Trump has treated the presidency like a 'reality show' 1:41
(CNN) - The nation's leading Democrats sought Wednesday night to instill a sense of urgency in voters that was absent four years ago when Donald Trump was elected president.
On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, former President Barack Obama spoke from Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written, to warn of a democracy in grave danger.
And the party's 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, appeared from her home in New York to say: Don't let this happen again.
It was the night of California Sen. Kamala Harris, as she became the first black and South Asian woman to receive the Democratic vice presidential nomination and introduced herself to the nation in her acceptance speech.
And the party delved into the issues, including immigration, climate change and gun violence, with personal testimonials, including one from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, to promote Biden's plan for the "care economy." .
But the theme of the night was the importance of the November election, with Obama, Clinton and others portraying Trump as a failed president willing to cheat to win again unless, as Obama put it, "we leave no doubt." about the result.
Here are seven takeaways from the third night of the convention:
'Don't let them take away your democracy'
Barack Obama. Credit: DNCC via Getty Images
Two convention speeches tell the story of Obama's increasingly shaky vision of the arc of the American political system.
He burst onto the national political scene with a 2004 presentation in which he rejected "the politics of cynicism" and announced "hope in the face of difficulty; hope versus uncertainty. The audacity of hope ».
- MIRA: Analysis | Obama Issues Terrible Warning About American Democracy In Shocking Reprimand Of Trump
On Wednesday night, Obama returned and made history again, setting aside the unwritten rule of former presidents not to directly attack the current incumbent to warn of a democracy under grave threat.
He unleashed an unprecedented rebuke to Trump, who entered the national political scene promoting a birthright racist conspiracy theory aimed at undermining the Obama presidency and has regularly said - including on Twitter Wednesday night as Obama spoke - , the lie that the Obama administration spied on his campaign.
“I was hoping, for the good of our country, that Donald Trump would show some interest in taking work seriously; that he could come to feel the weight of office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care, "Obama said. But he never did.
Obama held back tears and reminded Americans who fought against racism and oppression. "What we do resonates through the generations," he said.
On Trump and the Republicans, Obama said: “They know that they cannot convince you with their policies, so they hope to make your vote as difficult as possible and to convince you that your vote does not matter. This is how they win. This is how our democracy withers. Until it is democracy at all and we cannot allow that to happen. Don't let them take away your power. Don't let them take away your democracy.
Clinton serves a reminder
Hillary Clinton. Credit: DNCC via Getty Images
If the theme of the night was urgency, Clinton speaking from her living room in New York and not as President of the United States, it was Exhibit A.
Clinton's comments were a warning, both to Democrats who may believe that Biden's current lead in the Trump polls is insurmountable, and to voters who may be completely disconnected by this time in politics.
- MORE: Hillary Clinton: Biden and Harris Can Get Three Million More Votes and Still Lose
The former secretary of state, recalling people who told her they did not vote four years ago, warned that November would become a "should, could, should be" election and reminded people that Biden and Harris could win the popular vote. and lose the elections, as it happened to her.
Don't forget: Joe and Kamala can win 3 million more votes and still lose. Trust me, ”Clinton said. "We need numbers so staggering that Trump can't slip away or steal his way to victory."
Harris's historic moment
Harris leaned toward his place in history Wednesday night and noted that his nomination was "a testament to the dedication of generations before me."
The California senator ran for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, but much of the nation learned her personal story - the daughter of immigrants, an Indian mother, and a Jamaican father; a historically black college graduate - for the first time on Wednesday.
- MORE: Kamala Harris at the Democratic Convention: There's No Vaccine for Racism
He stated that he wished his mother were alive to see her.
“She taught us to be aware of and compassionate towards the struggles of all people. To believe that public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility, ”Harris said.
Vice President candidate anticipates Trump attacks
Vice-presidential nominees typically present lines of attack against their opponents, and while Harris didn't say much about Trump Wednesday night, he did advance some sharp lines that are likely to unfold in the coming weeks.
Nodding to his time as California attorney and attorney general, Harris said, "I know a predator when I see it."
"Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons," he later noted, contrasting Biden's character with Trump's.
And, perhaps in the most prominent line of the night, he said: "There is no vaccine for racism."
Years of Democratic Women were on display
Wednesday night's speaker's list was filled with female Democratic leaders, from Clinton and the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The apparitions fell in the same week that marked the centennial of women who obtained the right to vote by ratifying the 19th Amendment.
There were also tribute videos honoring women, including one that pointed to many historic women leaders who build the Democratic Party and another that marked Pelosi's career.
The message made sense the night the Democratic Party nominated Harris, who in his own speech nodded to the black activists who led the way: “Women like Mary Church Terrell and Mary Mcleod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm. "
But he also highlighted a political reality for the party in November: Women, especially white women in the suburbs of American cities like Philadelphia, Phoenix and Charlotte, will be instrumental in defeating Trump. Clinton narrowly won the majority of women in 2016, according to exit polls, but lost white women, a fact that Democrats have sought to change for the past four years, and they did so in the 2018 midterm elections. , when a suburban shift gave them control of the House.
Democrats get specific on the issues
Gun violence, climate change, immigration, economic dislocation and child care: Democrats on Wednesday night delved into their policy plans, often brushing aside criticism of Trump's personal behavior and focusing on the problems that preceded your choice.
Speakers addressed Trump's role in exacerbating the toxic politics of the time, making those issues more difficult to address, but also presented a more coherent case of why and how they would address them if Biden wins in November.
Pelosi listed the bills passed or supported by her Democratic majority (to reduce drug prices, strengthen voting rights, increase police oversight, prevent gun violence, promote LGBTQ rights and more) that have been ignored or blocked by Trump and Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Democrats also put those affected by Trump's most controversial policies in the spotlight. Among them was a young woman whose mother was deported in 2018, two years after her father, a veteran of the Marine Corps, voted for Trump.
"My dad thought that you would protect military families, so he voted for you in 2016, Mr. President," said Estela Juárez, 11, reading a letter he sent to Trump. "She says she won't vote for you again after what you did to our family."
Warren endorses Biden's 'plans' for the economy
Elizabeth Warren: DNCC via Getty Images
Warren and Biden have clashed over economic policy for years, disputes that made headlines during the primaries and date back to when she was a professor and he was in the Senate.
But on Wednesday night, Warren stepped in to validate Biden's proposals going forward. Since becoming the nominee, Biden has slowly made progress on a series of progressive priorities, including his consumer bankruptcy protection plan, which opens up new avenues to alleviate student debt.
"I love a good plan, and Joe Biden has some really good plans: plans to take back union jobs in manufacturing and create new union jobs in clean energy," Warren said. "Plans to Increase Social Security Benefits, Cancel Billions in Student Loan Debt, and Make Our Bankruptcy Laws Work for Families instead of Cheating Creditors."
Recalling her own struggles juggling work and child care, a personal story she used to tell during her own campaign, Warren backed the Democratic nomination's plans to make child care more affordable and available to working parents. .
"It is time to recognize that child care is part of the basic infrastructure of this nation," he said. "It's infrastructure for families."
Barack ObamaElizabeth WarrenHillary ClintonJoe BidenKamala HarrisNancy Pelosi