Reflections on Whether American Patriotism Will Pass

The opening shot of the C-Span clip for the Republican National Convention, Day 2 (July 2016) shows State Rep. John Cabello of Rockford, co-chair of Trump’s Illinois campaign, giving an introduction, during the roll call of states that culminated in Trump’s official nomination. He said “Mr. Chairman, I am John Cabello, the state representative from the great state of Illinois. The only Hispanic member on the Republican side of the aisle serving the House of Representatives”. I am not sure what his intent and purpose was in introducing himself this way, but to me as a casual observer, it seemed he was using this platform to promote himself. This brings me to my thesis: ‘Personal agendas of politicians, overpowers patriotism in American politics’.

The Democratic and Republican candidates for President and Vice-President are formally nominated by the party’s national conventions. To be the presidential candidate of a major political party, a person must win the majority of the delegates at these conventions which are held every four years, before the U.S. presidential election. Besides selecting the party's nominee for President, the statement of party principles and goals (known as the party’s platform) are approved at these national conventions along with adoption of the rules for the party's activities, including the presidential nominating process for the next election cycle.

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Delegates of the United States Republican Party met in July 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena, a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio to choose the party's nominees for President and Vice President of the United States in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This is the third time that this event was organized in Cleveland. In addition to determining the party's national ticket, the convention ratified the party platform. There were 2,472 delegates to the Republican National Convention (RNC), and a simple majority of 1,237 was required to win the presidential nomination. Melania Trump, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, veterans’ activist Jason Beardsley, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, actor Scott Baio, Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Jeff Sessions and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, were among the speakers. On July 19, 2016, the convention formally nominated Donald Trump for President and Indiana Governor Mike Pence for Vice President. Trump and Pence went on to win the general election, defeating the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.

The 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July 2016. 4,769 delegates met to nominate the Presidential candidates. 2,382 votes were needed for nomination. The Wells Fargo Center is consistently a top 10 venue in the U.S. President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders were speakers at the convention while the keynote address was delivered by Senator Elizabeth Warren. Hillary Clinton was nominated as the first female presidential candidate from a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Throughout the convention, actors and singers who were Hillary supporters took the stage, including Katy Perry, Eva Longoria, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Tony Goldwyn, and Lena Dunham. Overall, attendance at the convention was estimated to be around 50,000.

The participants for both conventions were very well dressed and certainly from affluent societies. After all, it takes a lot of money to become a delegate and attend these conventions. The delegates are expected to cover their own cost of attendance, which could run into thousands of dollars. The men were dressed in business suits and the women were also dressed formally, with eye-catching make-up, hairdos and accessories. The candidates were upbeat and roared their applause. I found that the Democrats were louder in their applause than the Republicans. Were they more enthusiastic than their Republican counterparts or was it just that DNC had a more packed house, since they had a larger number of delegates? Convention delegates have a higher commitment to the party than the average American who call themselves Democrats or Republicans. Who would be willing to put in all that time and money to be a delegate, unless you are all fired up about the party ideology and success of your party at the polls? It has been reported that in 2008, 70% of Democratic delegates and 67% of Republican delegates indicated earning $75,000 or more per year, compared to 27% of Democratic voters and 39% of Republican voters.

The demographic structure of the Democratic party seems to be more diverse than that of the Republicans in the video clips, in terms of race and gender. The Democrats seem to be crowding tightly together around the microphone that one speaker actually said, “if I can get in here”. There were only two contenders for the Democratic Presidential race, while the Republicans had 4 contenders. Virtually all Republican primaries allocate delegates on a “winner-take-all” basis, so that the candidate who wins the most votes in a state is awarded all the delegates of that state whereas Democratic primaries allocate delegates based on the proportion of the vote each candidate receives for the Democratic primaries. As a result, the convention simply ratifies the winner of the primaries. The score board at the RNC showed Trump vs ‘Others’. This leads me to believe that the organizers already knew ahead of time that Trump was leading. The fact that the convention only ratifies the winner of the primaries, is a damper to the spirit of the delegates and some of it was evident on the facial express of the participants.

Conventions these days do not make as much difference as in the past, when party leaders decided amongst themselves who would be a nominee and presented that nominee and their qualifications to the voting public to be elected in the general election. The difference between what a person would ideally prefer, and what the group with which that person makes collective action decisions actually does, is conformity costs. I could see the disappointment on the faces of some of the delegates when the roll call was being made – the disappointment that their favorite candidate did not get the majority vote from their state.

It is a bit challenging to comment on the similarities and difference of the leaders of both the parties, based simply on the shot clips we had to watch. It seemed to me that the leaders on both sides who took to the microphone, tried to gain attention for their issues and rally their base. Each one said something good to promote their states, but an analysis of their comments will show how the parties are divided and how their principles are shifting. Party platforms are approved at conventions which give the audience the idea where the leadership of the party wants to see the party heading, but these days individual politicians have a greater ability to split from their party on certain topics. It’s usually the fights over the platform that matter more than the platform itself. And this brings me to my thesis that ‘personal agendas overpower patriotism’.

We have witnessed so many controversial candidates and polarization conflicts in recent elections. Bad-mouthing and accusing not just opponents from other parties but even from the individual’s own party has become the rule, rather than the exception. Add to that is the selfish nature of mankind that drives individuals to gain money, fame and power; all of which can be acquired in the political arena. The greater good of the nation is at stake, when each politician splits from their party to promote their own agenda, in an attempt to draw votes and be elected or re-elected. A candidate may have been elected by the voters, but when he/she comes to power and there are conflicting interests, it is natural to ask, ‘What is in it for me?’ and choose the pathway to reducing conformity costs. Individuals in power will choose options with low conformity costs to themselves, rather than promote collective decisions that produce policy outcomes that do not best serve their personal interests. The very idea of patriotism and serving the nation gets redefined! The Republican and Democratic leaders and their voters may have similar long-term goals, but each group differs on the way to achieve it. For instance, both Democrats and Republicans want the United States to be a prosperous country. However, Democrats envision more government intervention in the economy as a means to achieve the nations’ prosperity while Republicans argue the government needs to stay out and allow businesses to make their own decisions wherever possible. Although one could also say that Democrats and Republicans alike are generally supportive of a capitalist economy, there exists a handful of prominent Democrats who are avowed socialists. The stand that each leader takes, tends to be based on individual perspective and their own perception of what is in their own best interest.

To conclude, it is my opinion that a successful candidate is one who can keep disagreements about the nuts and bolts of a political party viz. its platform and rules in the background and is able to tactfully draw the spotlight on themselves. Conventions in the modern era are less about the parties than the candidates themselves, and the national convention is their showcase. Some have even termed these conventions as ‘political pageants’ and infomercials for parties and their candidates. And in many respects, that is just what they have become – the last chance for the nominees to attract the millions of disgruntled Americans to embrace them and support their cause. It is up to each citizen to get involved and push for changes in the general election, local government, or the next election cycle. After the conventions have ended, the all-too important issue of who will take the White House, and with it the right to nominate Supreme Court Justices, sign executive orders and legislation, and in general be the chief executive of the United States is decided at the general elections. Doing one’s homework and becoming an informed voter is the way to counter all the showbiz that is used by the individuals to woo the ballot in their favor. Will the torch of American patriotism be kept burning brightly or will it go out.