This past Monday, the Democratic Party Convention opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The opening day was spent with the Party leadership having to deal with just what it didn’t need. Another e-mail scandal.
This time, almost nineteen thousand e-mails had been posted on the website WikiLeaks by hackers who appear to be affiliated with the Russian Government.
The e-mails were particularly embarrassing to the Party and the Chairwoman, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, because they revealed that throughout the primary campaign the Democratic National Committee had been clandestinely supporting Hillary Clinton.
Senator Bernie Sanders had been making this accusation for some time, claiming that the process was “rigged.” Any astute observer of the primary campaigns could see that Wasserman-Schultz was not being neutral throughout the process but the scope and depth of the DNC support for Clinton was disturbing.
Wasserman-Schultz agreed to resign as Chairperson of the Convention but wanted to open and close the Convention against the wishes of everyone who had a stake in its success. Only after she had been booed by her own delegation did she see the wisdom of abandoning this course and returning to Florida immediately.
The convention proceedings got off to a rocky start with booing coming from the Sanders delegates and supporters each time Clinton’s name was mentioned. Sanders, himself, was booed when he attempted to calm the situation by reiterating his support for Clinton.
As the evening proceedings progressed with speeches by Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren and Sanders, the booing and cat calls subsided and decorum appeared to be restored.
The First Lady’s speech was eloquent and revealing about her time in the White House and is credited with changing the tone of the convention.
The second day featured the nomination of Hillary Clinton. Whatever one might think of her, it was a historic moment as a major party nominated its first female candidate for President of the United States. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton spent forty minutes revealing why he fell in love with her and extolling her as a “change maker.”
I felt that the two most significant speech of the night came from former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright and New York Congressman Joseph Crowley.
Albright told of her own immigrant journey to the United States and the danger a President Trump would pose to the United States and our allies because of his strange attraction to leaders like Vladimir Putin and Sadaam Hussein.
Congressman Crowley revealed that in the aftermath of the September 11 attack, Trump took advantage of monies appropriated for rebuilding lower Manhattan involving properties he owned that were not damaged or affected at all by the attack. He contrasted Clinton’s efforts in securing the funds and what he termed Trump’s “cashing in” on the tragedy.
The third night was filled with speeches by former new York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, Vice-Presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, Vice-President Biden and President Obama.
Mayor Bloomberg’s speech was intriguing because he noted that he was an Independent and did not intend to endorse the Democratic Party platform. Indeed. He declared that there were portions of both parties’ platforms that he both agreed and disagreed with. His purpose in speaking at the convention was to warn against the election of Donald Trump whom he labeled a “con man.” He pointed out Trump’s multiple bankruptcies, plethora of lawsuits and contractor that had been “stiffed” by him.
Senator Kaine introduced himself to the world by sharing his life story including his mission to Honduras during his college years where he taught carpentry and plumbing and learned to speak Spanish fluently.
Both President Obama and Vice-President Biden contrasted the conflicting messages of the Convention in Cleveland and that in Philadelphia. The President not only vouched for Clinton’s judgement and experience but went so far as to label Donald Trump a “home grown demagogue.”
The last night centered on Hillary Clinton’s acceptance speech. Where Trump had portrayed America as a dark and troubled place that only he could fix, she spoke of it as an inclusive place, in which all people should be welcome and whose best days are yet to come.
The two conventions were as different in tone and theme as two gatherings could be.
The Republicans left Cleveland with significant divisions in their party. Ted Cruz, the runner-up in the nominating contest, refusing to endorse Donald Trump and the last two Republican Presidents and the last two nominees were nowhere to be seen or heard.
The Democrats left Philadelphia seeming to be unified with a President, Vice-President, former President, Senator Sanders and a whole host of talented surrogates ready to campaign.
Whether that unity remains lasting remains to be seen. If, for example, Hillary Clinton were to become engaged in the Democratic primary contest that Debbie Wasserman-Shultz is involved in against a Bernie Sanders supporter, the party rift could re-open and doom her campaign
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Only time and the next one-hundred days will tell.