It’s been two very eventful weeks in the world of U.S. politics. Media coverage has been wall-to-wall as both major parties held their national conventions and formally nominated their respective candidates for president.
After an excruciatingly drawn-out primary process, the stage is set, and Election Day is finally on the horizon. So what should we take away from the last two weeks? And what should we keep in mind going forward?
One story that has continued to receive attention as media coverage moves away from minute-by-minute coverage of the conventions is Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with the Khan family. Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim American service member killed in action, appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention last Thursday. Among other things, the Khizr Khan powerfully denounced Trump’s repeated anti-Muslim policy proposals as unconstitutional.
Rather than take the weekend to focus on the substantive differences between himself and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s Thursday night keynote speech, Trump spent most of the weekend attacking the Khan family. The real estate mogul’s behavior toward the Khans even drew criticism from his GOP colleagues.
Truly, the fear mongering and scapegoating on display in Cleveland from day number one and throughout the week far surpassed the bigotry seen in major party conventions in recent memory.
Of course, the Democratic National Convention was hardly without fault. Last week, Imagine 2050 highlighted the coded anti-Muslim sentiment on display from the event’s main stage. Indeed, whether implicit or explicit, suspicion of Muslims and increased militarism remain a part of both of the United States’ major political parties.
More important than what occurred inside the convention halls was what occurred in the streets outside. Protesters seeking racial justice, peace, and liberation came out en masse in both Cleveland and Philadelphia.
Convention speeches, whether they focused on empty platitudes or virulent demagoguery, shrank in comparison to the powerful voices of communities coming together. As the election nears, we must continue to uphold those voices and foster an environment that emboldens the movements for justice that they represent.
The Center for New Community is a 501(c)(3) organization and does not endorse any political parties or candidates for elected office. This post, and any post on Imagine2050, is not intended to support or oppose any candidates for elected office.