Update:
The Democratic National Convention — the “Other Convention” discussed below — ended last night strong, upbeat, positive and jubilant, just as it had started.
Most important, the Democratic Party and Democrats made history, totally and irrevocably broke the glass ceiling by, for the first time, nominating a woman for the highest office in the land.
The evening also hammered home the stark tonal difference between the two conventions. After Trump painted America as a downcast country in need of a billionaire savior, night after night of all-star DNC speakers preached a sermon of American exceptionalism, with values that unify us all – talking points once exclusively owned by Republicans.
It was enough to give a lot of conservatives whiplash. Here are just a few of them praising the DNC and bemoaning the state of affairs in their own party.
Read more here
Original Post:
What a difference between the already fizzled-out Republican National Convention last week and the Democratic National Convention this week — the “Other Convention,” one still going strong.
As different as night and day.
One, full of fear, cynicism, anger, despair, pessimism, doom and gloom.
The other one uplifting, full of hope, optimism,
One inciting division, resentment.
The other calling for unity, confidence.
One a laundry list of alleged failings and national shortcomings.
The other one a litany of real accomplishments and national strengths.
One of invective, put-downs, name-calling and calling on people’s worse instincts.
The other one calling on people’s better angels.
One about the alleged American nightmare, the other one about the American dream.
One about raising walls between people and nations, the other one about taking barriers down, building bridges.
One about the alleged crimes committed by immigrants, the other about how immigrants have committed themselves to their new country and how much they have contributed to their new homeland.
One focused on what one billionaire supposedly can do for our nation, the other one about what the people of this great nation can do — have always done — for themselves.
But do not take it from me; listen to what the President and Vice President of the United States and so many others who spoke last night had to say at the “other” convention:
One convention where Trump “sees chaos and decline,” while the other — the President –sees “engineers inventing stuff.”
One “a festival of anger, resentment and pessimism that trafficked in hate, talked down America and yearned to withdraw from the world.”
The other one depicting America as “full of courage, optimism and ingenuity…decent and generous.”
One reflecting Trump’s “bird-flipping approach to politics, featuring head-scratching speakers like a ‘Duck Dynasty’ star, the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the owner of a circus, interspersed with frequent chants of ‘Lock her up!’”
The other one featuring “[T]he audacity of hope over the politics of fear, optimism over darkness, solutions over slogans, togetherness over division…”
One peddling a “dystopic vision of America as a crime-infested, porous-bordered, militarily weak, economically stagnant hellscape that only Trump can fix…insulting the American military, turning [its] back on American allies and losing faith in America.”
The other one praising our nation’s military strength, the individual courage and dedication of its members and redoubling our commitment to our allies.
One about “a cynical, empathy-deprived egomaniac who ‘doesn’t have a clue about the middle class’” but running as “a champion of ordinary people” — what “a bunch of malarkey!”
The other one all about the middle class.
One about who we are not. The other one about who we really are.
One about “No, we can’t” the other one about “Yes, we can.”
Yes, a tale of two conventions, but more important a tale of two contrasting philosophies.
Lead photo: Courtesy the Democratic National Convention
