9 August 29 - september 4, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents weapons possible on the field. For now, the Cowboys are going into this season with nothing but ifs at running back, not dominant killer robots. The Cowboys might be successful if El- liott can turn back the clock on Father Time to become a short yardage beast, or if Rico Dowdle magically realizes the potential we’ve been told he has for the past four sea- sons and if Royce Freeman does something he hasn’t done since 2019. Maybe then there’s hope that we do live in a cartoon and Devastator has indeed taken over. ▼ ELECTIONS RUN DNC JASMINE CROCKETT CEMENTS RISING STAR STATUS. BY EMMA RUBY A s the first night of the Democratic National Convention wrapped up in Chicago last week, one thing was abundantly clear: The Democrats have a deep bench, and the women on that bench are its key players. The diversity and youth of the party’s future leaders was on display during the prime time speeches, with U.S. Reps. Al- exandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crock- ett making some of the biggest splashes. While Ocasio-Cortez is acquainted with the national stage (her stirring performance is now drawing comparisons to the 2004 DNC speech made by Barack Obama) this was a breakout performance for the fresh- man Crockett. Her slot on the agenda was signal enough of her high regard in the party: She spoke in prime time, following AOC and Hillary Clinton and ahead of vari- ous state governors and President Joe Biden. Crockett, who represents Dallas in Con- gress, used her 10 minutes on stage to em- phasize the importance of November’s election while teetering between her signa- ture sass and raw reflection. “On November 5, our nation will hire a President,” Crockett said at the opening of her speech. “So let’s compare the resumes, shall we?” She drew comparisons between presi- dential nominees Kamala Harris and Don- ald Trump, reiterating the prosecutor versus felon narrative the party has touted since Harris took the ticket’s helm last month. Crockett also emphasized the threat that “Project 2025” poses to the Constitution, and Harris’ successes in advocating for women’s reproductive rights and in assisting with last month’s prisoner swap with Russia that brought four Americans home. When Crockett referenced the strict abortion bans in place in Texas, she pointed and waved to the state’s delegation, which could be heard loudly cheering for the con- gresswoman. “Texas was all on their feet [for Jas- mine],” Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon, who is serving as a first-time del- egate at the convention, told the Observer. “The women were on fire last night.” Then, Crockett got personal. She endorsed Harris’ character through a story about the doubt Crockett felt when entering congress in 2023. While telling the story, which she described as difficult to talk about, she became visibly emotional, elicit- ing cheers and applause from the audience. “The chaos caucus couldn’t elect the speaker, and the Oversight Committee was unhinged,” Crockett said. “As I approached Vice President Harris for our official photo, she turned to me and asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ … I immediately began crying. And the most powerful woman in the world wiped my tears and listened.” Blackmon felt the “touching” story was a chance for Crockett to humanize Harris and remind voters that both of the women are regular people. “People forget that we’re people too, in elected positions. And it showed that [Harris] still takes time, no matter where she is in her day, to make sure that everybody around her is doing fine,” Blackmon said. “I think to hear a woman conveying that to another woman who had just been elected and was still in this limbo space, it was very endearing.” After the emotional moment, Crockett commented about the viral moments that have given her “her legislative legs.” Earlier this year, Crockett exploded on social media for calling out the far-right U.S. Rep. Marjo- rie Taylor Greene, stating the woman had a “bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body.” That alliteration was back in style for the closing of Crockett’s speech, where she asked if the country is willing to allow a “vindictive, vile villain violate voters’ vision for a better America?” The line was met with raucous ap- plause and a sly smile from Crockett. “When [Harris] is our president, to- gether we will shine as that beacon of hope and freedom around the world once more,” Crockett ended with. “God bless, y’all.” Youtube / C-SPAN U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett called out Donald Trump’s felonies and misdeeds. Hold on to your stethoscopes! West Coast University-Texas has been nominated as a Best University in the 2024 Best of Dallas awards. VOTE FOR US!
