The 2020 DNC and the RNC have been very different this year. With a hyperpolarized America and a raging pandemic, the concept of normal doesn’t exist. With the first presidential debate tonight, let’s take another look at the conventions.
This year it was the DNC’s turn to go first and they started with quite a surprise; republican John Kasich gave an opening speech about the importance of this election and the significance of the choices. We are at a crossroads and what we choose will permanently change this country. Kasich tells us that Trump has divided us and how we need a president that can unite us. This upset both democrats and republicans but to take the place as president you need to have the widest audience possible; this leads us to the meta of the DNC: How average Joe Biden is.
Going first is difficult, but comes with benefits. You don’t get to know what the other side is thinking, however, you get to set in motion certain ideas that you might not have been able to if you had to respond to attacks. For the DNC this idea was that Joe Biden is the perfect President for everyone. Following Kasich was Bernie Sanders, the original progressive. By following Kasich you get to see two opposite sides of the spectrum, both banking on Biden. Their message is clear: they need everyone to vote for Biden.
The RNC got to go and took a very different approach. Everybody got it all wrong. Because Trump is biding for reelection, his goals are very different. The goal is to assure you that the efforts he has taken towards the Corona Virus have been large, swift, and efficient. America isn’t a racist divided place and that Biden is the worst thing that could happen to this country. Nikki Haley and Tim Scott make this same point about how exceptionally not racist it is with speeches about they became the first Indian governor and African American senator respectively. The argument is not that racism doesn’t exist but instead, it is a personal issue that individuals need to overcome. America is a place where you can overcome any hardship and rise to the top; that is Trump’s America. If Biden wins, the suburbs will be destroyed, rights will be squashed and the America you know today will be unrecognizable.
We still have no idea what is yet to come for the future of America but these are your two options. It is critical that we all go and vote this November. What will you choose? Who do you want in charge? If you want your voice to count you have two choices.