Let the battle begin!
As we all know, due to the coronavirus pandemic the in-person Democratic and Republican conventions were not held. Both parties were given the opportunity to put on a virtual convention that would give each party ample opportunity to present to the American people their vision for the future without the pageantry and other trappings of an in-person convention. Neither party took advantage of this opportunity.
The Democratic virtual convention showed a party without focus, other than a shared dislike/hatred of President Trump. Having a different actress serve as the Master of Ceremonies for each night was unnecessary and continued the Hollywood – Democratic Party connection that adds nothing of substance and is proving to be a distraction and a detriment. Not having a consistent, more formal and impressive venue for the various speeches was a mistake. Not expressing more patriotism was a mistake. Not condemning the violence and looting was a mistake. Not expressing support for law enforcement was a mistake. Not defending Democratic mayors and governors was a mistake. Not reaching out to rural America was a mistake. Not putting to rest this “open borders” nonsense was a mistake. Having Bill and Hillary Clinton appear only served as a reminder of their past unethical and immoral behavior and how much they are disliked – a big mistake.
It was a relief to hear Joe Biden deliver the best speech of his career when it was all on the line. Hopefully this was not the high point of his campaign, because if he cannot or will not travel the country and express his vision for America in a clear and concise manner, and then answer questions afterwards, the Democrats will certainly lose the election.
It is extremely unfortunate that the Democrats did not focus on the most important parts of their platform:
– Establishing a better and more effective means of responding to future pandemics, learning from the failures of the Trump administration where it failed to address the coronavirus pandemic with timely instructions to the American people and were unable to identify and isolate the infected. The result of the Trump administration’s failure is going to be that 1 out of every 1000 Americans will end up dying from the coronavirus. There is little that can be done at this point in time to prevent this from happening, but at least we can be prepared for the future.
– Addressing the profound difference in wealth between 99% of Americans and the top 1% of Americans that has developed over the past 40 years due to changes in the tax structure and the passage of various laws that favor the wealthy. This redistribution of wealth from the lower and middle class to the upper class has taken resources from the Federal Government that could have paid for improvements to infrastructure, for example, as well as decreasing most people’s effective standard of living. It is not a socialist concept to believe that every person who works 40 hours a week should have an income that is above the poverty level without having to work two or three jobs. $15.00/hr. meets this basic standard, resulting in an annual income of $30,000.
– Ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable health care as a basic principle is not a socialist concept. A single-payer government-controlled system may not be a viable approach as a next step due to questions about cost and political viability. Having a government option of Medicare for those who want it, and requiring people to pay for it may very well be the best option right now. A public/private partnership similar to Medicare Advantage Plus programs may be an effective means of including our health insurance industry as part of the solution instead of eliminating the entire industry and the jobs that go with it.
– Providing employment opportunities for our young people so that they can take part in our economy instead of having to wait and wait for things to change. The current trend towards eliminating jobs and making the remaining employees work harder and faster may result in short-term improvements in corporate profitability, but this comes with widespread dissatisfaction of both overworked employees as well as the unemployed. This is not a long-term solution. Encouraging the return of domestic production of goods and services through tax code incentives would produce more jobs, as would a nationwide infrastructure improvement program.
– Reaching out to rural America, which is not directly effected by social unrest and which does not seem to have much understanding of the problems facing urban America. A non-judgmental acknowledgement that living in rural America brings with it a different sense of patriotism, religious faith, second amendment rights, and independence from government influence would be refreshing and inclusive.
– Acknowledging that law enforcement is a noble and necessary profession instead of demonizing all of law enforcement because of the admittedly racist and cruel actions of a small percentage of law enforcement personnel. The fact that people who live in minority neighborhoods want more law enforcement and not less should be acknowledged and appreciated for what it means. Law and order is a fundamental necessity for a healthy society.
– Accepting that many of our minority citizens believe strongly that they are treated like less-than-equal citizens and do not feel fully accepted into American society. There is historical precedent for this belief, as well as ongoing issues. Whether it is called systemic racism or something else, it is real and needs to be acknowledged and addressed. Black, Latino, Native American, and Asian cultural influences are everywhere in our society. A celebration of our diversity as a people should be the goal. Cultural appropriation as a negative needs to be replaced with cultural inclusion as a positive. We have come a long way since the civil rights movement in the 1960’s – now is the time for a concerted effort to strengthen the fabric of our society.
On the down side, the Democratic party seems to be full of negative internal influences such as conflicting ideologies, unwillingness to compromise and work together, a tendency to stand on principle to the bitter end, raging egos and control issues, a lack of cohesive vision, people who publicly say stupid things, and a lack of understanding how to be patriotic, optimistic, tough, and progressive at the same time. This internal chaos may prove to be the downfall of the Democratic campaign.
In contrast, it is clear that the Republican party sure knows how to put on a show, how to have a coherent theme throughout their virtual convention, and how to take advantage of the trappings of the presidency. The Republican virtual convention was extremely well produced, nearly flawless.
Unfortunately, there is no Republican platform to discuss. The Republican virtual convention celebrated a party without direction, other than to turn President Trump into “Our Great Leader” and to demonize anyone who does not follow the Trump dictates as both unpatriotic and an existential threat to our country. The entire focus of the virtual convention was to deify “Our Great Leader” and to present President Trump’s first four years in office as being a resounding success, completely ignoring any facts that might call into question just how successful or even unsuccessful some of his actions have been. It remains to be seen just how effective this virtual convention has been in framing the parameters of the remaining campaign. The Republicans may have very well successfully dictated the terms of engagement going forward and with it assured their victory.
In some ways, the last night of the Republican virtual convention that saw Donald Trump formally accepting his party’s nomination also showed the separation between the haves and the have nots, and how no matter what was said by the speakers the harsh reality of our society was starkly evident to those who bothered or cared to observe it.
Sitting on the lawn were well-dressed people of privilege, mostly white, apparently corona virus free, no masks, no social distancing, appreciative of Donald Trump’s huge tax break for the top 1%, his focus on law and order, the wholesale elimination of regulations, the opening up of federal lands to economic exploitation, excessively large tax breaks for corporations – all of which serves to preserve and increase the wealth of the few. Throw in some touching human interest stories as a distraction, talk about abortion and the second amendment to appeal to single-issue voters, wave the flag, have a very impressive fireworks display, and conclude with an opera singer. It was a night to remember.
In contrast, on the other side of the fence were people from the bottom 99%, protesting the Republican message of inclusion by exclusion, unruly, frustrated, angry, powerless, not allowed to join the party on the lawn.