The stage is set for the 2024 Democratic National Convention for Vice President Kamala Harris to officially become the second woman in history to hold the blue party’s nomination to compete in the November presidential election. The event is now taking place in Chicago, the city where the Democrats have celebrated unforgettable events in their history, such as 1968, marked by the anti-Vietnam War riots that led to the trial of the Chicago Seven (an episode made into a film by Aaron Sorkin in 2020); and 1996, when the party danced to the planetary anthem of those years, the Macarenawhile dominating the country’s political map.
Twenty-eight years have passed and that year’s convention remains one of the most iconic. It was the second coronation of President Bill Clinton, who was comfortably leading in the polls and promised a crushing victory against his opponent, Republican Bob Dole. After the controversial years of Ronald Reagan and the end of the Cold War, the political pendulum was in favor of the Democrats like never before.
One of the most memorable speeches of that year was that of actor Christopher Reeve, the famous star of Supermanwho at the time was paralyzed after having suffered a terrible accident that turned him into an activist for people with disabilities in the United States; but the most memorable moment occurred when all the delegates danced to the song by Los Del Río, Macarenawhile a smiling and insipid Hillary Clinton applauded non-stop from the stands.
Those images Footage broadcast on C-Span cameras showed a room bursting with joy, with delegates waving, twirling and swaying to the song. It was a music video that showcased the party’s youthful vitality, its ethnic and sexual diversity (one man can be seen wrapped in the LGBT+ flag as he dances), and the joy that only winners convey.
The Republicans also danced the Macarena that year in San Diego, but it went down without a hitch. Democrats appropriated the song, making it their nightly convention ritual. Vice President Al Gore even joked during one of his speeches about performing his own version of the dance, but was unable to do so. It didn’t matter because he and Clinton set the pace for the nation.
The New York Times described the 1996 Democratic convention as a “variety show.” If the Republicans turned their convention into an infomercial, the Democrats opted for an Oprah Winfrey-style show. The cast of the Broadway musical, Rentperforming a song called Seasons of Lovea show of compassion for AIDS sufferers; Emmylou Harris singing Abraham, Martin and Johnin honor of Lincoln, Luther King and Kennedy; and Aretha Franklin enthralled the audience with her rendition of the national anthem at an event filled with gospel music (and also evangelical sermons) to showcase the African-American community in the splendor of its family values and identity-based enthusiasm.
President Clinton’s acceptance speech ended with the playing of the song Beginnings by the rock band Chicago, taken from their first album Chicago Transit Authoritywhich featured chants from protesters during the 1968 riots. It was a way to vindicate them. Nearly 30 years later, the Harris-Walz campaign will have the pro-Palestine protests in the air, and the challenge of invoking the song in which Americans can once again see themselves reflected.
