At DNC, 'Hope Is Making a Comeback'

There was a hopeful, upbeat vibe at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. With Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz rallying in Milwaukee, "Democrats turned to their most charismatic leaders," per the New York Times. Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama delivered back-to-back speeches, "giving a master class in the art of taking down an opponent without taking down oneself in the act." More:

• Michelle Obama: The former first lady delivered "one of the most memorable speeches in convention history" in her hometown, per CNN. "Hope is making a comeback," said Obama, who urged Democrats to do "everything we can" to elect "one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency" and "one of the most dignified."
• Michelle on Trump: She referred to the challenges Harris faces as a Black woman as well as the "ugly, misogynistic, racist lies" former President Trump spread about her own family. Obama also referred to Trump's claim of migrants stealing "Black jobs," adding, "Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?"
• Barack Obama: The former president said he was "feeling hopeful" and "fired up." At one point, he added, "Yes she can." He drew other comparisons between himself and Harris, noting "this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible."

• Barack on Trump: "We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse."
• Doug Emhoff: In "a particularly potent moment," the second gentleman spoke of Harris as "Momala," per the Washington Post. He described a recent time he saw the vice president especially focused on a phone call and believed she was dealing with an important work matter. In fact, it was his own daughter on the phone, he said. "That's Kamala."
• Bernie Sanders: The Vermont senator spoke of the need for campaign finance reform, union protections, better health care access and lower drug costs. "This is not a radical agenda," he said, per CNN. "But, let me tell you what a radical agenda is. And that is Trump's Project 2025."

• John Giles: The mayor of Mesa, Arizona, was one of a few Republicans to turn up. "I feel more at home here than in today's Republican Party," which "has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult," he said. "So let's turn the page. Let's put country first."
• Stephanie Grisham: The former Trump White House press secretary and chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump said Trump mocks his supporters as "basement dwellers" behind closed doors. "He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth," she said, per CNN.
• Oh, the irony: One awkward moment came immediately after Sanders said billionaires shouldn't be able to buy elections. Up walked billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, "who spent $350 million of his fortune winning his two campaigns," the Post reports.

(More Democratic National Convention stories.)