A Presentation On My Live Drawing Visual Journalism
Category: News
Harris Wins The Debate and Gets To Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris immediately started the evening powerfully by coming out with her hand extended and walked into Donald Trump’s “space,” on his side of the debate stage. It was a bold and aggressive act that, to my eyes, put Trump off balance from the get-go.
She said to him as they shook hands, “Kamala Harris.”
It was an intense debate. Trump began to get angry and seemed to unravel soon after it started. Harris appeared to know how to get under his skin.
Trump yelled and attacked. Harris was measured and tough. She used his words, the simple kind he usually uses, against him and pushed his buttons. She did not mince words.
She triggered him right off the bat when she talked about people leaving his rallies “out of boredom.” He never seemed to recover from that, he was so angry. And he mentioned immigrants eating pets, can you believe it?!
And then he said this crazy, outrageous thing:
Harris humiliated him.
And Trump continued to spout his racist thoughts.
Harris was real, she shined a bright light on who Trump is on the world stage.
Trump insulted Biden repeatedly. He even said at one point, “Biden hates her.”
Harris spoke strongly about Ukraine, and was concise in why Trump would be disastrous in foregin affairs.
Trump, as usual, would throw back things she said back at her.
Towards the end, Harris began to fold in her message about not dividing, and appealing to Americans sense of decency.
When Harris was not talking, she was often looking over at him and smiling or even looking with pity on her opponent. He was scowling or smirking or looking furious the whole time.
Kamala Harris figured out what no one else figured out, and she got to Trump. Harris seemed young and Trump seemed old.
She smiled many times, almost as if she was about to laugh.
This is what we all hoped she would do. She put him in his place. Kamala Harris was masterful.
Live-Drawing The DNC: Day Four
The first speaker I watched tonight was Elizabeth Warren, Senator of Massachusetts and former Presidential candidate. She walked on stage and the crowd went wild with adoring applause. Warren, whom I never have seen get emotional, was very touched by the long standing ovation. She had tears in her eyes, and finally had to calm the crowd down after a few minutes.
The Reverend AL Sharpton came out and gave a strong speech and then introduced four men who were four of the Central Park Five, now called The Exonerated Five. They are a group of Black and Latino men wrongly convicted of raping and assaulting a white jogger in New York City in 1989. Trump, living in New York at the time, paid for a large ad in the NY Times calling for the death penalty for the men. The man speaking below is Yusef Salaam, now a NYC Councilman for Harlem.
There were a series of speakers, and I captured those that I thought important and interesting to me. Governor Gretchen Whitmer was fun, but not a particularly rousing speech.
Representative Adam Kinzinger, a Republican and member of the January 6th Commission, was terrific in how he talked about his strong opinion against MAGA Republicans and urged people to vote for Kamala. He said it’s about voting for our democracy.
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta made a powerful case for Kamala and her strength and toughness. It was perfect.
Then Vice President Kamala Harris walked on to give her speech. The crowd exploded, cheering for several minutes, giddy to see her. She was clearly moved. Rather than try to characterize what she said, I offer you a link to the full transcript.
But for me, it was one of the best speeches I have ever heard. It was compassionate and angry and tough, realistic and full of hopefullness. I want to give it more thought and perhaps write about it when I’m not tired!
Here are some drawings I did, and a few quotes that jumped out at me—there were so many. This first one was of her coming out onstage.
Her final line was so wonderful.
Kamala Harris did exactly what she needed to do with this speech, and then some. She is going to be a great president.
Live-Drawing The DNC: Day 3
The evening began with a very moving few moments. The parents of a young man, their only son who is a hostage in Gaza, spoke about the pain they are going through. It was incredibly powerful.
Then we heard from Cory Booker, one of my favorite people. He is a politician who really wears his heart and passion on his sleeve, and I appreciate that so much. I want him to run for President again down the road.
Representative Bennie Thompson then spoke. He was the chair of the January 6th Committe, and was very effective in that role (I live drew it). This period of the evening was all about January 6th, and they showed a powerful video recapping all the horrible events of that day. This video should be shown over and over, all the time, as difficult as that would be. In my mind, while I have not forgotten that day, I fear we have forgotten the depth and breadth of how horrible it was. I also had not realized that nine people had died as a result of that insurrection.
This third day of the convention just kept getting richer and richer. The one musician who has guided me emotionally since I was in high school is Stevie Wonder. His music and the messages in so many of his songs have had deep meaning for me for most of my life. Stevie spoke first, and then sang his wonderful song, “Higher Ground.”
I love that the Democrats brought a comedian to the stage, genius! And the perfect person they brought on was Kenan Thompson. Kenan is my favorite SNL performer. He did a skit of sorts tonight, bringing out a bound copy of Project 2025 and talking to real people on the screen behind him about how their lives will be forever ruined if Project 2025 were to come to pass. It was funny, but very real. The best kind of comedy, in my mind.
Hakeem Jeffries was incredible. If you get a chance to watch his speech, I recoomend it. I can’t really describe how he speaks, it’s unique and encorporates the cadence of rap (CNN commentator Van Jones said he had rap references in his speech). It was funny and cutting and powerful. I cannot wait for Jeffries to be Speaker of the House.
President Bill Clinton was great, but his speaking style is not uplifting for me. IN an overview of the evening, his speech did not stand out. But he did get some great barbs towards Trumnp. The former President got an strong, affectionate reception from the crowd, however.
Representative and former Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi spoke. I love her, she is an inspiration as a leader and a bridge builder in politics.
Poet Amdanda Gorman, who spoke at President Biden’s Inauguration, was up next.
And then, the big surprise of the evening was Oprah Winfrey. She brought down the house, perhaps more than anyone thus far in the evening—because she is so beloved, I think. Jeffries got a similar response, but it was more because he is new to many people and his style of speaking is unusual and playfully strong. She repeated a mantra throughout, “That is the best of America!!”
Transportation Secretary and former Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was really good— he will of course run again for president again.
Finally, the Vice Presidential nominee, Tim Walz, came out to a gigantic burst of energy from the room. For someone who did not know how to use a teleprompter, he was fantastic. He is a no-nonsence talker, energetic, plain-spoken, a real representative of middle America. He’s the helping neighbor, no matter who that neighbor is or whether or not you agree with him. The coach theme—which is clearly very much a part of who he is— was woven throughout the speech.
I spent some time sketching him, trying to capture his energy. He has a funny way of smiling with a frown. His face — there is a lot going on in that face. It’s very real, and very good.
The crowd adored him.
There were so many great speeches tonight, so many great sound bites, it was hard to capture. I missed so many great ideas. If I weren’t drawing, I would be taking notes, trying to express to you the great ideas and emotional messages shared tonight.
Finally, you will see tomorrow some coverage of Tim Walz’s son Gus. He was in tears the whole time his father spoke, standing from time to time to point at his father and mouth “That’s my dad!” His daughter was also in tears, but it was Gus who seemed like he might hyperventillate!
Live-Drawing The DNC: Day Two
I turned on the Democratic National Convention at around 7 tonight to listen in the background. There were speakers, but I didn’t pay too much attention until they did the roll call. I LOVE the roll call! This year, the Democrats had already done a virtual count of delegates, so this was ceremonial, and they even had music (with a quirky DJ) during the call. As the Democratic Party Secretary called each state, each representative was so proud of their state, and they yell out things about their state that makes it distinctive. Some of them are funny about it, in a proud way. Like New York!
Speaking of New York (I’m biased), Senator Chuck Schumer spoke about the Senate. He also mentioned, on a personal note, that he is the highest ranking elected Jewish person in the history of our government, something I did not know. It was a way for him to lead into his concern for the rise of anti-semintism.
The next notable speaker was Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders went through a long list of things that had been acheived under the Biden/Harris administration, but he also listed things he wanted to get done. It was a rather tedious — if empassioned — speech. Sanders is nothing if not tireless, and while he may not show it, passionate.
The first gentleman came next. Doug Emhoff!! So charming.
He told us the lovely story of his courtship with Kamala, and it was funny and endearing. He told the audience that she was right for him at a time in his life when he needed her, and that “At this moment in our nations’ history, she is the exact person for our country.” This is another line of his that I loved: “She will not be distracted by nonsense.”
After a few more speakers, Michelle Obama walked onto the stage to an enormous roar of applause and cheers. The crowd was giddy. After a minute or two, she kept scolding the crowd to stop. She had the face of: come on guys, I have stuff to tell you!
And she did. It was a masterfull speech. It had a theme of motherhood and responsibility. I suggest you find it and watch it.
She poked at Trump in a nuanced, humorous and tough way.
Her tone at times was urging us not to be complacent, take charge, do something! The crowd chanted that repeatedly. She had them in the palm of her hand.
Then Michelle finished her speech and introduced her husband…again humorously and lovingly. They greeted each other with an embrace and kiss as the crowd cheered.
Obama was his usual self, but to me he seemed more relaxed. And a few times, he seemed even angrier than I had ever seen him.
But he peppered his speech with humor. At one point someone in the crowd said something, and he ad-libbed, “Yes she can!”
President Obama’s speech was lofty and strong and meaningful. To my eyes and ears, Michelle’s message was much more effective. It was unique, nuanced, humorous, sharp, tough and delivered as if with the care of a scolding mother. I don’t know if I’ve heard a better political speech in recent memory.
Barack said one thing that I want to end with:
“America can be and must be a force for good.”
Live-Drawing the DNC: Day One
The Democratic Convention began tonight in Chicago!
One of the first notable speakers was Representative Maxine Waters. It was clearly visible right away that this is the party of diversity. It is the party that represents the best of our country.
Then, an emotional moment. Reverend Jesse Jackson was brought to the stage by his two sons and the Reverend Al Sharpton. There were tears in the crowd. Jackson, who ran for President in 1984 and 1988, didn’t speak, but it was clear how much the moment meant to him.
California Senator Laphonsa Butler spoke powerfully about her friend Kamala Harris. Butler was appointed to the Senate by Govenor Gavin Newsom after the death of Diane Feinstein. She is also the second openly gay woman to serve in the Senate.
New York Govenor Kathy Hochul gave a good speech, this below was the best line. Because it’s so true.
And then, Kamala made a surprise entrance and the house roared! She gave a few remarks, and exited with a huge smile on her face. Her happiness and joy were palpable.
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez gave a rousing speech, extremely strong and forceful. She also notably spoke about how committed Harris is to solving the war in the Middle East, and is supportive of the Palestinian people.
For me, the highlight of the evening was Hillary Clinton’s speech. She got a long, standing ovation. Her speech was so well done, well written and forcefully delivered, I had trouble picking quotes. I would write one down, then erase it and write another.
Hillary was more powerful than I had ever heard her before.
I love Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin. He was terrific, as always. Tough talking, slightly humorous.
Representative Jasmine Crockett spoke at times very humorously and with sharp jabs at Trump. But she got emotional when she told the story fo how she was first in the House, she found it difficult going. Kamala Harris spoke to her, helped her believe in herself and her work and she found her way. Representative Crockett cried as she told the story.
The Georgia Senator, the Reverend Raphael Warnock gave a speech as if we were in church. He had the huge room at his fingertips.
First Lady Jill Biden spoke fondly about her husband.
And finally, President Joe Biden came up to the stage to the song “Your love keeps lifting me higher and higher,” by Jacki Wilson. He hugged his daughter, who had just introduced him. They both cried. Jill was crying. The crowd errupted, chanting “We love Joe,” which morphed into “Thank you Joe.” It went on for a several minutes.
His speech was powerful, passionate and went into detail about what his administration, he and Kamala, had acomplished. The crowd was with him the whole way, cheering at every pause, even though he seemed to be shouting for a lot of his speech. They were loving it.
At one point, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe!” again, and he said to them, “Thank you, Kamala!”
It’s late, so instead of drawing the wonderful view of Joe and the crowd, I think I’ll just share two photos with you.
