Democratic National Convention 2020: Day 1

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and a trio of other former top Republicans made the case for members of their party breaking with Donald Trump and backing Joe Biden on Monday, arguing that the President has been a “disappointing” and “disturbing” failure.

Kasich headlined the section of the Democratic convention focused on convincing Republicans turned off by Trump to vote -- even reluctantly -- for a candidate that they may not wholeheartedly support.

Kasich said he was “proud” of his Republican heritage, but that Trump’s first term “belies those principles.”

“I’m sure there are Republicans and Independents who couldn’t imagine crossing over to support a Democrat,” Kasich said. “They fear Joe may turn sharp left and leave them behind. I don’t believe that because I know the measure of the man. It’s reasonable, faithful, respectful, and, you know, no one pushes Joe around."

Three Republican women -- Meg Whitman, who ran for governor of California as a Republican in 2010 but backed Hillary Clinton in 2016; Susan Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from New York; and Christine Todd Whitman, former Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA chief under George W. Bush -- joined Kasich in backing Biden.

“For me, the choice is simple. I’m with Joe,” said Meg Whitman.

Molinari said she had “known Donald Trump for most of my political career. So disappointing, and lately so disturbing.”

And Christine Todd Whitman encapsulated the segment with an honest question.

“What am I doing here,” she asked, adding later, “This isn’t about a Republican or Democrat. This is about a person.”

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In a speech from a United Auto Workers union hall, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer touted Joe Biden's role in the passage of the automotive industry bailout in 2009, as former President Barack Obama's administration navigated the Great Recession.

Obama and Biden, Whitmer said, "didn't waste time blaming anyone else or shirking their responsibility. They got to work" — a line intended to contrast Biden with the health and economic crises facing President Donald Trump now.

The swing-state governor and co-chair of Biden's campaign sought to connect those early Obama actions to the response to the coronavirus pandemic. She said factories saved by the auto bailout are now manufacturing protective equipment.

Kristin Urquiza gained national attention last month after she wrote an obituary decrying politicians for a "lack of leadership" following her father's death as a result of Covid-19.  

Tonight, she shared the story of her father, Mark Urquiza, during a speech delivered before the Democratic National Convention. She also sent a poignant message to President Donald Trump.

"He had faith in Donald Trump. He voted for him, listened to him, believed him and his mouthpieces when they said that coronavirus was under control and going to disappear; that it was okay to end social distancing rules before it was safe; and that if you had no underlying health conditions, you’d probably be fine," she said.

Urquiza explained that in late May, after the stay-at-home order was lifted in Arizona, her father went to a karaoke bar with his friends, and a few weeks later, was put on a ventilator. And after "five agonizing days," Urquiza said her father died alone in the ICU with "a nurse holding his hand."

"My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life," she continued.

Urquiza slammed President Trump's coronavirus response.

"We need a leader who has a national, coordinated, data-driven response to stop this pandemic from claiming more lives and to safely reopen the country. We need a leader who will step in on Day One and do his job, to care," she continued.

"One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump. And so, when I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I will do it for my dad," Urquiza said.

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Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser took aim at President Donald Trump on Monday, saying Trump was “plotting” while many Americans were protesting systemic racism and police brutality in America after the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Speaking in front of the massive yellow letters that spell out “Black Lives Matter” in Washington, DC, Bowser lambasted Trump for forcibly removing peaceful protesters in front of the White House so he could pose for a photo op in front of a church with a Bible in his hand. 

“While we were protesting, Donald Trump was plotting. He stood in front of one of our most treasured houses of worship and held a Bible for a photo op. He sent troops in camouflage into our streets, he sent tear gas into the air and federal helicopters too,” the mayor said. 

Bowser said she wanted her 2-year-old daughter to grow up in an America “where she's not scared to walk to the store. An America where she's safe behind the doors of her own home. An America where the President doesn't fan the flames of racism and looks out for all of us.”

“So I created Black Lives Matter Plaza, right behind me, as a place where we could come together to say enough,” Bowser said. 

“And by coming together this November to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we will say next. Because we can't just paint those words, we can't just say those words, we have to live those words, we have to undo the laws and systems that have codified racism for far too long. But we have to do something too. Each and every one of us, challenge our own biases. If we see something, do something. Together we can turn this reckoning into a reimagining of a nation where we the people means all the people," Bowser said.

Bowser introduced members of George Floyd’s family as the next speakers at the convention. 

Gwen Carr, mother of the late Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold by a New York police officer in 2014, is calling on former Vice President Joe Biden to continue the fight against police brutality if he wins the presidency.

"When my son was murdered, there was a big uprising, but then it settled down," Carr said at a roundtable on criminal justice reform. "We can't let things settle down. We have to go to the politicians. We have to hold their feet to the fire. Otherwise, the big uprising is not going to mean a lot."

The roundtable, hosted by Biden, was held via video conference with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, NAACP CEO and President Derrick Johnson, Houston police chief Art Acevedo and activist Jamira Burley.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of Biden's earliest supporters, said on Monday night that the country's failure to contain the coronavirus pandemic is a "symptom" of a deeper rot in government and society.

Those troubles didn't begin with President Donald Trump's rise, Cuomo said, but they have become worse during his time in office.

"Only a strong body can fight off the virus," he said, "and America's divisions weakened it."

Following on a theme of the first night of the convention, Cuomo argued that electing Biden in November would be a first step toward healing the country's wounds -- and described the former vice president as a unique figure who is "tough in the best way."

"We need a leader as good as our people, a leader who appeals to the best within us, not the worst, a leader who can unify, not divide, a leader who can bring us up, not tear us down," Cuomo said. "I know that man. I've worked with that man. I've seen his talent. I've seen his strength. I've seen his pain and I've seen his heart. That man is Joe Biden."

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South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn touted Joe Biden as the right leader for this moment because of both his ability to understand loss and his decency.

“Joe Biden is as good a man as he is a leader,” Clyburn said in a speech that focused on racial justice, adding that the country needs "a president who understands both profound loss; and what it takes to bounce back.”

Clyburn endorsed Biden on the eve of the South Carolina primary in February. The endorsement put Biden over the edge in the state that proved determinative in the Democratic primary, earning Clyburn significant influence on the Biden campaign.

Speaking from Charleston, South Carolina, Clyburn noted the city’s history with slavery, but also focused on its future combatting racism.

He added: “I have said before and wish to reiterate tonight; we know Joe — but more importantly, Joe knows us.”

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, held a moment of silence in honor of his brother and the "many other souls we’ve lost to hate and injustice."

Watch the moment:

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, addressed the Democratic National Convention and recalled the movement that the death of his brother began around the world.

"It’s a fitting legacy for our brother. But George should be alive today. Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive today. Eric Garner should be alive today. Stephon Clark, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland—they should all be alive today," he continued.

"So it’s up to us to carry on the fight for justice. Our actions will be their legacies. We must always find ourselves in what John Lewis called 'good trouble.' For the names we do not know, the faces we will never see, those we can’t mourn because their murders didn’t go viral," Floyd said.