think about all the issues that would pop up that I hadn’t realized would be on my plate. As an example, privacy and the protection of our personal information. AI. I don’t know if anybody’s even mentioned AI so far in this campaign really in a way that they need to because it is the future. And it is an amazing thing, but it also has some real potential liabilities and harms, especially for our kids. And I am always looking out for our most vulnerable, and that includes our children.
Speaker 4: I’m just here visiting. It’s an exciting atmosphere. Everyone’s involved. You see all people campaigning for whatever candidate they support.
I was a former Democrat voter. That’s not the case for this election. I’m going to be voting for Gaza this election. And I was really disappointed by the Biden administration’s stance towards Gaza, and that’s going to reflect in my vote this time.
Maximillian Alvarez: We’ve been asking folks, what is an issue that matters most to you that you feel is truly on the ballot in this election, and what is an issue that matters most to you that should be on the ballot and should be on the priorities list, but is not? And it feels like Gaza is really at the center of all of that. Could you say more about how that is the deciding factor for you and how each of these two parties are treating that concern?
Speaker 4: Yeah, of course. Gaza, for me, is the deciding factor because of domestic as well as international considerations. Kamala Harris is part of an administration that sent billions of dollars to the Israeli government. Those billions of dollars could have been used here. It could have been used for health care. It could have been used for education. It could have been used for our roads. And instead, they’re sending these weapons to a genocidal government that’s killed 50,000-plus civilians to date, has destroyed the entire Gaza Strip. So, morally, politically, as an American, I can’t in good conscience vote for Kamala Harris.
Maximillian Alvarez: That was excellent, but is there any more that you want to say on that? If you could talk to the folks in the convention right now, what would you most want to say to them?
Speaker 4: Well, this election, we have to think about our conscience and we have to think about our country. And for me, both of these things, I think the Biden administration has failed us miserably, and Kamala Harris was obviously part of that administration.
That doesn’t mean I’m voting for Trump, because Trump is equally bad. I think this is an election where people are going to be looking for third-party or independent candidates, even if only as a protest vote. Maybe a lot of people might not be voting at all. And we want to see someone who reflects our values in future elections, hopefully.
Ezekiel: Well, first, I heard there was going to be a lot of stuff going on, like riots and looting and all that. And to see the heightened security and for it to be a beautiful day like today and really nothing going on, I’m really happy about it. I’m a Republican myself, but I welcome the DNC here in Chicago. I think it’s great that they’re here and everything, but I do like the heightened security that we have here, not just in the Loop, but in the neighboring areas as well. It feels a lot safer.
I don’t know if you guys are up to Chicago politics, but there’s been a lot of carjackings, robberies and all this crazy stuff, shootings and stuff. So, for there to be a lot of Secret Service that I’ve seen be around and just a lot of extra police, I honestly feel really good about it.
Maximillian Alvarez: And Ezekiel, what’s one core issue that matters most to you that you feel is truly on the ballot in this election?
Ezekiel: I feel like a big issue is definitely the southern border. A lot of people don’t care enough about it or don’t talk about it enough, but I grew up in Chicago, and every day, it’s definitely different seeing all the migrants being here. And I think it’s great, that we need to help people and all that, but we’re not even helping our own people that have been here their entire lives and born and raised here. So, I think the immigration issue is probably the biggest issue that I would have with it, and I would hope other people care to think about it as well.
Maximillian Alvarez: And is there an issue that you feel really strongly about that you think is not being addressed by either of the two parties right now but should?
Ezekiel: That’s a good question. Honestly, they keep going back and forth about inflation this, inflation that. And honestly, I think any everyday person that’s living and breathing out in the world and is not an elite politician can see everything does cost a lot more. And the wages, it’s just not keeping up with that. So, I do think there’s an incredible inflation done by the past administration, but I don’t know. I’m not too into numbers, so I can’t go into specifics of it. But just being a person, stuff, it does cost a lot more, and it’s getting ridiculous.
Maximillian Alvarez: What I do know is shit is expensive.
Ezekiel: Abso-fucking-lutely.
Maximillian Alvarez: As I was telling you, we’re going around, just talking to folks here in downtown Chicago about how the DNC being in Chicago has affected them, your impressions of the DNC so far, or how it’s changed the city, any thoughts you got to share on that.
Speaker 5: I actually went last time I was here, in ’96. I went with my dad. I was a kid. Did the whole convention. So, I think it’s cool that it’s back. I think Chicago’s such a Democratic city. Illinois is such a Democratic state that, in a way, it’s anticlimactic because it’s like there’s nobody to win over here, in a lot of ways. But I think that it’s also important for the Democrats as a party to touch base with the people who support consistently.
I haven’t tried to go this time. I just have other stuff to do. I don’t live out West, so it hasn’t really affected me in a day-to-day way. I lived in DC for a decade, so it’s cool that all my DC friends are here, and the DC social life has come here, which I think Chicago could use, broadly.
I feel like it is one thing where I feel like I don’t see people who connect about issues in the same way in Chicago. I feel like in DC, you get every class president in the country coming to DC to change the world, and some people are super-motivated and they really care about something. In Chicago, people are like, I have a job. I get paid. I go home. So, I think it’s good.
Maximillian Alvarez: If the folks inside the DNC could hear you right now, is there an issue that you’d really want them to consider more than they are currently?
Speaker 5: I feel like, for the DNC in particular, grassroots. I think conservatives have done a fantastic job of building the infrastructure over the last 40 years to get people to show up and to find a slate of issues that resonates with people and gets them to show up. I think Democrats have spent a lot of time being like, well, we’re not them without being like, this is who we are, and really getting people involved in local politics.
Because I think if people are involved, if people show up to vote for their aldermen, they’ll vote for president. But you will see your aldermen. You will see your city council member. Go to the zoning board meeting, all that stuff because that will affect your actual life. I think a lot of people disengage from presidential politics, and I think the DNC could do a much better job of building the bench at the local level.
And I think it’s not one issue for me. I think it’s just making sure that that infrastructure is working, and, I think, things like rank choice voting and all that stuff. So, I think it’s not as much party focused, but getting people excited about issues and realizing how they can participate and that their participation is essential.
Maximillian Alvarez: Thank you so much for watching The Real News Network, where we lift up the voices, stories, and struggles that you care about most. And we need your help to keep doing this work. So, please, tap your screen now, subscribe, and donate to The Real News Network. Solidarity forever.
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