Jane Williams, from South Fulton, Ga., cheers during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20.

At the end of his remarks at last week’s Democratic National Convention, former president Bill Clinton said, “We need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us.”

“Let us choose joooooy!” echoed Oprah Winfrey later that night, belting that last syllable — a mini aria delivered from the stage as the audience erupted in applause.

During a convention that officially delivered Vice President Harris the Democratic Party’s endorsement for this year’s presidential race, multiple prominent speakers invoked joy as the party’s promised alternative to right-wing MAGA politics. The three-letter word was repeated more than 50 times throughout the convention — pumped out with so much exuberance that confetti was practically flying out of my car radio as I listened along.

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Joy as political branding is savvy, considering how un-joyful and even apathetic many voters felt in the wake of President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance during his June debate with Donald Trump.

Joy is also a little bit absurd and spectacular, a fitting follow-up for a campaign that’s embraced buzzwords like “weird” and “brat” instead of relying on........

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