Delegates cheer during the third day session of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
It’s official, Hillary Clinton will be our Democrat box pick, and Donald Trump will be our GOP box pick come the November Presidential election.
In one word, yikes. In 700 words or so…
I can’t get into this column about the partisan conventions these past two weeks without first addressing the actions taken by Democratic National Convention Chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz and company. Prior to the DNC, Wasserman-Schultz was exposed in an email scandal via Wikileaks that she worked to undermine Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Wasserman-Schultz resigned following the news, but in a sort of mind-boggling aftermath was immediately given an honorary position on Clinton’s campaign. Huh.
Sanders supporters had a right to be angry. The “impartial” DNC betrayed Bernie Sanders. While they were unruly during the DNC, often booing and shouting over speakers. For how soon it happened, being told, “Hey, man. That’s life, it sucks. But suck it up and vote for the person you’ve been writing scathing 1,000 word Facebook statuses about for the past year,” went as successfully as it could have. Still, Sanders showed strong leadership by assessing the bigger picture and endorsing Clinton — after getting most of his platform absorbed that is.
Former Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to supporters during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
On to some thoughts of the bizarre circuses that went on these past two weeks.
The political party conventions are truly some of the strangest circuses. I’m not so sure there’s much to be especially excited about either party this year, what with each candidate being the least popular candidates of all time. Yet, the conventions were standing room only. However, it is a monumental week in that the first woman in party history was selected to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Neither convention is immune to the storm of yahoos (I literally mean people who would say “yahoo” non-ironically) dressed in bizarre, over-the-top patriotic outfits brandishing signs emblazoned with impassioned calls to action. The whole thing gives off a weird vibe. Like, how are so many people that stoked about the how the primary season went? Then there’s the whole song and dance of speeches and songs from shiny, mostly semi-famous people filled with rainbow promises of how the nominee is going to fix everything that’s wrong in the world. Bleh.
At the GOP Convention last week, there was a very disturbing theme. Of course, the fetishized concept of “America,” the call and answer song-and-dance of locking “Crooked Hillary” up, but overall it was the dark overtones of just about the whole damn thing that was the main event.
Most all of the speakers seemed to summon up a white-hot ball of rage and fear to instill in the delegates and viewers from home. I didn’t want to believe it, but it looks like the GOP has reached its final form, the (blatant) Fear-Mongering party.
During Trump’s speech, he shouted out about “Death, destruction, terrorism and weakness,” in the world and in America and how he alone is the one who can save us all. That’s effectively terrifying. Rudy Guliani and Newt Gingrich said just as much fearful rhetoric as the nominee, claiming every American should be scared right now. It’s the kind of stuff people like Richard Nixon used to get into office, a la the war on crime and drugs.
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Thursday, July 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
As an aside here, it’s important to note our country and the world is living in an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity with the United States seeing record lows in violent crime, according to data from a recent preliminary FBI report. ISIS is actually at its weakest, the rise in attacks is a desperate attempt at recruiting more to its evil cause. Obviously, there have been some truly terrible events happening at a horrible frequency every week, and because the mainstream media lives by “if it bleeds, it leads,” that’s all the news we seem to be seeing. Truth is, these are isolated incidents. Nonetheless they represent large, concerning issues, so they are debated ad nauseam.
All of this doomsayer rhetoric will only drive us apart from one another and into the belly of a beast far more fearful and disturbing than the reality people are perceiving we live in.
On the other hand, what were the speeches at the DNC about?
Mostly jokes about Trump. However, there were themes of unity, “strength together” and overcoming adversity. One of the highlights was the when the mothers of the Black Lives Matter movement were given the spotlight, and that says a lot for Clintons, considering their past on race relations. I mean, isn’t that really what 1776 was about and our founding fathers wanted for this country?
How about the crowds? Well, other than the outfits, they looked a little different.
Delegates cheer as Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
At the RNC, there was an abundance of older white men and women. The speakers were mostly all older men and a few women before prime time, 80 percent of which were white, according to Politico. Absolutely, there were minorities present at the convention, but you didn’t see Latinos holding up “Latinos for Trump” signs, we saw what looked like white people doing that. But, y’know, that’s not surprising seeing as one of the cornerstones of the GOP platform this year is literally about dividing and ousting people by religion, (race) and nationality.
At the DNC, there was more visible diversity. There were 18 black speakers (which is the total number of black RNC delegates), 12 Latino speakers, 30 women and two women who identify as lesbian.
I know I must sound like a blue-blood liberal at times, but I think it’s expressively clear which party seems to represent whatever it is that a “real America” looks like, and gives the spotlight to.
Political Circuses Show Stark Difference
Delegates cheer during the third day session of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
It’s official, Hillary Clinton will be our Democrat box pick, and Donald Trump will be our GOP box pick come the November Presidential election.
In one word, yikes. In 700 words or so…
I can’t get into this column about the partisan conventions these past two weeks without first addressing the actions taken by Democratic National Convention Chair Debbie Wasserman-Shultz and company. Prior to the DNC, Wasserman-Schultz was exposed in an email scandal via Wikileaks that she worked to undermine Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Wasserman-Schultz resigned following the news, but in a sort of mind-boggling aftermath was immediately given an honorary position on Clinton’s campaign. Huh.
Sanders supporters had a right to be angry. The “impartial” DNC betrayed Bernie Sanders. While they were unruly during the DNC, often booing and shouting over speakers. For how soon it happened, being told, “Hey, man. That’s life, it sucks. But suck it up and vote for the person you’ve been writing scathing 1,000 word Facebook statuses about for the past year,” went as successfully as it could have. Still, Sanders showed strong leadership by assessing the bigger picture and endorsing Clinton — after getting most of his platform absorbed that is.
Former Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to supporters during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
On to some thoughts of the bizarre circuses that went on these past two weeks.
The political party conventions are truly some of the strangest circuses. I’m not so sure there’s much to be especially excited about either party this year, what with each candidate being the least popular candidates of all time. Yet, the conventions were standing room only. However, it is a monumental week in that the first woman in party history was selected to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Neither convention is immune to the storm of yahoos (I literally mean people who would say “yahoo” non-ironically) dressed in bizarre, over-the-top patriotic outfits brandishing signs emblazoned with impassioned calls to action. The whole thing gives off a weird vibe. Like, how are so many people that stoked about the how the primary season went? Then there’s the whole song and dance of speeches and songs from shiny, mostly semi-famous people filled with rainbow promises of how the nominee is going to fix everything that’s wrong in the world. Bleh.
At the GOP Convention last week, there was a very disturbing theme. Of course, the fetishized concept of “America,” the call and answer song-and-dance of locking “Crooked Hillary” up, but overall it was the dark overtones of just about the whole damn thing that was the main event.
Most all of the speakers seemed to summon up a white-hot ball of rage and fear to instill in the delegates and viewers from home. I didn’t want to believe it, but it looks like the GOP has reached its final form, the (blatant) Fear-Mongering party.
During Trump’s speech, he shouted out about “Death, destruction, terrorism and weakness,” in the world and in America and how he alone is the one who can save us all. That’s effectively terrifying. Rudy Guliani and Newt Gingrich said just as much fearful rhetoric as the nominee, claiming every American should be scared right now. It’s the kind of stuff people like Richard Nixon used to get into office, a la the war on crime and drugs.
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Thursday, July 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
As an aside here, it’s important to note our country and the world is living in an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity with the United States seeing record lows in violent crime, according to data from a recent preliminary FBI report. ISIS is actually at its weakest, the rise in attacks is a desperate attempt at recruiting more to its evil cause. Obviously, there have been some truly terrible events happening at a horrible frequency every week, and because the mainstream media lives by “if it bleeds, it leads,” that’s all the news we seem to be seeing. Truth is, these are isolated incidents. Nonetheless they represent large, concerning issues, so they are debated ad nauseam.
All of this doomsayer rhetoric will only drive us apart from one another and into the belly of a beast far more fearful and disturbing than the reality people are perceiving we live in.
On the other hand, what were the speeches at the DNC about?
Mostly jokes about Trump. However, there were themes of unity, “strength together” and overcoming adversity. One of the highlights was the when the mothers of the Black Lives Matter movement were given the spotlight, and that says a lot for Clintons, considering their past on race relations. I mean, isn’t that really what 1776 was about and our founding fathers wanted for this country?
How about the crowds? Well, other than the outfits, they looked a little different.
Delegates cheer as Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Monday, July 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
At the RNC, there was an abundance of older white men and women. The speakers were mostly all older men and a few women before prime time, 80 percent of which were white, according to Politico. Absolutely, there were minorities present at the convention, but you didn’t see Latinos holding up “Latinos for Trump” signs, we saw what looked like white people doing that. But, y’know, that’s not surprising seeing as one of the cornerstones of the GOP platform this year is literally about dividing and ousting people by religion, (race) and nationality.
At the DNC, there was more visible diversity. There were 18 black speakers (which is the total number of black RNC delegates), 12 Latino speakers, 30 women and two women who identify as lesbian.
I know I must sound like a blue-blood liberal at times, but I think it’s expressively clear which party seems to represent whatever it is that a “real America” looks like, and gives the spotlight to.
Thanks for reading.