From Bipartisan Governance to Election Politics in the White House, US Congress and US States and Territories
Julie Ann Racino
Cornell and Syracuse University Alumni
jar329@cornell.edu
August 29, 2020
Democrats and Republicans, the two major political parties in the US, held their "virtual conventions" for the 4 year US Presidential Elections. For most governments in the US, the goal of bipartisanship, often marked by Congressional gridlock, has reached an impasse post the impeachment proceedings of the Democrats against the Republican Trump Administration.
As many know, the new face of the Democratic Party is shaping in the US as the eras of Kennedy, Clinton, Carter and Cuomo politics reached the Obama generations. While the Nation has always heard of the evangelical right in the Republican Party, today the new Democrats are often considered controlled by the (far) left wing of the party, including Sander's constituencies. The 2016 Tea Party of Sarah Palin, and the Bush Republicans (late Pres. George H.W. Bush, and Pres. George W. Bush) which dominated the US Presidency were dwarfed by the Trumpian politics, Republican administration.
In August 2020, the Democratic Party nominated Joseph R. Biden as their Presidential candidate, traditionally called the establishment due to his career starting at age 29 in the US Senate. Serving for 8 years as Vice President of the United States of America under President Barack Obama, the political narrative or story has Joe Biden "in waiting for the Presidential nomination" as a brokered deal for the first US Woman President results in Hillary Clinton winning the US popular vote in 2016.
2020 Election Campaign for US President
The hallmark of the 2020 Election campaigns, held during the Covid-19 pandemic, were the largely uncontested re-nomination of President Donald J.Trump as Republican (incumbent) candidate, and the Sen. Biden and Sen. Sander's Democratic state party campaigns. The latter tipped Joe Biden (accompanied by Dr. Jill Biden) into the winning seat in South Carolina attributed to the support of the "traditional black African Americans." Sen. Elizabeth Warren retained (distant) third place for the Democrats with the "diversity team of Presidential candidates" supporting Joseph R. Biden by or post Super Tuesday. Barack Obama endorsed Joe Biden (whom he lauds as one of his best life decisions) later in the campaign, and First Lady Michelle Obama and Barack Obama were featured as Democratic Convention speakers in 2020.
The Democratic campaign was bolstered by the high support of the President Jimmy Carter, President Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the early support of our own Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York. CNN's Democratic debates in 2019-2020 positioned leadership for the Democratic Party diversity campaign, including Biden's VP choice Kamala Harris of California, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of Indiana, Andrew Yang of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York (withdrew after first debate), Julian Castro (former HUD), Tulsi Gabbard (National Guard), and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, among others (E.g. Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana; Marianne Williamson, new age author; Mayor Bloomberg of New York).
Republicans, admitting the devastation caused by Covid to the economy of the US, held their Republican roll call vote for Donald J. Trump on Monday, August 24, 2020. Both the President and VP Michael Pence gifted the Convention audience with speeches during the unanimous re-nomination of the current US President on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Michael Pence of Indiana accepted the Vice Presidential re-nomination on Day 3 at Fort McHenry outside Baltimore, MD and President Trump on Day 4 at the White House in Washington, DC. Both the First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Karen Pence were featured as Republican Convention speakers in 2020.
Campaigns: From Traditional Issues to Diversity and Government Control
Both campaigns are vying for the vote of the new diversity and political blocs in the US, and all campaigns featured visible professional women, African Americans, disabled Veterans and families, with the Democrats taking on the LGBTQ+ constituencies most visibly. Republicans won the political show from the Democrats on the Centennial celebration of women rights in America, and the George Floyd political demonstrations and Black Lives Matter which portended the nomination of Senator Kamala Harris, former Attorney General for California, as the first Vice Presidential nominee, women of color in the US (black-Jamaican and Indian American).
The traditional campaigns on law and order, now highlight the state Attorney Generals which are a path to higher government offices, and the peaceful protests and marches characterized in the US as "arms length from" looting, rioting and police brutality. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in their first televised interview as a Presidential team supported the police (the Blue) in their work in the US, during the time Republican opponent Michael Pence characterized the Democratic leader as pushing to defund the police. The latter was featured by Policy Link in Oakland, California as "black organizing" in cities and regarding city budgets.
The primary campaigns of the Democratic Party featured traditional issues of education and schools, health care for all, climate change and energy, housing "for different population groups" (e.g., prisons), Social Security and Medicare for seniors, free college tuition, family and medical leave, criminal justice reform, pre-k and child care for working parents, supporting small businesses, and voter access, among much more (racial justice). Republicans, meeting the Democrats on their issues, are supporting school choice, keeping promises to America's seniors, and have influxed cash into the economy as high unemployment rates soar in the US.
On foreign policy, we look forward to the forthcoming debates from widely experienced Joseph R. Biden (our winner on the Iran trade deal) and our current President Donald J.Trump (who renegotiated the NAFTA Trade Compact as USMCA-United States, Mexico, and Canada Trade Deal). We began with the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities as a priority and the new Convention on the Rights of Indigeneous Peoples which are now at the Biden-Harris versus Obama-Biden worldwide treaties and the roles of the US in the global world.
We thank both political parties and the newsmedia, especially CSPAN (for continuous political and government coverage) and PBS Newshour's Judy Woodruff, for this year's Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Third party coverage of the Liberterian and Green Parties, Working Family Parties, Woman's Equality Party, and Independent Parties, among others are also available on websites and through wikipedia. Thank you to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for turning the House of Representative Blue in 2018 in a diversity campaign with Tom Perez, Democratic Party National Committee. And with our Republican colleagues, God Bless America and Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, indivisible and one Nation under God, liberty and justice for all.
