Last week, members of the College Democrats of Notre Dame attended the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. These are their reflections.
Jack Sirianni
Over the course of last week, the gathering of our political party became just that: a political party. As with any great party, the tickets became nearly impossible to come by. As I begged, borrowed and stole (figuratively of course) my way into the convention every night, I heard the message of freedom, patriotism and a hope for a brighter tomorrow.
While the pundits aim to disprove the energy of this DNC, anyone who was in Chicago could feel the air humming with anticipation. I stood in hot three-hour lines with members of Congress and college students, all sharing the same passion to elect our next president. I watched old women acrobatically climb over rows of seats just to bring their daughters home a rally sign as a piece of history.
I heard the values of my treasured Midwest set to the backdrop of Beyonce’s iconic campaign anthem. I even heard the creed of our beloved university echoed in former President Obama’s support of Vice President Harris: “America can be and must be a force for good … That’s what Kamala Harris believes and so do most Americans.”
From the very last row of the United Center, standing on my tiptoes and peering through the pockets of the crowd, I watched Kamala Harris become our nominee for President of the United States. When she accepted the nomination, the walls of the arena shook and the vice president’s speech was drowned out by the excited echoes of hope. With the balloon drop and the roar of the crowd, we marched out the United Center, called to action and eager to elect Vice President Harris.
Alex Young
Chicago’s United Center is no stranger to historic moments. Michael Jordan brought the arena to life as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, leading the Bulls to championships year after year. While MJ was nowhere to be found last week, the United Center still pulsed with excitement as Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz shared their banner-worthy vision for the future of our nation.
While helping the media logistics team staff the Convention, I had a front-row seat to history. Between coordinating volunteer meals and bouncing non-press from the media section, I heard President Biden tout his remarkable progress on healthcare reform, infrastructure investments and gun violence prevention. Later in the week, as American flags waved and chants of “USA!” echoed throughout the arena, Harris presented herself as the only candidate with a record of going after criminals (rather than being a convicted one), as the candidate who supports the middle class and American manufacturers (instead of a disastrous tariff-based economy and growing the federal deficit), as a defender of individual freedoms (over executing Project 2025) and as the patriotic choice who believes in our service members (as opposed to calling them “suckers” and “losers”). Harris’ message made it clear she will be a president for all Americans, no matter their party affiliation.
Attending the DNC was an unforgettable experience, from watching star-studded performances like Lil Jon to taking in the reassuring words of candidates who actually act presidential and care about our future. But now that the fun of the Convention is over, we must do the hard work. We must unite together as one nation and reject extremism on November 5th. The ball is in our court.
Olivia Anderson
When I tell people that I am in politics, they usually groan and ask me if I hate myself. I don’t fault them for it — since 2016, national politics have been tiring, divisive and nasty. About a month ago, however, Vice President Kamala Harris began to show the country what it means to campaign with joy.
As an alternate with the Indiana delegation at the DNC, I saw this firsthand. Our delegation breakfasts were infused with energy (despite being at 7:00 a.m.). Delegates bustled into McCormick Place to participate in caucuses and councils, giving speakers standing ovations in between breaks DJ'd by Chicagoans. Each night at the United Center was a novelty, with President Biden’s farewell address, the Obamas bringing the house down back-to-back, Governor Walz’s heartfelt acceptance speech filled with promises of freedom and commitment to the common good and an absolutely electric roll call where Sean Astin, who we know as Rudy, joined the Indiana delegation to “Rudy” chants echoing across the room.
Finally, Vice President Harris closed out the week with a speech infused with joy: the joy of being an American, the joy of being in this moment and the joy of the hard road ahead towards the White House. In the nosebleeds of United Center, I craned my neck to see her accept the nomination and started to cry — the elation in the room was almost too much to bear. We all left excited, energized and — most importantly — ready to get to work.
Embrace the joy in democracy with Jack, Alex, the rest of the college democrats and I by registering to vote, requesting your absentee ballot and getting involved in the most important election in our lifetimes. College Democrats of Notre Dame are always happy to have you!
The College Democrats of Notre Dame have agreed, along with the College Republicans of Notre Dame, to write a bi-weekly debate column in The Observer's Viewpoint section in the name of free, civil discourse in the 2024 election cycle. You can reach out to the college democrats at cdems@nd.edu.
