Following four days of an onslaught of snow-white speakers at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio — committed to help build a wall in order to “Make America First Again,” the Democrats claim they will use conventional wisdom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania building bridges and presenting the most diverse speakers with a theme “Together United.”
Since 1880, the philosophies of both parties tout animal instincts of being either a Democratic donkey or a Republican elephant when embracing controversial, political issues.
That the GOP subscribes to those associated with those similar to the pachyderms of Africa and India — the adoption of the thick-skinned, peaceful animal can be traced to Founding Father Abraham Lincoln’s vision of attacking the enemy.
It has been documented that during his campaign in 1864 he engaged a cartoonist to portray the dashing advance of the animal bearing a banner in its trunk with the words — “the elephant is coming.”
On the other hand, though perceived to be slow, stubborn and often braying for attention, the donkey is regarded for its “persistence, dedication, loyalty and the enduring ability to carry weighty loads.” The donkey is also known to attack predators with aggressive charge that override the negative connotation to the animal being anything less than one of “humble origins and simplistic virtues, an ode to the common man.”
The test to the might of both is now in full effect.
For starters, the Dems already concede that the most obvious elephant in the room was the lack of diverse speakers that addressed delegates at the Quicken Loans Arena during the four-day confab last week.
In a city that is 55 percent Black and holds the distinction of electing Carl Stokes in 1967, the first Black mayor of a major city in America, republican Black delegates accounted for less than 0.7 percent in attendance. That figure is reportedly the lowest ever recorded for Black participation at a Republican convention. To put that into perspective of 2,472 delegates only 18 were Black.
And while that elephant trumpeted loudly, there were other glaringly obvious reason the Dems might bray louder to improve their profile and counter the shortcomings of their rival party planners.
Throughout the RNC it was glaringly obvious that inside the arena participants seemed unreflective of the American population, outside, an even lower non-white showing of protesters and demonstrators took time out to express anti-Trump sentiments.
Reportedly, many stayed away in order to avoid confrontation.
Although Cornel West, a former Sen. Bernie Sanders supporter led a group through the designated protest area through Public Square to express dissent against “racism, injustice and white supremacy,” it was clear Blacks steered clear of the epicenter of political spotlight.
Not only was Black presence conspicuously missing but a similar case was made for Asians, Latinos and members of the LGBT community.
They were virtually absent inside and out.
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party will at least trump her opponent by having people of color – significantly the current president of the United States Barack Obama and his wife who will be stumping for her.
Most impressive too is that a former president, her husband Bill will make history as the first spouse of a Democratic nominee to ever address a national presidential convention.
In addition, the Dem choice will have her only daughter Chelsea, a group known as “Mothers of the Movement” comprised of slain Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr and the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland and others that made national headlines following tragedies.
New Yorkers Sen. Charles Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gilibrand, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Arizona Senator Gabby Giffords, Texas Cong. Joaquin Castro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker — and a slew of nationally-recognized men and women representing cities and states throughout America are expected to seize on prime time network to convince America that a second Clinton and a woman might be right for America in 2016.
Last week, absent from the spotlight were former presidents George W. Bush and George H. Bush, former presidential candidates Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
One even stated his reason for his absence was that he had to “mow his lawn.”
A female, former vice presidential candidate alleged to have been on the short list to be named Trump’s vice president reportedly stated that Cleveland was “too far” to travel from her home state.
Almost a week after the RNC convened in the mid-west, talk is still rampant about NJ Gov. Chris Christie “campaign” for a top cabinet position. How he riled the crowd to endorse his perspective on adjudicating justice remains a standout to his trumpeting. Some claim he used the opportunity to “audition” for the post of attorney general.
Also still smoldering on the media circuit since social media wildly suggested with cartoonish characterizations, the many fallacies surrounding the similarities with speeches delivered by the current First Lady Michelle Obama and the immigrant wife Melania Trump.
A caricature even revived the images of pop singers Milli Vanilli crediting the 1990 Best New Artist Grammy recipients as speech writers for the spouse.
Although milennials might not have known that the outstanding music honor and miniature gramophone was retracted from the German group due to claims that the duos’ “Girl You Know Its True” music was neither original nor performed by the new-comers who claimed to have recorded the winning arrangement, due to YouTu
Since the Trump-fest ended former Ku Klux Klan chairman David Duke declared candidacy for a Republican senate seat in Louisiana.
And even as the red, white and blue balloons looses air, the “Make America Great Again” proponent registers a zero approval rating among Blacks in Cleveland as well as Philadelphia.
Perhaps with his appointment of television reality “Apprentice”-famous Omarosa Manigault as outreach director to the Black community there might be change.
An unlikely proposition to even consider however, unfortunately too for the Donald he did not consider Don King, a Cleveland resident and boxing mogul who attended the RNC party.
King might have appealed to George Frazier, a former heavyweight boxing champion who attended the National Convention of the Oppressed Unity Conference in his city, just days before the start of the RNC. Along with Cornell West and members of the New Black Panther Party Frazier reportedly discussed the plight of Blacks in America and talked about constructive ways to keep tensions below boil in America.
But in the city that elected a Black man to be the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio there was little color.
As a matter of fact when protesters constructed a cloth wall around the convention center, veterans, Mexicans, immigrants, LGBT, Latinos accounted for the most colorful and diverse grouping.
Their cloth brick-patterned wall was marked by shouts of “wall out hate,” “wall out Trump,” “wall against Trump” providing the most telling rhetoric to the Republican-endorsed policy of building a wall to keep out Mexicans from illegally entering the US.
The Dems claim they will up the ante and do better at their meeting — at least with diversity.
When it all ends the better animal will prevail when the elephant vs. the donkey battle through debates and a campaign through to November.
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