Final thoughts on RNC Class at JCU

    After wrapping up the three week 2016 RNC class at John Carroll University, I have many things to reflect on. First, I learned a lot. I learned more than I was anticipating on learning. Politics was always second nature to me, so learning about journalism was really cool. I watch, read and share media everyday, but never really gave a thought as to who was behind it, until now.
    When I learned I would have to blog in this class I was a little bit intimidated. Being someone who had never even read a blog, I felt hopeless in the beginning. After blogging the first two weeks my confidence and ideas started to build. My self conscious kicked in when I tended to be bias in one of my blogs, which is one of the seven deadly sins as a journalist.
    Dr. Swearingen and Dr. Buchanan lead this course wonderfully. Political science and communications do not seem to have a ton of overlap at first thought, but after taking this course I have learned one would fail without the other. Politics would have no publicity and journalist would have no story. Although this Summer course was fast and super condensed, I took a lot away from it. This class gave me the opportunity to be more involved with the RNC than I would have been on my own.
    This RNC course has made me think critically about conventions. I think more analytically of the speeches and platforms of the parties. I look more into media and how it is either portraying the truth or a hidden agenda. I realize how hard it is being a journalist and a politician. Due to human nature, everyone tends to sway a certain way on certain issues. The journalists and politicians that can put their own feelings to the side for the greater good of the community gain my highest respects. The most important overlap I would love to see between the two is telling and reporting the truth.
    I went into this course not knowing what to expect, and I left this course with more knowledge on subjects I didn't even know I was interested in. I have nothing but the biggest thank you for the professors and my classmates that have shared so much with me over the last few weeks and have given me new experiences and new ideas to think about. Seeing and hearing other people's perspectives and thoughts on things really makes an individual think different. I think about all things from both sides, and try to find an overlap if there is one. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the history that was made in Cleveland!

Final Day of the DNC

Today was the final day of the DNC. The balloons fell in Philly right after Mrs. Hillary Clinton made history giving her acceptance speech as the first ever woman presidential nominee.

Hillary's acceptance speech included her platform, her goals, and of course, some anti-Trump rhetoric. Clinton paved the way for Democrats who are still on the fence about this election. Following Obama's speech praising Hillary in every aspect, it is hard for someone not to feel better about voting for someone who had so much controversy swirling around her and her emails.
Hillary is really going after Bernie Sander's voters after her formal acceptance of the Democratic nominee. According to Matt Flegenheimer of New York Times, he shares an observation of the night. Flegenheimer says "Demonstrations inside and outside the convention hall this week made clear that Mrs. Clinton had some work to do to persuade at least some die-hard supporters of Mr. Sanders.
On Thursday, she seemed to acknowledge as much, quickly addressing them directly with a simple message: I hear you. 'Your cause is our cause,' she said, thanking Mr. Sanders for placing issues of economic and social justice 'front and center, where they belong.' Total unity has been elusive, and could remain so. As Mrs. Clinton accepted the nomination, some Sanders delegates stood stone-faced, occasionally booing or silently protesting" (Flegenheimer 2016). Bernie Sanders really held out through the entire campaign with many supporters following faithfully behind him. In my opinion, if Hillary can gain these supporters, the race would be more in her favor.

Bill Clinton loves balloons... too much. The majority of articles I have read and seen all include Bill Clinton playing with balloons as compared to the actual speeches and milestones that have went down at the conference.

Hillary's daughter Chelsea also spoke at the convention today. The majority of the articles I have found talk about post-baby body for Chelsea, instead of the important things, such as the context of her speech. Chelsea talks about her mother and the leader she has always been. This is very similar to Ivanka Trump's speech about her father, Donald Trump. Chelsea discusses why her mother would be a great president and how she has served our country.

Hillary made history tonight. Hillary Clinton is the first ever woman in history to ever accept the nomination of any political party. Sierra Marquina of US weekly shared this. "Clinton addressed her historic accomplishment, saying, 'Tonight, we've reached a milestone in our nation's march toward a more perfect union: the first time that a major party has nominated a woman for president. Standing here as my mother's daughter, and my daughter's mother, I'm so happy this day has come. Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. I'm happy for boys and men because when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. 'After all, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit. So let's keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves'" (Marquina 2016). Hillary spoke in her speech how she has helped lead this country, and how she will continue to lead it through her term as President if she gets elected. Of course, no speech would be good without throwing a little shade on the enemy. Clinton of course made several comments about Donald Trump. But in her defense, Trump did the same to her.

With Katy Perry performing, I felt as if I was watching a concert on tv or the super bowl, not a political event. I found it very interesting the amount of celebrities that came out and endorsed Hillary Clinton, and not as many political speeches as I would have thought.

Compared to Cleveland, Philadelphia in terms of protests was much more something to report about. More people got arrested and more violence broke out. Both cities handled the convention well, but from what people have been saying, Cleveland is just simply better.

Works Cited
Flegenheimer, Matt. "Democratic Convention Day 4 Takeaways: Over? She’s Just Starting." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 July 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2016.
Marquina, Sierra. "Democratic National Convention Day Four: Everything That Happened During Hillary Clinton's Speech." Us Weekly. N.p., 28 July 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2016.

DNC Day 3

    Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention was held 7/27. Tonight was the night of bashing Donald Trump.

    President Obama spoke tonight at the convention. Obama's speech was the most anticipated of the night, and also received the most attention and praise. According to Barney Henderson and David Lawler of the Telegraph they share the major theme of Obama's speech. They say "Barack Obama lent all of his oratorical talents to the cause of electing Hillary Clinton as his successor on Wednesday night, imploring America to choose hope over the fear-mongering of Donald Trump. He painted Mr Trump as dangerous and unworthy of the presidency, and said he was ready to 'pass the baton' to Mrs Clinton. 'This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us, to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation,' he said. His speech was met with rapturous applause in the convention hall, and he was himself met on stage after its conclusion by a beaming Mrs Clinton"(Henderson/Lawler 2016). Current President Obama made the statement that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified person for this job, even over himself and Clinton's husband, previous President, Bill Clinton. Barney Henderson and David Lawler go on to say "But it was Mr. Obama whose speech will be replayed over and over again by the Clinton campaign between now and November. 'Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits,' he said of Mrs Clinton (Henderson/Lawler 2016). President Obama really gave Hillary Clinton a huge boost in the election in my opinion. Barack Obama is considered the greatest President America ever had, according to some people. During Obama's speech, people in the audience were in tears and the applause was much more tremendous compared to the speeches at the Republican National Convention.
    Vice President Joe Biden also spoke tonight. Biden said about Trump "His cynicism and undoubtedly his lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in that phrase he is most proud of making famous: 'You're fired',"..."This is America" Biden yelled pounding his fists on the podium. This act of anger and frustration looks more like a beacon of hope for America to Democrats. With the great emotion provided by Biden, there is still the sense of hope for Democrats. Biden, in my opinion is implying Donald Trump is not America(n), or his policies and ideas at least. Jonathon Tamari of Philly.com says " Biden noted that Trump made the phrase 'you're fired' famous and called his paeans to the middle class 'malarkey.' Trump has put states like Pennsylvania in play because of his strong appeal to working class workers. Democrats say they plan to undercut that strength by shining a light on Trump's record. Biden began that work in a forceful way Wednesday night" (Tamari 2016). The battle between Republicans and Democrats is really starting to boil over. These conventions have turned into anti the opponent and never pro the respected candidate. 

    Many delegates, protesters, etc. have expressed their feelings in wanting to come back to Cleveland. From Twitter to local papers, the National Conventions are raving about Cleveland. Cleveland has turned into the city of peaceful nature and has given the sense of calm and organized, compared to Philadelphia. 

Works Cited
Biden, Joe. "DNC Day 3." DNC Day 3. Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia. 27 July 2016. Speech.
Henderson, Barney, and David Lawler. "Democratic National Convention Day 3: Barack Obama Implores America to Chose Hillary Clinton and 'hope' over Donald Trump and 'fear'" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 28 July 2016. Web. 28 July 2016.
Tamari, Jonathan. "DNC Day 3 Takeaways: Obama, Biden Come out Swinging." Philly.com. N.p., 27 July 2016. Web. 28 July 2016.

DNC Day 2

    The second day of the DNC was held on 7/26 in Philadelphia. Today history was made. Hillary Clinton, after formally accepting the Democratic nomination, is the first woman in history to ever hold a nominee position.

    Bill Clinton was one of the many speakers that spoke today. New York times share in their article, Democratic Convention Day 2 Takeaways: History is Made, an understanding of Bill Clinton's speech. New York Times says "Former President Bill Clinton’s speech offered an intimate tribute to Mrs. Clinton, describing for a rapt audience their courtship and early marriage — and their upward climb together in politics.His most telling praise, however, was about Mrs. Clinton’s grit as a reformer. With Donald J. Trump casting the 2016 election as a choice between drastic change and an unhappy status quo, the former president insisted that Mrs. Clinton, rather than her opponent, is best prepared to wrest change from an unwilling system"(New York Times 2016). This speech in comparison to Trump's spouse differs a bit, but not by much. Clinton shared more personal stories than Trump did in her speech about her spouse. Since Clinton is one of America's most loved former presidents, this is hard to look at the comparison of spouses. Melania Trump got hell for a plagiarized speech, while Clinton exaggerated and gave inaccurate information in his speech, but yet, no one really bat an eye over it. 

However, some of the speakers were not exactly accurate or truthful in things they have said in their speeches. According to NBC's article Fact Check: DNC Day 2, they share the following:

• Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean claimed that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “whole” health care plan was to replace the Affordable Care Act with “quote, ‘Something so much better.'” In fact, Trump has released a seven-point health care plan
• Bill Clinton said that the United States’ approval rating soared 20 percentage points during the time that Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. But analyses of the U.S.’s global ratings don’t support such a claim.
• Former Attorney General Eric Holder said “1 in 3 black men will be incarcerated in their lifetimes,” an outdated projection based on the incarceration rate for black males as of 2001. That rate has declined since then.
• Bill Clinton said that Arkansas schools went from “worst” when he started as governor to one of two “most improved,” and he gave Hillary Clinton much of the credit. The record is mixed: An expert did say in 1992 that the state had made progress, but the The York Times reported then that the state was “still near the bottom in most national ratings.”
• Sen. Barbara Boxer repeated a convention talking point, claiming that Trump said that “wages are too high.” He was talking about a $15 minimum wage being too high.
• Dean said that GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence “voted to end Medicare as we know it.” Pence did vote for a budget plan that called for a major change to Medicare, but it would have retained a health insurance system for seniors.      

Source: Fact Check: DNC Day 2 | NBC Bay 

These various exaggerations about multiple issues is absolutely unacceptable. Lying to promote a candidate is absolutely disgusting, but, that is the only way you can win. Everyone is so quick to talk about all the great things Mrs.Clinton did, but yet all the bad falls on deaf ears.

    Many people that did speak today were celebrities or actresses; very different from the RNC. The RNC did struggle for speakers, but in my personal opinion, filling speaking roles up with people who are simply in movies is not a great way to get a point across. I felt like I was watching more of an award show compared to a political event. 

Many people have complained about Philadelphia and raved about Cleveland in comparison. Many people are saying the logistics in Philadelphia are nothing compared to Cleveland. The people of Cleveland have also made a lasting impression. Day 3 will include President Barack Obama talking. More to come tomorrow.
Works Cited
Burns, Alexander. "Democratic Convention Day 2 Takeaways: History Is Made." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2016.
Kiely, Eugene. "Fact Check: DNC Day 2." NBC Bay Area. N.p., 27 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2016.

Day One of the DNC

Monday July 25th was the first day of the Democratic National Convention. The DNC this year is being held in historic Philadelphia.

According to Glenn Thrush of Politico, he elaborates about Bernie in his article, 5 takeaways from day 1 of the DNC. Thrush shares "Bernie is pro-Hillary (But he’s a little more anti-Trump). The Vermont senator, who appeared at a joint rally with Clinton in New Hampshire earlier this month (long after he was mathematically eliminated from contention) was passionate in his summons to defeat the surging GOP nominee. He was thunderous in his praise for the millions of Americans who backed his revolution — and in attacking what he called 'the grotesque level of income inequality in America.'"(Thrush 2016). While the RNC was all about anti-Hillary and not so much pro-Trump; the DNC is turning out to be very pro-Hillary. Bernie Sanders is very interesting to me. This election is no longer about the betterment for America, this election is simply a battle of the parties trying to gain more momentum in the government. As most elections are like this, I feel in the past that the nominee's actually somewhat cared about the American people, but now, we the people are disregarded.

Michelle Obama spoke for the first night of the convention. Sunlen Serfaty and Eric Bradner of CNN Politics share a quote from Mrs.Obama's speech. Michelle Obama says "'Don't let anyone tell you that this country isn't great. This right now is the greatest country on earth,' the first lady said" they go on to say "Obama electrified the crowd at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, taking the stage just after 10 p.m. ET and -- in a departure from the political attacks on display all day -- making the case that, because of her character and temperament, Clinton is the role model she'd like her daughters to see in the Oval Office. Even Trump, who Obama was implicitly criticizing, praised her remarks"(Serfaty/Bradner 2016). Unlike Melania Trump's speech, Michelle Obama made her speech very personal. Obama shared personal stories and memories of her family in the White House, while Melania shared nothing super personal. Her statement about America being great is something I would have to disagree with. When was there ever a period in time that America was great for every single individual? Every minority, majority, and group? Never. I think America is great in comparison to other countries, but we as a whole still have a ton of work to do.

The media is also focusing a lot on the protesters of Philadelphia. Unlike Cleveland, there are hundreds more people in the city outraged at the current political situation the United States is currently in. Just as in Cleveland, there was also a flag burning in Philadelphia. Many people are at a dismay now that Bernie Sanders is officially out of the race and has endorsed Hillary Clinton. I feel there is more tension at the DNC simply for this fact.


It is also truly interesting that while the RNC was having to put in music to fill gaps due to lack of speeches, the Democrats are facing the opposite problem. The DNC is worried about having to make more time due to the over abundance of speakers. As Hillary Clinton is almost as unpopular as Mr. Donald Trump, the Democrats have an outpouring of support.


Works Cited
Serfaty, Sunlen, and Eric Bradner. "Michelle Obama: 'When They Go Low, We Go High'" CNN. Cable News Network, 26 July 2016. Web. 26 July 2016.
Thrush, Glenn. "5 Takeaways from Day 1 of the DNC." POLITICO. N.p., 26 July 2016. Web. 26 July 2016.

Final day of RNC

     The final day of the RNC was held Thursday. With Trump being the only Republican left running, he was the obvious choice to be the nominee. Ted Cruz, although talking at the RNC, did not endorse Donald Trump as the Republican nominee. I respect Ted Cruz's stance and he has also gained a higher respect from me by supporting the party, not the person. Trump talked about unifying the party in his speech, and the first step in doing so is to respect the GOP in every aspect.
    Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech for the Republican nominee. According to Michael D. Shea and Nick Corasaniti of New York Times, they share a personal view of Trump's acceptance speech. The two writers describe the speech by saying "With dark imagery and an almost angry tone, Mr. Trump portrayed the United States as a diminished and even humiliated nation, and offered himself as an all-powerful savior who could resurrect the country’s standing in the eyes of both enemies and law-abiding Americans" (Shea/Corasaniti 2016). I have to agree with these two writers on this view of Donald Trump's acceptance speech. The speech was somewhat predicted, in a way. Trump basically took everything he has been saying and just reiterated it in a longer format.
    Ivanka Trump shocked me as well as sparked my interest. As compared to Step Mom Melania Trump, in my personal opinion, I think Ivanka Trump is a great role model for women and young girls. Ivanka Trump embodies what it is for hard work for females. TIME Magazine shared a snip it of Ivanka's speech. Will Drabold of TIME reports from the speech "I’ve learned a lot about the world from walking construction jobs by his side. When run properly, construction sites are true meritocracies. Competence in the building trades is easy to spot and incompetence is impossible to hide. (APPLAUSE) These sites are also incredible melting pots, gathering people from all walks of life and uniting them to work towards a single mission. There have always been men of all background and ethnicities on my father’s job sites. And long before it was common place, you also saw women" (Drabold 2016). Ivanka continues on to share her own desire for entrepreneurship through her own clothing business. Ivanka Trump wore a dress from her own line costing about $138. Compared to step-mom Melania, who was wearing a 2,000+ designer outfit. This to me shows just how down to Earth Ivanka is and just how great of a role model she is. Ivanka also gave personal insights into her life growing up with Donald Trump as Dad. I think it is very noble of Ivanka to have written her own speech, and not relied on someone putting her own feelings into words. After the scandal with Melania Trump, I think this was a very safe, and smart choice. Ivanka Trump has gained my highest respect and interest of the night. Talking especially about the gender wage gap, and how she makes sure her father will follow through if he becomes president makes me believe in the words she has said. Bravo to Ivanka Trump for the night
    As for the city of Cleveland, we did an excellent job in keeping order. There were no huge protests or riots, there was no killing or inappropriate treating of anyone, the city was peaceful.

Works Cited
Drabold, Will. "Read Ivanka Trump's Speech at the Republican Convention." Time. Time, 21 July 2016. Web. 21 July 2016.
Shear, Michael D., and Nick Corasaniti. "Republican Convention Night 4: What You Missed." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 July 2016. Web. 21 July 2016.

RNC Day 3

    Today was the third day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Donald Trump made a grand entrance by helicopter entering the city of Cleveland. I find this very odd. For someone who has a convention here, and is trying to gain the vote of middle and lower class citizens, why is Trump not staying in Cleveland? It is very interesting that Trump is talking about rebuilding America up, but has not visited any of the surrounding neighborhoods to Cleveland. The surrounding cities of Cleveland have some of the worst house blight in the countries. Most presidential nominees, I feel would take somewhat of an interest in the city they are staying in, and not just flying back to New York every night and not worrying about the little people. Those people who there are votes wanted from, but takes no interest in their lives or living conditions.

    Ted Cruz, former hopeful Republican candidate, spoke at tonight's meeting. According to David Graham of the Atlantic, he shares his thoughts from the night. Graham says "The applause was Cruz’s reward for appearing at the Republican National Convention hosted by Donald Trump. The boos were his penalty for refusing to endorse Trump during the speech. It was the latest stunning turn at a convention that remains stubbornly fractured, despite pleas to paper over differences on three straight nights. The GOP simply isn’t ready to unify" (Graham 2016). This is a very interesting statement because of the last line, "The GOP simply isn't ready to unify". I find this very interesting because over the past few months, all the Trump campaign has been saying is how they are ready to unify the party. My question to this is 'Do we really need every single person in the party to agree (which is almost impossible), or will the majority be sufficient enough'? Cruz's speech was a very highly anticipated speech due to the constant tension between Trump and Cruz during both of their campaigns. From the arguing on stage during debates to calling each other out on multiple things in private interviews, these two were never at peace. The fact that Ted Cruz even showed up at the convention gains my highest respect. The tremendous hatred between Trump and Cruz is almost palpable. John Kasich was never a major competitor in this election, and was never a direct enemy of another candidate. I still find it utterly embarrassing that John Kasich can't even represent his own home, while someone who was at a constant battle with Donald Trump can still stand up in front of everyone and give a speech. It's not supporting the person, it's supporting the party. John Kasich has embarrassed Ohio by his own petty childishness. Party support, in my opinion is the most important thing. If the party has a majority, things will go in that way in which the party wants, the representative/person will have to oblige as it is the majority of the party in favor. 

    Another major highlight of the night was the final speech by Trump's running mate, Mike Pence. Pence formally accepted the nomination as the Republican candidate for Vice President. Ted Cruz in his speech made a comment about LeBron James bringing a huge comeback victory, just as Cruz believes America will. I find this comment to be so appropriate, and that Cruz shows an actual interest in the city. Cruz was most concerned about the party, not the nominee, which I believe is the number one priority. Nothing out of Mike Pence's speech I can think of that really stood out or was super prominent in my opinion. Donovan Slack of USA Today shares "After Mike Pence delivered a well-received debut speech as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Donald Trump joined him on stage and engaged in what MUST be one of the most awkward such encounters in recent history" (Slack 2016). Which he is right, this was a very awkward encounter. Trump goes in almost to kiss Pence but ends up kissing the air right next to Pence's face. Donald Trump and Mike Pence are a very different couple when it comes to running mates. Pence behaves and speaks well, while his counterpart is all over the place. Pence almost makes it embarrassing for Donald Trump to even talk. Pence knows how to handle himself in front of thousands or people or in a private interview, while in contrast, compared to Pence, Donald Trump just looks like a baboon.


Tomorrow is the last day of the convention. Donald Trump will give his highly anticipated speech tomorrow. As far as protests have gone, Cleveland is still pretty quiet as nothing major or dangerous has happend, which is a wonderful thing.



Works Cited
Graham, David A. "Ted Cruz Steals the Show." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 20 July 2016. Web. 21 July 2016.
Slack, Donovan. "GOP Convention Day 3: Cruz Booed, Teleprompter Freeze and That Kiss." USA Today. Gannett, 21 July 2016. Web. 21 July 2016.