Democratic National Convention 2020: Day 3

Hillary Clinton, the only other Democrat to run against Donald Trump, urged voters not to take the President’s political standing for granted this year, warning that November cannot be a “woulda coulda shoulda” election.

Clinton’s speech was both a reflection on her bid four years ago, where she unexpectedly lost, in part, because some Democrats sat out the race, and an indictment on Trump, a man she described as ill-equipped to be President.

“Don’t forget: Joe and Kamala can win 3 million more votes and still lose. Take it from me,” Clinton said. “We need numbers so overwhelming Trump can’t sneak or steal his way to victory.”

Clinton added:

When Clinton conceded the 2016 election, she said Democrats owed Trump the chance to prove he could grow into the presidency.

On Wednesday, however, Clinton reiterated what she has said repeatedly over the last four years: That hasn’t happened.

“I wish Donald Trump had been a better president,” Clinton said. “Because America needs a better president than this."

Clinton also said that Kamala Harris would face he same “slings and arrows" she did as a woman running, but that Harris "can handle them all."

“This is the team to pull our nation back from the brink," she said.

Clinton also devoted much of her speech to heralding the humanity behind both Biden and Harris, including telling a story about Tyrone Gayle, a Democratic operative who worked or both Clinton and Harris before he died in 2018.“

When her press secretary Tyrone Gayle was dying of cancer, she dropped everything to be with him,” Clinton said. “Because that’s who she is."

Of Biden, Clinton remembered the vice president calling when her mother died and how Biden handled Beau Biden’s death in 2015.

Watch:

A daughter whose mother was deported under the Trump administration in 2018, read aloud an emotional letter she wrote President Trump, saying that her father, who is a Marine Corps veteran who voted for him in 2016, would not do do so again.

In the video, played as a part of tonight's virtual DNC programming, Estela Juarez described her mother, Alejandra Juarez, as her "best friend," saying she "worked hard and paid taxes and the Obama administration said she could stay."

She writes that her father actually supported Trump in the 2016 election, believing that because of his vocal support for the military, he would protect their family. 

"Instead of protecting us you tore our world apart,” she read. 

"We need a President who will bring people together, not tear them apart," Estela Juarez said.

In a section of tonight's programming focused on immigration, Silvia Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant in North Carolina, shared her story alongside daughters Jessica, who is a Dreamer, and Lucy, who is a US citizen.

Speaking in Spanish, Silvia said that she did what any mother would do to "save her daughter's life" after her daughter Jessica was born without a fully developed spinal cord and the doctors in their town told them she would not be able to survive.

Silvia said she took her daughter and "traveled for days" to reach the border and then crossed the river.

"We came to America before I was one years old. She saved my life," Jessica said of her mother.

Silvia said she had no choice but to come to the United States in search of a miracle. She said her family now works hard, contributes to their community and pays taxes in the country.

Jessica echoed her mother's sentiment, saying her home is in the US and she qualifies for DACA, the Obama-era program that shields from the deportation of certain undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children. But, she said President Trump took her ability to apply for the program.

Jessica explained that because she does not have the right ID, she cannot get insurance through the exchange.

"I need health insurance, I deserve it, right?" Jessica said.  

Jessica called on Americans to vote for a leader who "will fix the broken immigration system, and commit to keeping families together."

"It breaks our hearts to see children separated from their families at the border. That's wrong, those children need their parents," Silvia said.

"On November 3rd, I will vote for my mother, my sister, and my daughters. I will vote for a future where all of our lives have dignity and respect," Silvia's daughter Lucy said.

"I'm voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants. Who are you going to vote for?" Lucy said in closing.

Watch:

Singer Billie Eilish urged Americans to "vote like our lives and the world depend on it, because they do" before performing her new song "My future."

She opened her remarks by criticizing President Trump, saying he is "destroying our country and everything we care about."

"We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and Covid, not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality. That starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake," she said.

The Los Angeles native continued: "Someone who's building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden."

Watch:

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered the convention’s primary speech on climate change, slamming the Trump administration for eliminating climate regulations and touting Joe Biden’s climate plans.

Lujan Grisham, who interviewed to be Biden’s running mate, said the former vice president would rejoin the Paris climate agreement if he is elected president and “invest in clean energy jobs.”

“The choice is clear,” she said. “The choice is Joe Biden.”

Watch:

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot and wounded when a gunman opened fire on one of her events in 2011, touted the needs for resilience and strength in a powerful speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Giffords, who was shot in the head during the deadly attack, says that she while she “known the darkest of days,” she chose to respond with “grit and determination.”

Giffords has become a symbol for the Democratic fight for stricter gun laws, founding the organization Giffords in the wake of her shooting, an advocacy organization that pushes lawmakers to pass sweeping gun laws.

The former congresswoman then related her personal fight to the current state of the country and her support for Biden.

Giffords' taped speech was introduced by a video on her life voiced by actress Regina King and featured video of the former congresswoman playing the French horn, something she did often before her shooting.

“It was an honor to help share Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ story of perseverance and courage as part of the Democratic National Convention,” King said in a statement. “Her determination to never stay silent, against all odds, should be inspiration to us all.”

Watch:

Activist Emma González appeared in a video tonight during the Democratic National Convention calling for an end to gun violence in the US.

González is a student at the helm of a pro-gun control youth movement that erupted after a shooter killed 17 of her classmates and others in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 18, 2018.

Watch:

California Sen. Kamala Harris opened the third night of the convention, urging people to create a plan for voting.

“I want to talk about the importance of voting,” Harris said, standing in what looked like the backstage of the convention set up in Delaware.

Harris will accept the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nomination and delivers her acceptance speech later in the program.

The California senator lamented the fact that voters are hearing a lot about “obstacles” to voting, adding that she thinks it is important for people to “to ask ourselves why (Republicans) don’t want us to vote” and “why are there so many effort to silence our voices.”

Harris urged viewers to create a voting plan and closed the short message by saying, “I’ll see you a little later tonight.”

Watch:

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers kicked off night three of the Democratic National Convention by telling viewers that "we were really looking forward to having you here in America's dairyland."

Wisconsin, one of the nation's marquee swing states, expected to host the convention in Milwaukee — but the coronavirus pandemic forced Democrats to switch to a two-hour-a-night televised version.

So instead, Evers — who defeated Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2018 as Democrats swept statewide races in Upper Midwest battlegrounds — got an opening slot. The election, he said, is about "returning kindness, respect, empathy and stability back to the White House — and that's who Joe and Kamala are, because they know, especially during challenging times like these, the problems we face can only be solved by all of us together."