Most of us on the outside looking in last week knew the Democrat National Convention (DNC) would be nothing more than a giant choreographed circus. Nothing left to chance, nothing left unscripted. Many people, if they are not attending a political convention as delegates, participate as volunteers. It is a great way to see the process up close and personal: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But one young Democrat volunteer did not come away from her convention experience feeling fired up, energized, or ready to go out and campaign for the candidate of her choice. Instead, she feels the exact opposite.
Lots of former democrats are waking up
— CJ Wolf 🐺 (@mizapa) August 25, 2024
A young woman who identifies herself as “Evan” took to TikTok on Sunday and not only gave her impressions of the DNC but also revealed her disillusion at what she didn’t learn about Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris and what she felt was her party’s complete neglect of the issues that are affecting everyday Americans regardless of party.
Evan began by stating that she had “worked in progressive politics for a long time” and that “as the years have gone by, I found myself getting more and more disillusioned with the Democratic party.” She goes on to say that most of her work has been fundraising. She talks about candidates spending eight or more hours a day “calling donors and asking rich people for money.” In reality, we know that is not just exclusive to Democrats; it’s how both parties operate. She concedes that even politicians who don’t like part of politics “still have to play the game.” Sadly, this is very true indeed.
It was at this point in the video that Democrats would do well to listen up, but they won’t. She says:
“When I first got into politics, I thought that Democrats were the party of the people. And at the DNC this week, I felt like I was in a building with the most elite and out of touch people in the entire world.” It very much felt like, ‘Let’s just have a huge party and forget all of our problems because the vibes are brat.'”
It gets better. Evan continues, saying that as a Midwesterner from Kansas City, Missouri:
“I didn’t feel any connection to Real America or the place that I come from. I didn’t feel any connection to the people I know right now who are struggling to buy their groceries or to pay their rent.”
She says she began to get mad because as she listened to speeches, she heard no substance, just “generic platitudes like joy and respect and integrity.” She said she thought Democrats were the “anti-war party” and was a bit surprised by Kamala Harris declaring that “America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.” She says, “I thought I was part of the party that fought for the underdog, that championed working people. When and how did we just become the party of academia and affluence?”
Someone should reach out to her and offer to pay her airfare, rental car, hotel, and ticket cost to attend an upcoming Trump rally.
Explain that we want her to go as herself without any fanfare or anyone knowing who she is. That way she can experience what a MAGA rally is like.
— Alex (@EuropaActual) August 25, 2024
But maybe the saddest part of the video is when Evan says that she attended the DNC “hoping I would feel reconnected to the Democrat party,” hoping she would “understand Kamala’s candidacy and what she stood for, but instead, I ended up feeling the opposite, more disconnected and alone than ever.”
She concludes by saying that not only will she not be supporting Kamala Harris, but she is not sure she can even call herself a Democrat anymore. Wow, when you think about it, that is a pretty hard fall. This is one person. How many are out there like her? Even after this very smart and articulate testimony, the most significant statement from Evan is this: “For once, I’m not afraid to say it.” Afraid? The fact that she would have been previously afraid to say it might be an even better TikTok video.
What a contrast to my own experience at the Republican National Convention (RNC). I met people from all over the country and felt the whole time that I was part of a group of people who felt exactly as I did, that we all had the same goal. There were also plenty of real people who spoke at the RNC. Real people were in short supply at the DNC.
The dirty little secret from the DNC just may be the fact that more young people saw exactly what Evan saw and also had their eyes abruptly opened. Evan may not be wearing a MAGA hat anytime soon, but sometimes, the converts are the strongest spokesmen.
