A Tale of Two Conventions
Joe Biden (D-DE) and Donald Trump (R-FL) officially accepted their nominations for the 2020 Presidential election from their respective major parties over the past two weeks. Source.
Over the past two weeks, Democrats and Republicans gathered virtually to formally nominate their respective candidates for President and Vice President and to present a compelling case for their party ahead of November. The main event — the nominations of Biden and Harris, and Trump and Pence — operated smoothly. The real challenge though, for both parties, is to lay out a convincing appeal to voters of their vision for America’s future.
The Democratic National Convention, held August 17-20, featured a slate of Democrats representing various ideological wings within the party. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama shared the screen with 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, legislators both moderate and progressive, actors and actresses, athletes, and even a few Republicans like Edward Good, a WWII veteran and former Trump supporter who is now supporting Joe Biden. Each speaker emphasized one key point: America cannot afford 4 more years of Donald Trump. This central message undergirded all four nights of the convention. The case against Trump was strong, but was the case for Biden stronger?
Democrats are wrestling with ideological divisions that make it difficult to appease both moderates and progressives who support Biden. In a nod to the more liberal wing of the party, a Biden-Sanders unity task force published a 110-page list of recommendations for a more progressive Biden presidency. This action may help Biden fulfill his hope to be “the most progressive president since FDR.” Meanwhile the party is reaching out to progressives, moderates, and conservatives to build a broad coalition, but will it be enough?
Traditionally, the incumbent holds their convention second. So from August 24-27 the Republican National Convention hosted four nights filled with speeches from legislators, Trump family members, small business owners, and many other conservative figures. This controversial group of participants made an emotional case for the president, offering personal anecdotes of how the president personally helped them.
To show their unwavering confidence and support in the president, Republicans, for the first time since 1856 did not adopt a new party platform. The resolution issued by the RNC instead offered a whole-hearted endorsement of Trump and his “America-First” agenda. Actions such as these have prompted many to label the Republican Party as the Party of Trump.
Controversy and rhetoric aside, given the unprecedented circumstances, both parties rose to the challenge. Neither was fully equipped to handle the move from in-person events to a fully remote convention, however Democrats did have a head start. The DNC announced on April 2 that they would postpone their convention until August and drastically downsize the event. Meanwhile, the RNC scrambled to make final changes to the official schedule just days before the convention began. Did postponing in April and allowing more time to prepare give Democrats an advantage? The answer may lie in one metric—TV ratings.
As these were the first remote conventions, high TV viewership was vital for both parties. Data released by Neilsen shows that the DNC consistently had higher views than the RNC. Republicans gained their highest viewership on Thursday night when Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech. Across 13 networks, 23.8 million people tuned in to watch the president, while 24.6 million watched Joe Biden. These numbers are an interesting reversal from 2016 when 33.3 million watched Hillary Clinton deliver her speech compared to 34.9 who watched Trump. While Democrats may have won the battle of ratings, the true effectiveness of these conventions will not be evident until November 3rd.
One question still remains: Will we ever return to normal? Some have suggested in regards to party conventions, we should not return to “normal”. Virtual conventions have displayed party mechanics to a much wider audience and allowed candidates to focus on substance rather than garnering applause from their speeches. Perhaps nominating conventions require a new normal, and have for a long time.
Through these historic events, America has been presented with two vastly different propositions for the future. It is now up to us to decide who will lead the nation into the next four years. Whether you vote in person or by mail, think about the future—cast your vote this November.