I know everyone has been writing about this but s a registered independent I think I might have a slightly different take on it. For the record I’ve always been an independent. I registered to vote on my 18th birthday and the first woman that tried to help me at city hall insisted that I needed to pick a party, but could change that party at any time. I’m old enough that we were taught civics at school so I knew she was wrong. Decades before I would have been called a Karen for it, I asked to speak to her supervisor who confirmed that my right to vote wasn’t predicated on joining a party. This would not be the last time I ran into someone all too sure of something completely false.

In my lifetime I’ve seen a lot of ideas about politics that could be classified by “Everybody knows” but were in fact wrong. This week another “Everybody knows” has been refuted. A political convention does not need to be dry as toast boring to pay some homage to the seriousness of the occasion. The DNC proved this year you can be serious and joyful and entertaining too. In a lot of ways it reminded me of the School House Rock videos of my childhood. And if you were of the School House Rock generation I bet you can still remember the lessons they taught you about how our government works.

Aside from the pure mechanics of totaling delegates and nominating your candidates the purpose of a political convention is to persuade the public that these candidates are worth voting for. You can’t persuade people if they’re not watching. Interleaving political speeches with well polished political videos and pop star performances keeps people watching. People who tuned in to see Pink sing still got an earful of the DNC’s message. It was a brilliant strategy and I hope it bears fruit in November.

And to anyone who is Gus Walz bashing hear this: deep down we all want what Tim Walz gave that boy. If my father told me he loved me and was proud on me I would definitely cry because like many men of his generation he doesn’t communicate his feelings. We all want that validation from our parents, and too few of us receive it. To hear your father say he loves you and is proud of you in front of a massive crowd of people would be exponentially more emotional. If you’re hating on Gus Walz for crying at that affirmation it is because you are jealous. Don’t be hating on Gus because his father has given him what your fathers failed to give to you. Don’t lash out, talk to a therapist. That’s what they’re for.