Bradley Cooper’s production of A Star is Born was reflected in the Democratic Party’s national convention. In the film, Ally (Lady Gaga) is a small town, struggling singer/songwriter. She impresses a country rock music star, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), who invites her to join him at one of his concerts. He coaxes her on stage to sing one of her songs in a duet. Starting slowly and shyly, Ally finally bursts out with her real power, alone belting out “I’m off the deep end, Watch as I dive in, I’ll never meet the ground,” from the Academy award winning song “Shallow.” The large audience rises and cheers. Ally quickly morphs from the struggling Ally into the new-born concert performing diva Ally. A star is born.
Much like the struggling Ally, Kamala Harris had a disappointing presidential run and a decidedly inauspicious term as vice-president. When Harris stood on stage in Chicago on August 22 facing a packed auditorium with almost 30 million people watching on television, the media announced this was going to be the speech of Harris’s life, her defining moment. Her acceptance speech, the media predicted, would have an importance unlike any previous speech she had ever given as a San Francisco district attorney, attorney general of California, U.S. senator from California, or even as vice president. This was her Ally moment. “Kamala Harris nailed the greatest speech of her life,” the Daily Beast trumpeted. “How Kamala Harris Nailed the Most Important Part of Her DNC Speech,” Slateheadlined. A star was born.
Is comparing a Hollywood feel good romantic musical story and a political campaign convention speech for president a viable comparison?
In some ways yes. The convention was not just a political party event. It was a spectacle. Numerous stars spoke on stage (Oprah Winfrey, Kenan Thompson among them) as well as performing live music (Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Pink, The Chicks among them). There were even rumors of Beyoncé showing up. (Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” is the official campaign and theme song of the Harris presidential bid.)
If sports has turned from sports to business to entertainment, politics has also turned to entertainment. Each speech was analyzed for style and content like a new song release. Supporting speakers were judged for eventual leading roles (Gretchen Whitmer? Josh Shapiro? Pete Buttigieg?). The mis-en-scène of the entire convention was critiqued by political observers as if they were theatre critics evaluating a Broadway opening. (Who spoke when? Did Biden speak too late? Where were the pro-Palestinian delegates?)
Even fashion writers chimed in. This from Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times’ fashion critic; “In the end, she did not wear a white suit. For the biggest, most consequential speech of her life, for the headline appearance in four days of high pageantry, Kamala Harris accepted her nomination as the Democratic candidate for president in navy blue. That’s a bigger symbolic statement than it may at first appear,” Friedman began, as if analyzing a Paris or Milan fashion runway instead of a political party nominating convention.
And what about zingers? If Hamlet can be reduced to one phrase: “To be, or not to be, that is the question,” the convention was a contest to see which of the numerous orators produced the best one liner. Tim Dickinson in Rolling Stone rated the 7 best one-liners at the convention. Among them: “I know a predator when I see one,” by Kamala Harris. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned, Trump golfs,” Bernie Sanders. “Don’t forget Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me,” Hillary Clinton.
The Obamas had their share in the zinger contest. Note how The Boston Globe introduced Barack’s take down of Trump. The Globe quoted “The former president, Nobel Peace Prize winner, best-selling author and constitutional law scholar… ‘It just goes on, and on, and on,’ Obama said. ‘The other day I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. Now, from a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous.’” Or another past president’s effort in the zinger contest; “The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies—count the I’s.”
And Michelle Obama got considerable play with; ““I want to know, who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs,” she said, referring to Trump’s June assertion that migrants coming into the U.S. across the southern border are taking “Black jobs.”
All of this fits in with the general narrative of evaluating a successful theatrical production. Kamala Harris came away from the convention as the star of an entertainment spectacle, Emmy, Oscar, and Tony awards combined for best actress. And to guarantee the show’s success, more than 200 content creators were invited to the convention to serve as a claque to spread the enthusiasm on social media. So just as Ally left her first concert with Jackson as a budding music star, Harris left the convention as the political star, overtaking Trump in the race to sit in the Oval Office.
But hold on. While the convention may have been a success as far as entertainment, do we want Hollywood actors and narratives to establish who will run the country? We’ve already had one president who was a former actor and another who starred in his own television series. Are we accepting that to be an entertainer is a necessary (or only?) criterion for political leadership?
As a counterfactual, the venerated General and President Dwight Eisenhower is now remembered for his warning about the military-industrial complex in his farewell address. But Eisenhower struggled with public speaking, often mispronouncing words even in that famous speech. He would certainly have gotten low marks speaking at the United Center.
A recent Economist piece rightly asked “Kamala Harris can beat Donald Trump. But how would she govern?” It’s one thing to be an A-list entertainer, it’s another to be president of the United States. The Democratic National Convention was a show, a spectacle with little serious presentations of what the party envisions for the future, except pandering to “middle class, working Americans” and demonizing Donald Trump.
The Democrats’ turn to joyful politics should not be underestimated. But the medium should not be the only message. Political leaders should not be just media stars. After her defining moment, Ally went on to sustained stardom beyond her momentary, revelatory breakthrough. And Kamala Harris?
