Analysis: The 5 most important DNC speeches

And she remains a popular figure within the Democratic Party — many of whom believe she should be the president right now.

At the same time, Biden’s campaign is mindful of the fact that President Donald Trump and his allies would like nothing more than a high-profile speech by Clinton — given how loathed she is by the GOP base (including many people who are very skeptical about Trump.)

Clinton will be speaking on Wednesday night — the same night vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris (more on her below) will address the convention. You can bet the Biden forces hope the big story coming out of the night is the California senator, not the party’s 2016 nominee.

4. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

While former President Bill Clinton and 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry will speak on Tuesday night, it’s the New York congresswoman whose words will be watched most closely.

AOC, perhaps the most recognizable liberal elected official in the country this side of Bernie Sanders (more on him below), has already been at the center of a controversy going into the convention.

Progressives have taken umbrage with the fact that she was given only 60 seconds of speaking time by the convention committee, a slight, they argued, given her massive national profile.

3. Bernie Sanders:

Because the coronavirus pandemic effectively ended the primary fight in mid-March — it was clear Joe Biden was a heavy favorite by that point — there’s not been all that much coverage of the man who, for most of the month of February, looked like he was going to be the nominee.

(Sidebar: That document is the one that President Trump has repeatedly cited on the campaign trail as evidence that Biden is beholden to the most liberal elements of the party.)

Even so, every single word of Sanders’ speech will be parsed to see if he fully embraces the Biden view of the Democratic Party — which is significantly more moderate and compromise-driven that the vision the Vermont independent has advocated for decades.

Especially watch what Sanders says, if anything, on health care. He supports the “Medicare for All” plan, a piece of legislation Biden has said not only would never pass but could lead to the dismantling of the “Affordable Care Act.”

2. Joe Biden:

Although Biden has been around American politics for the last five decades — and spent eight years as vice president — there’s still a chunk of the population for whom his acceptance speech will be the first extended exposure they have to him.

Biden, for those of us who have long followed his career, is a dependable and at times emotional and arresting speaker. He tells his own personal story, which deals with the death of his first wife and his 1-year old daughter in a 1972 car accident and the death, much more recently of his son, Beau, from cancer, in a compelling and moving way.

(Biden’s solid speech-giving stands in stark contrast to his struggle to perform well in a debate setting.)

And Biden, for many people, will have to clear a low(ish) bar in his speech. He simply needs to show that he is a grown-up, a responsible alternative to the chaos, bullying and impetuousness of President Donald Trump. Someone who can restore order — both domestically and internationally.

1. Kamala Harris:

This is the most important speech for a Democratic vice presidential nominee in decades. 

And it’s not because Biden needs Harris to show she’s up to the job that he picked her for. It’s for Harris to show that she’s up for the job that she could be running for as soon as 2024 if Biden, who will turn 81 that year, decides not to run for a second term.

Because of the uncertainty of Biden’s future plans, Harris’ speech, which she will deliver on Wednesday night, will be seen as her chance to make very clear that she will be the unquestioned 2024 frontrunner if Biden steps aside.

Now, even if she delivers a terrific speech, she would not likely have the 2024 field to herself if Biden steps aside. But it would make her first among equals for the nomination in four years’ time.

If Harris’ performance is more lackluster, she opens the door for other

ambitious Democrats who will also be eyeing the possibility of an open fight for the 2024 nod.

One complicating factor for Harris: She speaks on the same night as former President Barack Obama, who remains the single best political orator in either party at the moment.