Opinion: New world, new politics

As we near November, heated political debate, civil unrest and growing anxieties surrounding our public health have cast a shadow of speculation and doubt over the current election. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have striven to combat the uncertainty by adapting to a post-pandemic election, using new methods in an attempted grasp at normalcy.

Delivering their August conventions virtually was, itself, a signal that the tone of 2020 had not been shrugged off so easily. Following the events of March, it appears that political discourse has increased in intensity. The attitudes of both politics and procedure have adapted to approach the current sociopolitical climate we find ourselves in with some new and some not-so-new methods.

The Democratic National Convention began with statements from many Americans straight from their homes, recounting their experiences coping with current economic circumstances and managing changes amid the pandemic. Sandwiched between intimate performances from musical artists such as Leon Bridges and Maggie Rogers were calls to action and sentimental testimonies from public figures and “everyday” Americans. George Floyd’s brothers Philonise and Rodney, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC, and Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo were among the many individuals speaking on the events of the past few months while voicing support for nominee Joe Biden.

Many of these speakers were lifelong Republicans, including former GOP Governor of Ohio John Kasich and former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, addressing the audience during a segment titled “We The People Putting Country Over Party.” Shown between each series of speakers that first night were white letters across a black screen: “We the people.”

This deliberate choice to feature known Republican voices was not as groundbreaking as it might have appeared. For one thing, it’s been done before. For another, it doesn’t give the impression that the Democratic party really has it’s finger on the pulse of this election. Editor of Inside Elections Nathan Gonzales gets right to the point:

“I think Democratic convention planners are overthinking this. Democrats have so many younger and more diverse voices in the party. Any of them would have just as much of a chance at persuading GOP voters as this lineup.”

It is widely known that Kasich is not a “Trump Republican.” We can assume that his appearance at the DNC is not to persuade Republican voters who are on the fence to vote, but to theoretically pull in voters who are not sure about party affiliation or loyalty. However, I agree with Gonzales.

I think spotlighting younger voices, and possibly some of the lesser-known Democratic representatives, could have had much the same effect. The Democratic party platform cripples itself by assuming every swing voter is a middle-class, white, suburban parent, and propping up Kasich as a representative voice truly misses the mark.

Graphic by Keith Wilson

Conversely, the Republican National Convention approach was coded in traditionality – American flags plastered anywhere there was space, shots of DC’s neoclassic architecture filling space between speakers. To empty, echoing reception halls, representatives and guests did their best to give rousing speeches.

President Trump’s speech, held outside at the White House, was significantly more dynamic than many other events, and brought with it the trademark pageantry and performance he has been known for throughout his political and professional career. It is also worth noting that holding a party event at the White House is possibly a violation of The Hatch Act. But, as far as I could tell, I saw no concrete policy proposals, a critique I can level against both the RNC and the DNC.

Speakers focused on similarly pertinent topics to their DNC counterparts — personal freedom, economic prosperity, and social justice. They, too, made space for the voices of everyday Americans, including a lobster fisherman from Maine and a police officer from Albuquerque.

Both parties and their blatant appeals to the Everyman, a mythical creature from America’s labor landscape, resulted in a dichotomy that amplifies more rhetoric than results.

If the DNC was a campfire singalong with their nominee and friends, then the RNC was your average television broadcast.

I’m inclined to decry the politician’s attempt to be buddy-buddy with their constituents. Giving a farmer or an educator their 15 minutes is not at all akin to drafting policy that could actually change the lives of people affected by the economic and public health downturn of this year.

Both parties are guilty. But that doesn’t mean we should ascribe to both-sidesism and resort to a hopeless tone of political participation. If anything, the disappointment I feel can best be interpreted as an opportunity for improvement.

Neither party seemed committed to providing concrete policy reforms. Regardless of our political affiliation, we could all be more committed to holding our representatives accountable for placing performance over politics. The practices on display at the 2020 conventions might sound like a description of “politics as usual,” but there’s no reason we should continue forward in a way that isn’t working for all of us. If they want our votes, they should have to earn them.

So, while it remains true that some appeals, some behaviors, and some habits of political parties and individuals may be normal, 2020 has also been a year of new things. We are adapting to a new world as a people, and our politics should be expected to follow suit. So, it may be time to ask ourselves an important question moving forward.

Do we want to maintain the status quo or change it?

Taelor Candiloro is the opinion manager for the Statesman. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is an avid reader, drinks coffee religiously, and makes music sometimes.

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