Politically Incorrect: Navigating the post-Convention, pre-Election Media Frenzy (Part 1)
Let’s face it, Collegiettes™: politics isn’t the most interesting topic to most people. I’m a PoliSci major, so I tune into C-SPAN as often as possible… but I’m a rare breed. Even as the election nears (it’s in less than two months!), not many people pay attention to more than the basic headlines. So I’ll make it my job to keep you informed from now until November 6th.
RNC: The RNC (Republican National Convention) took place in Tampa, Florida during the last week of August. Here’s the highlight reel:
-The first day of the convention was canceled due to Hurricane Isaac.
-In a move that puzzled many, several prominent members of the Republican Party were NOT invited to the convention (Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, and even former president George W. Bush, to name a few).
-Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan charmed the crowd with his speech that outlined what he and Mitt Romney plan to do if they win. Ryan proved once again that his public speaking skills are excellent. His fact-checking skills, however, are not; within hours after he delivered his speech, Ryan was criticized by the media for the misinformation he delivered in his speech.
-Mitt Romney officially became the Republican Party’s nomination for President. His speech wasn’t hailed by many as spectacular, but it pleased the crowd and ended the convention on a high note.Note: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (that new reality series on TLC about a 6-year-old pageant girl and her family) actually drew in higher ratings and more viewers than the convention.
-Last, but most certainly not least, Clint Eastwood delivered his now infamous bizarre and hilarious speech to a chair in which an invisible President Obama sat. Clint railed on about how the president hadn’t kept his promises to the country. (The internet promptly burst into action and created a series of Clint & His Chair memes for the country to appreciate. #Eastwooding, the concept of sharing a picture of someone talking to an empty chair, trended on Twitter for several days after the convention ended.)
DNC: (Democratic National Convention) took place the week after the RNC in Charlotte, North Carolina. Highlights included:
-The party made a noticeable effort to parade “ordinary Americans” who benefitted in some way from President Obama’s policies (for example, children with pre-existing conditions who can now receive healthcare and gay armed service members who don’t have to fear a dishonorable discharge if they come out).
-Michelle Obama delivered a speech on her financial struggles growing up and how her husband understands the American dream because he lived it.To basically no one’s surprise, Bill Clinton’s speech was a crowd favorite. He’s known to be a terrific public speaker, and he didn’t disappoint. He did, however, speak for more than twice the amount of time he was supposed to because he had to pause for applause so often. (Also, he loves to hear the sound of his own voice, so he went off script a few times.)
-Vice President Joe Biden spoke on the last night of the convention before Obama came out. Reactions to his speech were very mixed: some thought that it was touching (he shed a few tears when he brought up America’s soldiers), while others thought that it was either cheesy or forced.President Obama was the last to speak. While I thought that his speech was inspirational, many political commentators noted that it was predictable and he had nothing new to say; their general post-DNC opinion is that Bill Clinton and his speech overshadowed the rest of the speakers, including Obama.
A lot can happen between now and the election. Both campaigns are frantically fundraising and running ads on national TV explaining why one candidate is better than the other. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as the weeks go by, but for now, enjoy my collection of convention-related late night TV clips and memes… and don’t forget to register to vote if you’re a U.S. citizen and haven’t already registered!
People contributing to the #Eastwooding trend:http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/clint-eastwood-rnc-04.jpg
http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/clint-eastwood-rnc-05.jpghttp://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/gallery/clint-eastwood-chair-at-rnc/eastwooding.jpg
Jon Stewart on the conventions:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifG7Ocx-oTk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDWOduw-Rnc
Jimmy Kimmel’s “DNC Dancer of the Night”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGPDHXFAn2A
Jay Leno on Romney:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUUGa0vBdTg
Bill and Hillary “text”:https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/393464_10151048797456275_2079090126_n.jpg
Register to vote in Massachusetts (there’s still time!):http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm
Sources:http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2012/08/clint-eastwood-speech-memes-twitter/#page/1
www.c-span.org, www.cnn.com