民主党全国代表大会的第三天，该党的副总统候选人、明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹(Tim Walz)在主题演讲中向美国人以及几位重量级人物介绍了自己，这个晚上强调了该党所谓的“欢乐”政治。
随着民主党全国委员会为第四个也是最后一个晚上做准备，副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯接受该党的总统提名，下面是一些亮点和关键要点。
沃尔兹介绍了自己
沃尔兹在他的大会演讲中做了他的工作。他吹嘘自己的背景，喋喋不休地讲述他在陆军国民警卫队和高中教师的经历。
“是那些球员和我的学生激励我去竞选国会议员。他们在我身上看到了我希望灌输给他们的东西:对共同利益的承诺，”他说。
他还宣传了自己的政策成就，他在明尼苏达州公立学校提供免费早餐和午餐的政策赢得了特别热烈的掌声。
沃尔兹说，当共和党人在学校禁止书籍时，“我们在我们的学校消除饥饿。”
然后，他履行了一个忠诚的二把手的职责——提升他的老板。
“如果你是一个中产阶级家庭或试图进入中产阶级的家庭，卡玛拉·哈里斯将会削减你的税收，”他说。“如果你想买房，卡玛拉·哈里斯会帮助你让它变得更实惠。”
然后，以真正的“周五之夜之光”的方式，他用足球的比喻发出了行动的号召。
“我们落后了一个球，但我们在进攻，我们得到了球，”他在吹捧哈里斯为球队领袖之前说。"我们在赛场上飞驰，天哪，我们是不是找对了队伍。"
“快乐”是这个夜晚的关键词
奥普拉·温弗瑞敦促选民“选择快乐”
前总统比尔·克林顿称哈里斯为“快乐的总统”
沃尔兹说，哈里斯一直“充满活力、激情和快乐地”服务
周三晚上，民主党全国委员会的发言者提到了大约35次“喜悦”这个词，因为他们努力描绘了沃尔兹和哈里斯在白宫的光明未来，而他们的票是最符合逻辑的一张。
克林顿称哈里斯是“明确的选择”。
温弗瑞在哈里斯和特朗普之间做出了一个选择，即选择“乐观而不是愤世嫉俗”，“常识而不是废话”，以及“明天的甜蜜承诺而不是痛苦地回到昨天。”
前佐治亚州副州长、共和党人杰夫·邓肯(Geoff Duncan)表示，共和党“混乱而疯狂，唯一要做的就是甩掉特朗普。”
“这些天来，我们党的行为更像一个邪教。一个崇拜重罪犯的邪教，”他说。听着，你不必同意卡玛拉·哈里斯的每一个政策立场。我不知道，但你必须认识到她检察官的心态，明白是非善恶。"
被视为“为我们的自由而战”的选举
当晚的主题是“为我们的自由而战”周三晚上，发言者通过频繁援引保守的蓝图项目2025以及它对生殖权利等问题的意义来部分解决这一问题。
资深“SNL”演员基南·汤普森甚至表演了一个综艺短剧，取笑“项目2025”他带来了一本名为“2025项目”的书，并与全国各地的人们谈论保守党的政策将如何伤害他们，引起了人群的嘘声和笑声。
节目的一部分也将起义置于聚光灯下，发言人包括众议院1月6日委员会主席、众议员本尼·汤普森(Bennie Thompson)，该委员会经过一年的调查，建议司法部就支持特朗普的暴徒袭击美国国会大厦一事对特朗普提起刑事指控。
邓肯在讲话中提到了2020年大选的后果，并指出他登上民主党全国委员会领奖台的道路始于特朗普试图推翻他在佐治亚州输给拜登总统的选举。
前众议院议长南希·佩洛西谈到袭击对民主的威胁，但没有提到川普的名字。
她说:“从来没有一位美国总统如此肆无忌惮地攻击我们民主的基石，如此兴高采烈地拥抱政治暴力，如此蓄意地背叛他的就职誓言。”
“让我们不要忘记是谁在1月6日攻击了民主。他做到了。但是，让我们不要忘记那天是谁拯救了民主。我们做到了，”她说。
她说，当天晚上回到国会大厦的立法者证明了“美国民主占了上风”，并呼吁选民现在通过选举哈里斯和瓦尔兹“拒绝专制”和“选择民主”。
以色列裔美国人质的父母情绪激动地恳求
在其中一个更激动人心的时刻，一名以色列裔美国人质的父母让许多代表落泪，他们讲述了320天的痛苦，并推动达成停火协议，让他们的儿子回家。
乔恩·波林和雷切尔·戈德堡是赫什·戈德堡-波林的父母，他们在舞台上发言时，强忍泪水，受到了巨大的欢呼和“带他们回家”的歌声。10月7日，这位23岁的年轻人在以色列南部的一个音乐节上庆祝自己的生日。
“那是320天前。从那以后，我们生活在另一个星球上，”戈德堡说。
波林说，他和他的妻子在白宫多次会见了乔·拜登总统和卡玛拉·哈里斯副总统。
“他们都在不知疲倦地为人质和停火协议而努力，这将使我们宝贵的孩子、母亲、父亲、配偶、祖父母和孙子女回家。我们将结束加沙的绝望，”他对欢呼的人群说。
民主党全国委员会培养出顶尖人才
在周二晚上客串的点名之后，周三晚上看到了更多大牌明星的表演，包括音乐传奇人物斯蒂维·旺德。
约翰·传奇和希拉·e为明尼苏达州的传奇人物普林斯演唱了一首歌曲，以纪念这位明尼苏达州州长。
阿曼达·戈尔曼(Amanda Gorman)在2021年拜登-哈里斯(Biden-Harris)就职典礼上朗诵了她的诗歌《我们攀登的山》(The Hill We Climb)后赢得了全国声誉，她还在民主党全国委员会(DNC)上朗诵了一首强调团结的新诗。
在迄今为止罕见的音乐表演中，Wonder直接面对观众。
“今年，我非常努力地祈祷和平降临到世界各国，也降临到我们每一个人的心中，”他在表演他的经典作品《高地》之前说
“尽管我们的心已经被击败，破碎得无法祈祷，但我知道重要的行动，现在是时候了解我们在哪里，以及要赢得胜利需要什么。赢得破碎的心。他说:“赢得那些不抱幻想的人。“现在是时候了。”
Joy, freedom and dumping Trump: 5 takeaways from DNC Night 3
Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention saw the party's vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, introduce himself to Americans in the keynote speech, as well as several heavy-hitters, in a night that stressed what the party calls the politics of "joy."
Here's a look at some of highlights and key takeaways, as the DNC gears up for the fourth and final night featuring Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the party's nomination for president.
Walz introduces himself
Walz did his job in his convention speech. He touted his own background, rattling through his experience in the Army National Guard and as a high school teacher.
"It was those players and my students who inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I hoped to instill in them: a commitment to the common good," he said.
He also promoted his policy accomplishments, garnering particularly loud applause for his policy providing free breakfast and lunch in Minnesota public schools.
Walz said that while Republicans were banning books in schools, "we were banishing hunger in ours."
And then, he served the duty of a loyal No. 2 -- boosting his boss.
"If you're a middle class family or a family trying to get into the middle class, Kamala Harris is going to cut your taxes," he said. "If you're hoping to buy a home, Kamala Harris is going to help make it more affordable."
And then, in true "Friday Night Lights" fashion, he issued a call to action with a football metaphor.
"We're down a field goal, but we're on offense and we've got the ball," he said before touting Harris as the team leader. "We're driving down the field, and boy, do we have the right team."
'Joy' a key word of the night
Oprah Winfrey urged voters to "choose joy."
Former President Bill Clinton called Harris the "president of joy."
Walz said Harris has consistently served "with energy, with passion and with joy."
Speakers at the DNC mentioned the word "joy" approximately 35 times Wednesday night, as they worked to paint a bright future with Walz and Harris in the White House and their ticket the most logical one.
Clinton called Harris the "clear choice."
Winfrey made the choice between Harris and Trump one of choosing "optimism over cynicism," "common sense over nonsense" and "the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday."
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, said the GOP is "chaotic and crazy, and the only thing left to do is dump Trump."
"These days, our party acts more like a cult. A cult worshiping a felonious thug," he said. Look, you don't have to agree with every policy position of Kamala Harris. I don't, but you do have to recognize her prosecutor mindset that understands right from wrong, good from evil."
Election pegged as a 'fight for our freedoms'
The theme of the night was "A Fight for Our Freedoms." Speakers addressed that in part Wednesday night by frequently invoking the conservative blueprint Project 2025 and what it would mean for issues like reproductive rights.
Veteran "SNL" actor Kenan Thompson even performed a variety skit that poked fun at "Project 2025." He brought the prop "Project 2025" book and talked with people across the country about how the conservative policies would harm them, drawing boos and laughs from the crowd.
A portion of the programming also put the insurrection in the spotlight, with speakers including Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Jan. 6 committee, which after a yearlong investigation recommended the Justice Department bring criminal charges against Trump over the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Duncan referred to the aftermath of the 2020 election in his remarks, noting that his path to the DNC podium began when Trump tried to overturn his election loss to President Biden in Georgia.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to the assault's threat to democracy without mentioning Trump by name.
"Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office," she said.
"Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on Jan. 6. He did! But let us not forget who saved democracy that day. We did," she said.
She said lawmakers returning to the Capitol that same night demonstrated that "American democracy prevailed" and called on voters now to "reject autocracy" and "choose democracy" by electing Harris and Walz.
Parents of Israeli-American hostage make emotional plea
In one of the more emotional moments, the parents of an Israeli-American hostage brought many delegates to tears as they recounted 320 days of anguish and pushed for a cease-fire deal to bring their son home.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were greeted with huge cheers and chants of "Bring them home," as they spoke on stage, fighting back tears. The 23-year-old was at a music festival in south Israel celebrating his birthday on Oct. 7.
"That was 320 days ago. Since then, we live on another planet," Goldberg said.
Polin said that he and his wife have met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris numerous times at the White House.
"They're both working tirelessly for a hostage and cease-fire deal that will bring our precious children, mothers, fathers, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren home. And we'll stop the despair in Gaza," he said to cheers.
DNC brings out top talent
Following Tuesday night's cameo-filled roll call, Wednesday night saw performances from more big names, including music legend Stevie Wonder.
John Legend and Sheila E. performed a tribute to Prince, a Minnesota legend, in honor of the Minnesota governor.
Amanda Gorman, who gained national fame after reciting her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the Biden-Harris inauguration in 2021, also read a new poem at the DNC that stressed unity.
In a rare act so far for the musical acts, Wonder addressed the crowd directly.
"This year I prayed very hard for peace to come to our world's nations, but also to each one of our hearts," he said in remarks before his performance of his classic "Higher Ground."
"Even though our hearts have been beaten and broken beyond prayer, I know the important action and now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win. Win the broken hearts. Win the disenchanted," he said. "Now is the time."
