CHICAGO – Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, made sure Maryland delegates could savor the flavor of the Democratic National Convention well after they leave Chicago.
“Jamie’s Strong & Sweet Democracy Mustard” was set out on the welcome table for the state’s delegation breakfast Thursday morning and included in arrival swag bags for Maryland delegates.
The bottle says: “Mustard that agrees with your Constitution.”
Raskin’s cousins operate the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin – believed by the congressman to be the world’s only museum dedicated to the condiment.
This isn’t the first time the family has collaborated on campaign giveaways.
“Ever since I got into politics, they’ve been making mustards for my different campaigns,” Raskin told Capital News Service Thursday.
The museum houses over 6,000 jars of mustard from across the world.
Raskin v. Vance, Part Two
Raskin told the Maryland delegation breakfast Thursday that he wanted to criticize JD Vance more during his Monday convention speech. So he took the breakfast as an opportunity to lob more shots Republican vice presidential pick.
“JD Vance declared himself repeatedly in public as a never-Trumper … Today he’s a forever-Trumper,” Raskin said.
“Everybody’s waiting for the big debate between our amazing nominee, Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump. I’m waiting for the debate between JD Vance and JD Vance,” Raskin said.
The lawmaker also criticized Vance’s CNN interview where Vance mentioned Raskin multiple times.
“I think I got a little bit on his nerves, a little under skin,” Raskin said.
Colbert in town
One of our intrepid reporters skipped the third night of the Democratic convention after winning a ticket lottery to see “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater.
Arriving at the theater at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the stated time for check in, attendees were humbled by an eight-block-long line that stretched west underneath the L train from Michigan Avenue to Wells Street.
As guests in the theater eagerly awaited Colbert, they watched the CBS stream of the convention proceedings on several screens about the stage. Former Chicagoan Oprah Winfrey brought the house down and our reporter was the only attendee who appeared to be deeply invested in remarks from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz received a standing ovation inside the Auditorium, probably because the crowd was more than ready at that point for the real show to begin.
Colbert, who got his start in comedy at Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, appeared thrilled to be back in the Windy City.
Following his monologue, a pre-taped segment showed Colbert incognito (or not) as a hot dog vendor, hawking dawgs to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison.
The featured guest of the night was Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who addressed the convention earlier in the night. And for the grand finale: a performance from Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper.
Pro tip for the next show: get there early.
(News)paper-less convention
It’s a long tradition at political conventions for newspapers – local and out-of-town – to haul in thousands of free copies of their publications to share with delegates and the press.
Not here.
Our reliable sources tell us that the distributors for newspapers could not work out acceptable arrangements with security officials to deliver papers every day.
So no Chicago Tribune, no Chicago Sun-Times, no Washington Post, no New York Times, no USA Today, no papers anywhere in the United Center complex. Plenty of their reporters are here. Just no papers.
“Demobrat” summer
Capitalizing on Kamala Harris’s momentum with Gen Z online, some Democrats at the convention are wearing brat-green (sort of a neon color) “demobrat” pins.
The reference is to “BRAT,” the monster album from Charli xcx. And, well, if you know you know.
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