NOTE: There were many fine speeches on Tuesday night, the second day of the DNC. Watching the full evening video would be a good investment of spare time.

Below I will excerpt only two, which stood out for me: that of Senator Bernie Sanders, here almost in full, and some especially pertinent points by Michelle Obama.

Rather than bask in the high spirits and enthusiasm of the DNC (which was very real and welcome, but well-covered elsewhere), they spoke of some of the hard times which preceded this upsurge, and which may well return if the Harris-Walz ticket is not successful.

Obama was the more eloquent, and brought emotion and soul to the hall; Bernie was his gruff, indomitable and determined self, summarizing many major policy tasks and tough fights which will face Kamala Harris and her team if they are elected. I believe both are useful reminders as the convention proceeds.

There will be more outstanding oratory on Wednesday evening. Before it gets fully underway, readers are invited to take a few minutes to go over these cautions and challenges laid down from Tuesday.

Bernie’s Tuesday speech, edited from closed captions on C-Span video:

My fellow Americans, it is an honor to be with you tonight, because we’re laying the groundwork for Kamala Harris to become our next president. And let me tell you why this is so important.

I want you to remember where we were three and a half years ago: in the midst of the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic downturn since the great depression.

3000 Americans were dying every day, and hospitals were overwhelmed with covid patients. Schools were closing, budgets were running out of money, people were being evicted from their homes. Children were going hungry.

That was the reality the Biden Harris administration faced as they entered the oval office: a nation suffering, a nation frightened, people looking to their government for support.

But our government did respond.

We extended and expanded benefits for the unemployed. We guaranteed health care coverage to tens of millions of Americans, and had one of the largest expansions of Medicaid in history. We provided rent relief and mortgage assistance, which prevented tenants and homeowners from being evicted. We established many emergency food programs, we cut childhood poverty by 20%.

Thank you president Biden, thank you vice president Harris, thank you democratic congress.

Now, I say all of this not to relive that difficult moment, but to make one simple point: when the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country.

And now we need to summon that will again, because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by. to put food on the table, to pay the rent, to get the health care they need.

Brothers and sisters, bottom line: we need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class. [applause]

When 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck, the top 1% have never, ever had it so good. And these oligarchs tell us we should not tax the rich. The oligarchs tell us we should not take on price gouging. we should not expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision for increased Social Security benefits for struggling seniors.

Well, I have got some bad news for them: that is precisely what we are going to do. and we are going to win this struggle because this is precisely what the American people want from their government.

And my friends, at the very top of that to do list is the need to get big money out of our political process. Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, including primary elections. For the sake of our democracy, we must overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision. and move for the public funding of elections.

And let me tell you what else we must do: we need to join the rest of the industrialized world and guarantee health care to all people as a human rights, not a privilege. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. We need to pass the PRO [Preserve the Right to Organize a union] Act so that workers can organize into unions and gain the decent pay and benefits they deserve.

We need to strengthen public education, raise teachers’ salaries, and make sure that every American, regardless of income, receives the higher education he or she needs.

We need to take on Big Pharma, and cut our prescription drug costs in half, so that we no longer pay any more than other countries. Joe and Kamala Harris made sure no senior in America pays over $35 per month for insulin. We need to make sure this is true for every American.

I look forward to working to pass this agenda. And let us be clear, this is not a radical agenda.

But let me tell you what a radical agenda is, and that is Trump’s Project 2025. at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, giving more tax breaks to billionaires is radical. Putting forth budgets that cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is radical. Letting polluters destroy our planet is radical, and my friends, we will not let that happen.

Fellow Americans, in the last three and a half years, working together, we have accomplished more than any government since FDR. But much, much more remains to be done. We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad.

We must end this horrific war in Gaza. bring home the hostages and demand an immediate cease-fire. At home we must take on Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Agriculture, Big Tech and all of the other corporate monopoly monoliths, whose greed is denying progress for working people.

On November 5, let us elect Kamala Harris as our president and let us go forward to create a nation we know we can become.

Thank you all very much.

Tuesday Protests:

CHICAGO (AP) — At least 55 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a situation the police chief called “a danger to our city.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the United Center where Democrats were meeting, “showed up with the intention of committing acts of violence, vandalism.”

“As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything that we could to de-escalate that situation,” Snelling said during a news conference. “But there’s only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition.” . . .

Earlier, a small band of protesters, shouting “Arms Embargo Now” were removed from inside the DNC Union Center.

Excerpts from Michele Obama’s speech:

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it? You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading across this country we love. A familiar feeling that has been buried too deep for far too long.

You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope.

The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation, the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for.

America, hope is making a comeback.

Yeah. But, to be honest, I am realizing that, until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope. And maybe you’ve experienced the same feelings, that deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future. . . .

I wasn’t even sure if I’d be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel . . . . And to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future. . . .

The belief that if you do unto others, if you love thy neighbor, if you work and scrape and sacrifice, it will pay off. If not for you, then maybe for your children or your grandchildren. . . .

My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignified. . . .

We don’t get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something. . . .

Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I sadly know a little something about this.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.

It’s his same old con. His same old con. Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.

Look, because cutting our health care, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through I.V.F., like I did — those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers and daughters.

Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books — none of that will prepare our kids for the future. Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love, look, that doesn’t make anybody’s life better. Instead, instead, it only makes us small. . . . And quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.

So, why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office. Why would we normalize that type of backward leadership?

. . . America, our parents taught us better than that. And we deserve so much better than that. That’s why we must do everything in our power to elect two of those good, big-hearted people. There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. No other choice.

But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. Let us not forget what we are up against.

Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now. We’re loving it. They are packing arenas across the country. Folks are energized. We are feeling good.

But remember, there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, who are ready to question and criticize every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those lies, who don’t want to vote for a woman, who will continue to prioritize building their wealth over ensuring that everyone has enough.

So no matter how good we feel tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies.

No. See, because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

Kamala and Tim, they have lived amazing lives. And I am confident that they will lead with compassion, inclusion and grace. But they are still only human. They are not perfect. And like all of us, they will make mistakes.

But luckily, y’all, this is not just on them. This is up to us, all of us, to be the solution that we seek. It’s up to all of us to be the antidote to the darkness and division. . . . This is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right.

To stand up not just for our basic freedoms, but for decency and humanity. For basic respect, dignity and empathy. For the values at the very foundation of this democracy. It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: Don’t just sit around and complain, do something! . . .Do something! . . . Do something!. . . .

We only have two and a half months, y’all, to get this done. Only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan.

So we cannot afford for anyone, anyone, anyone in America to sit on their hands and wait to be called. Don’t complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to you to ask you for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.

You know what you need to do. So consider this to be your official ask. Michelle Obama is asking you — no, I’m telling y’all — to do something.