Dem convention confronted the issues facing America

The American people have seen two visions of their country the past two weeks from two very different perspectives.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no packed convention halls when the Democrats and Republicans put forth their party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees. Gone were the usual balloon drops and cheering crowds — President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech before more than 1,500 mostly unmasked and not safely distanced supporters on the South Lawn of the White House notwithstanding. The optics were clearly to imply the power of the incumbency, regardless of violations of the Hatch Act

But while both parties rose to the challenge of putting on a virtual convention, the way they chose to deliver their messages reflects their priorities and direction for the country.

In the Democrats, we saw American families from across the land, in living rooms, on factory floors and in schools and town squares. In the Republicans, we saw a different portrait of the American family. In fact, you could call it “All in the Family.”

From Donald Jr.’s Day 1 speech to daughter Ivanka’s introduction of her father on the last night, the Trump family was on full display. Then there were those in Trump’s extended family, the inner circle of power and privilege, such as Rudy Giuliani and Kellyanne Conway.

All offered a vision of Trump that many Americans won’t recognize, a president who is compassionate, inclusive and unifying. It was a presentation of a manufactured truth with dangerous consequences.

In the Republicans’ version put forth this week, the pandemic will soon be magically over in the United States, crushed, in the president’s words, by a vaccine that will be available by the end of the year. In reality, Americans continue to pay heavily for COVID-19. More than 180,000 people have died from the virus — a toll that many experts say could have been far less had there been a plan and commitment in place from Day One.

Even the optics reflected the stark differences between the parties. While President

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence rarely use or encourage the use of masks, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris are following the science and encouraging others to do so.

But beyond the masks, there were other obvious differences in how the parties delivered their messages. Democrats spoke bluntly about systemic racism, the Black Lives Matter movement and Biden’s ability to heal a divided nation. But while protests gripped Kenosha, Wisconsin, Republicans emphasized Trump’s commitment to law and order without discussing the underlying frustrations and injustices faced by many Black Americans. Instead, they took a page from Richard Nixon’s law and order campaign of 1968, suggesting that America is headed to total chaos without the reelection of President Trump.

There also were no mentions of innocent lives lost in police shootings, specific improvement of race relations or social justice, leaving standing the president’s mantra that there are “very fine people, on both sides.”

On the economy, the Republicans ignored the fact that the economy has ground to a halt — instead painting a rosy picture and promising robust growth over the next four years. The Democrats hammered home the need to rebuild the economy, including putting back to work the tens of millions who have lost their jobs in the coronavirus recession.

There’s a stark choice facing Americans in this election. It’s a choice reflected in conventions that were anything but conventional. The Republicans promised an uplifting and optimistic message to the country but turned to their comfortable fallback of divisive rhetoric and fear-mongering. In contrast, the Democrats offered an inclusive future, building on the best of all Americans to move the country forward.

The professional production and optics of both campaigns aside, it’s up to the voters to pierce that veil and find the truth that matters before the Nov. 3 election.