What Went Down On Day Three Of The Democratic Convention

This video is a reminder that even if some prominent Republicans such as Marco Rubio eventually came around to endorsing Trump, their previous remarks doubting his fitness to be president remain on video, available for Democrats to try to exploit.

And here’s the inevitable video of Republicans saying terrible things about Trump, all spliced together. A whole lot of military folks featured.

Answer

On the one hand, both conventions have seemed pretty standard, especially given the unconventional things that are going on. The formats are familiar, and especially this week, the themes are pretty clearly identifiable with the parties. The final night of the RNC felt fairly normal, despite the unusual nominee — and despite some of the unique speakers and speeches earlier in the week. In a similar vein, the Clinton convention is pretty standard in a lot of ways, with celebrities and officeholders (current and former) offering digs at the other party and standard applause lines. This has happened alongside the historic nature of the nomination and the atypically vocal Sanders contingent. What has struck me, though, is that, particularly last night, the DNC has seemed especially tied to the party’s past. The brief appearance by Jimmy Carter, and the reminders of Bill Clinton’s presidency through Madeleine Albright and of course former President Clinton himself, gave a sense of continuity. This sense of the party’s recent — ideologically heterodox and sometimes troubled — history contrasts with changes in the platform over voting, campaign finance and crime and punishment, to name a few. The Republicans were the opposite — even talk about Reagan seemed to me in short supply. With Romney and the Bushes absent, last week’s convention felt very disconnected from the party’s recent past.