The Democratic Party Convention, which may have looked like an Irish wake a few weeks ago, has instead shown the remarkable change in the strategic positions of the two parties. The enthusiasm generated by Vice President Kamala Harris makes the Democrats appear victorious in November and spares the country a return to Trumpism and the existential threat to the constitutional order that this poses.

Despite all the excitement, some opportunities were missed this week that could prove fatal to the Democrats in November or later.

The highlight of Monday night’s convention was President Joe Biden’s speech. In some ways, the highlight preceded the speech, with delegates cheering the president for a full five minutes before he could make himself heard over the chants of “We love Joe.”

No convention has seen such emotion since the 1964 convention, when Robert F. Kennedy took the podium in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and delegates exploded for 22 minutes in a similar display of genuine affection. Biden deserved this honor, not only for his painful decision to resign, but for the 50 years of service to the party and the nation that preceded him.

Several speakers, including Biden, Senator Raphael Warnock and Representative Jamie Raskin, spoke powerfully about what the country endured on January 6, 2021. Biden spoke about his inauguration on January 20: “In front of me, in front of me was a city surrounded by the National Guard, behind me was a Capitol that had been overrun by a violent mob just two weeks earlier.”

This opening ceremony was, as I wrote at the time, “a powerful moment, a moment of redemption,” as the former crime scene was reclaimed as a stronghold of democracy.

What is missing from political gatherings is often as problematic as what is there. Party conventions have become coronation ceremonies, a fact that oddly does not serve the interests of the person being crowned. So while it is necessary to reintroduce Harris to the American people and help them get used to seeing her at the helm, it is not enough.

The convention is like making soup, and the first few days are about cooking the broth and preparing the ingredients for the acceptance speech on Thursday night. Similarly, elections are not just about winning, but winning in such a way that the person elected to lead the country does so with a mandate to do something.

The Convention’s biggest failure so far has been its failure to lay the foundations for a governing agenda, particularly on the issue of climate change.

The first to mention the issue was the first to speak: Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, who began his invocation with the words: “We praise you, O God of all creation. Awaken in us the resolve to protect your work.” For the rest of the evening, climate change was mentioned only in passing.

What Democrats need to do this week is explain the transition they want to lead the country through. For example, how can controversial issues like fracking be part of that transition, but only part of it? Our country needs policies that recognize the complexity of energy supply and the need for good-paying jobs in the emerging green economy. They need a roadmap, not just focus group-tested platitudes.

In a powerful part of the evening, three women – one accompanied by her husband – spoke about their experiences with unwanted pregnancies and how legal restrictions on abortion made it difficult for them to access emergency care.

Is there no way to create legislation that addresses these situations while maintaining a limit on late-term abortions? Is there no way to create a culture in our health care system that recognizes that both patients need care, but that protecting the life of the mother takes priority in situations like those described? And while I understand and believe the teachings of the Church, can we all agree that victims of rape and incest should be allowed abortion as a matter of public policy?

Instead of confronting these moral realities, Democrats have embraced a half-truth: You can’t tell a woman what to do with her body. It’s true that an unborn child is part of a woman’s body, but it’s also true that it’s not like the other body parts. It has its own DNA. Millions of Americans have seen an ultrasound of their unborn children or grandchildren.

Are there no limits that seem advisable? roe v. Wade And Casey v. Planned Parenthood both had restrictions on abortion. Why can’t we even discuss this today?

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was not in Chicago on Monday but in Jerusalem, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and persuaded him to agree to the Biden administration’s ceasefire proposal, which has been described as a “bridge proposal” that brings the warring parties to the front lines of a ceasefire.

“I am here as part of an intense diplomatic effort at the direction of President Biden to get this deal through and ultimately passed,” Blinken said. “It’s time for it to be implemented.”

There were protesters outside the United Center, but none of them were protesting against Hamas’ intransigence. One protester said he supported Hamas and specifically supported the October 7, 2023 pogrom. He may be an outsider, but the media found him.

In his speech, Biden said of the protesters: “You are right,” adding: “Many innocent people are being killed on both sides.”

That is true. It is also true that the moral responsibility for the deaths of civilians in Gaza rests at least equally with Israel and Hamas. Israel bombs targets it identifies as terrorist command centers and hideouts, but it is Hamas that embeds those targets in the civilian infrastructure. Will no one speak that truth this week?

Still, Biden deserves praise for thinking outside the box and trying to get negotiations back on track, not only to end the war but also to establish something like peace in the region.

I was also surprised that there weren’t more echoes of the themes and policies Harris outlined in her speech last Friday in North Carolina. If Biden has helped America recover from the economic fallout of Covid-19, Harris has laid out the next steps to ensure center-left policies help working and middle-class families, with what Paul Krugman called “a moderate center-left position that isn’t too different from President Biden’s original Build Back Better agenda.”

This is to break through the talk of a culture war: The Democrats will help cities like Latrobe (Pennsylvania) and Detroit (Michigan) to rebuild. Donald Trump only promises to help the bigwigs and hopes that the prosperity will trickle down, which never happens.

We’ll see what the final two nights of the convention bring. Tonight, Governor Tim Walz takes center stage, and tomorrow night, Harris closes the convention with her acceptance speech. The Democratic base is undoubtedly recharged, and Harris has found serious traction among voters who previously supported Robert Kennedy Jr., but Democrats need to reach voters who are still undecided.

These undecided voters have processed Trump’s and Biden’s terms in office. They see the glaring differences. They know what happened on January 6th. And they are still undecided. Who knows what moves them? But they are the ones who will still decide who lives in the White House for the next four years.