There is one difference between the two conventions, that I think speaks volumes.
Lost in all the adulation and glorious speeches, is the one, vastly stark difference, between how the Democratic Party Convention and the Republican Party Convention played out.
Here is how the Democratic Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton, was officially nominated:
Of course, this was only after Bernie Sanders also had his name placed in nomination:
Without that, Democratic delegates might not have ever been able to have their vote recorded for Bernie Sanders.
People, like this guy:
All told, 1865 delegates were able to have their votes officially recorded for Bernie Sanders.
Oh, no! That’s almost half the delegates at the DNC! Why, that’s not unity, that’s a brewing civil war, goshdarnit. Time for the media to write only about that now for the next 48 hours, nothing else newsworthy going on.
On the other hand: I would argue that this is the best example of the Democratic Party upholding the principles of democracy at its finest.
How do I figure? Well, let’s contrast this with the actual example of “Unity;” the other convention, for the Republican Party Presidential nominee, Donald Trump:
Now that’s how you display Unity, am I right fellaz?
This might be an opportune time, however, to remind everyone how they got to that point:
The state chair, after giving the usual go-our-state rah-rah speech, read off the vote totals: 12 votes for Ted Cruz, 11 for Trump, 5 for Marco Rubio.
The secretary then read back the results: 28 votes for Donald Trump.
It happened again in D.C., where Trump received no delegates in the election, and was awarded 19 when totals were read—a result that only rubbed salt in the wound generated by a party platform which also includes language not just denying statehood for the capitall, but stripping away what little sovereignty its now allowed.
The odd combination, in which some states were recorded as-read and others had their votes distorted out of recognition, came across as arbitrary and vindictive. Because it was. Ryan might have chosen to go with the blunt but straightforward rule that only Trump votes would be counted. He might have accepted the votes from all states as-read. But by implementing arcane rules that affected only a handful of states, he generated the impression that the RNC was both violating the rights of states and padding Trump’s lead.
For most people, the amazing speeches that we have been privileged with and likely will before the week is over will likely remain at the top of their memories.
But for me, the lasting impression I get is the stark difference between how each party approaches Democracy.
The Democratic Convention had its dark moments. It has been tough at times. The voices, passionate; the process, loud and raucous. But at the end of the day, the Wills of the people were treated with respect, Clinton and Sanders delegate alike. No matter how much dissension there was, no matter how important a display of unity is for the future election, the people of the Democratic Party were able to publicly have their Wills recorded and honored; even if it went against the Will of the larger Party.
This is not all that bad, after all: we are a party of individuals. We work with the guiding principle that we do not all have to hold the same views and opinions, to be able to cooperate toward common goals. For any coalition of humans, that is about the best that one can ever attain.
Compare that with the Republican Party: they hate democracy, even within their own ranks. Trump had already clinched the nomination, but they also wanted the display, so the actual voters be damned. When an ineffective but vocal minority — once again, let me repeat, of their own party — wanted to voice their opinions, the Republican establishment did everything in its power to crush them. It wasn’t enough to simply ignore their pleas — which they did. It wasn’t enough to strong-arm them into silence — which they did. They went so far as to trample all over the individual Wills of their own party’s supporters. If you are not with them, you will be crushed. That is the message that they had to send to their own people.
Look how vastly different each party responded to their dissenting groups: The Sanders camp got platform changes that reflected their agenda. They got changes to the superdelegate system. They got changes in the DNC itself.
What did the NeverTrumpers get? They got nothing.
In discussing the upcoming election, I think this is the most profound example that can be used to highlight the differences in the Parties:
The Democratic Party is willing to engage dissent, so that all voices are heard, all wills are respected, even if things get a bit messy at times. But that is just like people: people can be brash, messy, opinionated, but can also come together. The Democratic Party is where people who want a Party of fellow people go.
The Republican Party is willing to disrespect and sacrifice its own supporters for the sake of the Party itself. No Will is respected other than the Will of those at the top. There can be no sense of individuality, which is rightfully seen as a threat to the Whole. The Republican Party is now a dictatorship in mind, body and soul. The Republican Party is where people who want to be devoured by their Party go.
These people can’t even tolerate Democracy within their own ranks; it is clearly no coincidence that, so often, it seems like they also can’t even tolerate our own.
If you want to know the biggest difference between voting for Clinton, the Democratic nominee, or Trump, the Republican nominee, I would state it like this:
Do you want to elect someone who will be a President who only serves the people? Or, do you want to elect someone who will be a President who only serves himself?