ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Before the kick-off of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, Arnel Dino wanted to see one thing from his fellow Democrats this week: unity.
Four years ago, at the last Democratic National Convention, there was conflict within the ranks. The progressive caucus that had backed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was unenthused about Hillary Clinton, with some questioning the process that saw her secure the nomination. Meanwhile, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump went on to take the White House.
Four years later, with Trump in charge, Dino wants the Democratic Party to come together and propel Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris to the White House.
“I want to see us unified,” said Dino, a Fullerton resident who serves as the Los Angeles region vice chair and past state chair of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus. “I want to see us unified against Trump. We have to come together to take back the White House.”
Dino said after the first night of the convention, he got his wish.
“I think we’re going to be more united now,” Dino said. “You saw Bernie Sanders appealing to the far left progressive to help bring them in under the Biden tent. He struck the right tone, and then you had other Democratic and Republican leaders asking their supporters to be open to Biden.”
But will that be enough to sway the public?
Republican Party of Orange County Chairman Fred Whitaker said it is going to take more than Democrats bashing Trump to take the presidency.
The Democratic Party kicked off the first day of the four-day DNC in Milwaukee, Wis., and unlike years past, there were no cheering or balloons falling from the rafters on thousands of supporters inside a packed convention hall. Most people here in Orange County and across the nation watched the event at home on their televisions, laptops, or smartphones. It is all part of a larger effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that as of Monday has killed more than 170,000 Americans.
Leading up to the kick-off event, many local Democratic clubs and caucuses hosted Zoom fundraisers and watch pre-parties such as the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Biden, where Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim spoke.
The two-hour virtual convention emceed by Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria Bastón featured New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sanders, and former first lady Michelle Obama. The former first lady is one of the most beloved figures in Democratic politics, and commenters said her speech rebuking the Trump presidency was argubaly the most impactful of the night.
“So let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can,” Obama said. “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”
For many Orange County Democrats, the convention is an opportunity to continue expanding the blue wave that's been washing over OC politics of late. Once a Republican stronghold, and the place former President Ronald Reagan said “where all good Republicans die;” the Southern California region of more than 3 million people is slowly turning blue. Last year, more people registered as Democrats than Republicans, albeit slightly.
That hasn’t happened since 1973, said Orange County Democratic National Committee Member Melahat Rafiei.
Rafiei said she has attended a handful of Democratic National Conventions and this is the first time, “I didn’t have to wear heels.”
“It’s different. We’re not in crowded rooms,” said Rafiei, who watched opening night from her home in Orange. “But that didn’t take away my enthusiasm. I was clapping and screaming and cheering, but I just did it at home.”
Rafiei said she enjoyed listening to former first lady Obama who stressed the importance of empathy.
“She hit the right note,” Rafiei said. “Empathy is missing from up top. It’s been missing in our politics. That’s why we have to take the White House and Senate back.”
Democratic Party of Orange County Chair and Democratic National Committee Member-elect Ada Briceño was supposed to be in Milwaukee. Instead, Briceño watched the convention on her computer at her home in Stanton while texting and engaging with friends, family, and her Democratic colleagues.
Briceño said she got teary-eyed watching the national anthem being performed by kids across the country and “felt moved” by the moment of silence led by the two brothers of George Floyd, the Black man who was killed in May while in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking a global protest movement against racial injustice.
“It felt like a real coming together,” Briceño said. “I feel enthusiastic seeing all of these Democrats from around the nation. We’re going to do incredible work.”
She said Orange County residents should care about what is going on this week. Many local issues from school to reopening businesses have gone political, and it’s important to have someone supporting your causes, she said.
“This is important now more than ever,” she said. “Our state assembly and state senate and city councils and school boards matter more. All roads lead to politics.”
Whitaker, the Orange County GOP chair, didn’t get to watch the full two-hour convention since his group had their own meeting on Monday night, but he did catch a few snippets. Whitaker said he noticed the number of Democrats led by Obama bashing President Trump.
“Their whole setup is that they don’t like President Trump and to vote for them,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said Orange County is “ground zero” for taking back the U.S. House of Representatives. And despite the region turning blue, the county needs more local and state Republican leaders to balance out the government.
“I don’t agree with what Gov. Gavin Newsom has done,” Whitaker said. “We’ve shut down our entire economy. This fall, we’re facing a new split roll ballot measure, a wealth tax, and a new rent control initiative and more. It is critically important for us to maintain and gain in the state legislature. The presidential election plays a part, but we’re focusing on the local and state issues.”
For Dino, who watched the convention on a smart television and a laptop for analysis, he said he is excited about seeing all of the Democrats lining up to support the Biden-Harris ticket. Dino applauded the first lady for bringing up the importance of empathy especially during the global coronavirus pandemic. He wants to see a leader who is empathetic to everything going on, with millions of people losing their jobs and for thousands, their lives.
“She hit it right in the head,” Dino said. “It’s about the character of the person. It about the character of the person who is our leader and embodies what we want to see in our country.”