The optics of President Joe Biden's speech falling out of prime time was a small blemish on an otherwise successful first day of the Democratic convention.
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When President Joe Biden basked in well-deserved applause and told an adoring crowd that he gave his “heart and soul” to the United States, it was already well past midnight on the East Coast (and in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina).
Yes, he received a rousing welcome, and the thousands of Democrats in Chicago’s United Center chanted “Thank you, Joe!” at various times during his speech, but the optics of him delivering his speech so late marred an otherwise successful first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The organizers of the four-day event blamed “raucous applause” for the fact that Biden walked on the stage much later than he was supposed to, but that seems like an insufficient explanation.
After all, it is a political convention, and it should not have been surprising to Democrats that their newfound enthusiasm and joy would translate into some delays.
While a couple of speeches were cut to get Biden out there a bit more quickly, it seems as though the lineup could have been shuffled to allow more Americans to view his speech.
That would have made sense since he is the president and just did his party a real service by deciding not to run for a second term.
And that brings us to the main reason why the timing of his address was so unfortunate.
There is a perception that Democrats pushed their own president out of the race. While those on the left may view the intervention of party elders as a well-meaning nudge that preserved Biden’s own legacy by sparing him the potential of an embarrassing loss, Republicans have been quick to label the maneuver that propelled Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket a “coup.”
That is, of course, ridiculous, as we have pointed out.
The GOP should know what a coup looks like. After all, their own standard bearer attempted one less than four years ago.
And the reason Republicans are using the term now is in large part in an effort to minimize what a coup really is.
However, the Democrats did themselves no favors by allowing Biden’s address to be pushed out of prime time. It certainly reinforces the perception that they want to rid themselves of a man they should be very grateful to in more ways than one.
As for the president, he appeared to enjoy one of his last moments in the spotlight.
It also seems likely that, ultimately, he won’t bear a grudge for what happened since his disastrous debate performance in June.
In fact, he almost seems relieved that the pressure of making the right decision for party and country no longer rests on his shoulders.
Still, he deserved better than walking on stage well past 11:00 PM.
In the end, that is not going to be what this convention is remembered for, but it is an unnecessary blemish on the first day, and the kind of unforced error Democrats should try to prevent in the coming week.
