The Republican Party and the Democratic Party officially announced their nominees for President of the United States through their national conventions. National conventions in the United States are the avenue through which political parties nominate their candidates after taking votes from attending delegates. However, as of recent years, the candidate who gets the most delegates from national primaries is chosen to become the nominee and the national conventions are generally ceremonial. These conventions are also for the candidate to present him or herself to America and the world and the set of policies sought to achieve. These conventions are known for their speeches with popular ones from Ronald Reagan in 1980, George H.W. Bush in 1988, Jesse Jackson in 1988, Barack Obama in 2004, Sarah Palin in 2008 etc.
The RNC: The Show of Trump
The Republicans held their National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio to nominate Donald Trump as Presidential candidate and Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. Trump has shocked the Republican Party becoming the nominee after beating 17 other candidates like Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz etc. Trump is the most unpopular Republican candidate in history and has caused a division within the party. Prominent Republicans like Mitt Romney, John McCain and The Bush Family declined to attend the convention. The convention had keynote addresses from Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz and members of the Trump family. Melania Trump, Trump’s third and current wife, made a keystone speech which made headlines as for plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC in 2008. Ted Cruz also made headlines for opting not to endorse Trump during his speech and was booed off.
The Republican party platform has a number of policies that posit the party on the more radical side. The platform calls for a repeal of the same-sex marriage ruling in June last year with the inclusion of conversion therapy. The platform indicates that internet porn is a ‘public health crisis’ and the repeal of ‘Roe Vs Wade’ that can outlaw abortion in the US. Other policies in the platform include the US-Mexico border wall, opposing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, coal for ‘clean energy’, bringing to an end the US involvement in the Paris Agreement and Iran Nuclear Deal. This is not a change from the report made after the 2012 election explaining the party needs to be more inclusive and promote policies that can favor minorities and young people.
Trump’s acceptance speech was the biggest event for the convention. His acceptance speech focused on trade, Hillary Clinton, foreign policy, etc. During the speech, Trump viewed himself as the “law and order” candidate and offered support for the ‘silent majority’ in the US. Trump’s stance on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a very radical one as NATO is key to US foreign policy and geopolitics in general. Trump has said that if elected he will not intervene to help the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) from Russian aggression which means that Russia could get a free pass. Trump criticized Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for making the country and the world unsafe. Trump also promised to limit America’s participation in global crisis and trade deals as he said that he will end the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) if in charge.
The convention wasn’t really inspirational as the speeches usually talked about fear of illegal immigrants and ISIS, degrading Black Lives Matter, lack of policy talk, and the dangers of a Hillary Clinton presidency with chants like ‘lock her up’. However, the convention has given him a boost in his chances to be elected but the convention wasn’t without drama. There were a number of protests against the Republicans and Trump but were low than expected. Trump is losing with specific demographics but hasn’t hurt his chances.
The DNC: Clinton struggling with Sanders supporters The Democrats held their national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her running mate US Senator Tim Kaine. Hillary Clinton made history by becoming the first female to be the presidential candidate of a major party. However, not everybody with in the celebration. At the start of the convention, WikiLeaks released over 20,000 emails indicating the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has a bias against Hillary’ primary opponent Bernie Sanders. Some people accuse Russia of releasing the emails but answered the questions of Bernie supporters. The chair of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz immediately resigned and quickly became an honorary chair of Clinton’s campaign. Hillary also has high unfavorable numbers of her own and many were disappointed with her VP pick, Tim Kaine believing that she played it safe with her pick.
The Democratic platform was one of the most progressive in the party’s history largely to the influence of Bernie Sanders. The party platform includes a public option for the Affordable Care Act, a $15-dollar minimum wage, abolition of the death penalty, Wall Street reform, a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and criminal justice reform. However, Bernie supporters were disappointed that the platform did not include a ban on fracking, opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), healthcare for all and the end of Israeli occupation.
The convention saw several keynote speakers from US Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Sanders was a highlight in the convention urging his supporters to vote for Clinton in November in order to defeat Trump. His supporters are divided as some would vote for Clinton, vote for a third-party candidate or abstain completely. Other keynote speakers include First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former New York Major Michael Bloomberg, former President Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and US President Barack Obama. Obama’s speech was a highlight strongly endorsing Clinton and giving an air of optimism for the future. He also thanked Sanders and his supporters in revamping the party.
Clinton’s acceptance speech happened on the final night of the convention. Clinton’s speech talked on policy and attacked Donald Trump. Clinton’s policies featured gun safety, making college affordable, combating climate change and improving the American economy. She also tried to gain the support of Bernie Sanders who she has struggled to get support due to what happened during the primaries and her record in public office as many people demonstrated throughout the convention against Clinton and the DNC so despite her achievement, she needs Sanders and his supporters in winning the general election.
In recent polling, Trump and Clinton are neck and neck with third party candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party who could play a part in deciding the election. America will be choosing the 45th president between two unpopular candidates but it’s imperative it makes the right decision.