US presidential elections: The American process (6)

KWENU! Our culture, our future

US Presidential Elections: The American Process (6)

Democratic National Convention

ACHO ORABUCHI

Dallas, Texas

Friday, August 6, 2004

Amid the flurry of political activities during the Democratic National Convention on July 26-29, 2004, including the presence of who’s who among the Democrats, was a seamless message crafted for a favorable introduction of John Kerry to the nation. The mélange of messages designed to unveil Kerry-Edwards ticket was aimed at striking chord with the electorate. Weather the message was well received by the intended audience remains to seen in the coming days and weeks in the polls.

Piqued by the anxiety of a potential threat of terrorism, law enforcement agents were more than visible during the convention. Prior to the convention, the Homeland Security Chief, Tom Ridge earlier assured that all security details were dotted and connected for public safety.

In midst of all the activities, the party expressed its position on issues through various means.

The culminating, most important activity—“Stronger at home, respected in the world”—of the Democratic National Convention was the official nomination of Kerry as the Democratic presidential candidate and the consequence acceptance of the nomination by Kerry. Former senator and a Vietnam veteran, Max Cleland, introduced John Forbes Kerry, 60, a Vietnam veteran and a fourth-term senator from Massachusetts.

In his acceptance speech, Kerry said, “…I accept your nomination for President of the United States.” Kerry went on to say, “I am proud that at my side will be a running mate whose life is the story of the American dream and who's worked every day to make that dream real for all Americans: Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, and his wonderful wife Elizabeth and their family.”

He spoke on several issues and vision for America. He said, “My fellow Americans, the world tonight is very different from the world of four years ago. But I believe the American people are more than equal to the challenge.”

“We need to make America once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to and not just feared.”

He added, “We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation to keep the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the world.”

“I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation, not the Saudi royal family,” he stressed.

Unlike Nigeria where issues do not matter in any election; the issue-oriented four-day Democratic National Convention witnessed featured speakers and various activities packaged thematically. The convention was replete with issues. The issues and messages were embedded in the highlighted themes: The Kerry-Edwards plan for America’s future; A lifetime of strength and service; A stronger more secure America; and a concluding theme: Stronger at home, respected in the world.

Among the activities on the second day of the convention was the adoption of the Democratic Platform. A Platform, which is adopted every four years in the convention, is the official statement describing the position of the party on a wide range of issues. The platform contains planks that describe the party’s position on each category of issues. The Democrats started working on their platform on March 26, 2004 when Terry McAuliffe, DNC Chairman announced the appointment of the chairs of the 2004 Platform Committee: Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa, U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, and Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa. The platform draft is derived from the inputs from the public, especially party members. It was presented and adopted on the second day by the delegates to the convention. Along with other positions on issues, the platform emphasizes on national security, an unrelenting fight against terrorism, taking leadership in global environmental issues, support for promotion of energy independence, support for middle-income tax cuts, the expansion of health care, and modernization of the military.

Undeniably, the Democratic platform supports affirmative action and other civil rights. The party demonstrated this by having a mosaic of cultures in its convetion this year at the Fleet Center in Boston. The significance of the participation of minorities at the Democratic National Convention this year was enormous to those minorities looking for a reason to support the Democratic ticket. The import was much more evident when the keynote speaker took the podium. Barack Obama, a biracial with a Kenyan father, an Illinois State senator and the Democratic nominee for the USA Senate delivered a captivating keynote address at Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, July 27, 2004.

Also, there were other areas where the participation of minorities was visible. Governor Bill Richardson, a Hispanic and governor of New Mexico, chaired the Democratic National Convention that had more minorities participants this year than in other years. According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), “39.1 percent of the 4,341 delegates to this month’s Convention in Boston are minorities. More African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native-Americans, and Hispanics will attend the Convention than ever before.”

In a speech at the 95^th Annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 15, 2004, Kerry took aim at Bush who declined to speak to the group. He said, “But when you’re president of the United States, you can pretty much say where you want to be. And when you’re president, you need to talk to all the people – and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I will be a president who truly is a uniter, not one who seeks to divide our nation by race, riches or any other label. You know, the president may be too busy to speak to you now, but I assure you, he’ll have plenty of free time after November 2nd.”

He went further to remind African-Americans about the high stakes of this election, including the 2000 Florida electoral saga. Kerry appreciatively stated, “This November, thanks to the efforts of the NAACP and heightened vigilance across the nation, we are not only going to make sure that every vote counts; we’re going to make sure that every single vote is counted. One way to do that is to fulfill the promise of election reform by reauthorizing the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and vigorously enforcing all our voting right laws. It is a great injustice to us all when African-Americans are denied their fundamental right to vote.

Among the featured speakers at the convention were former presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former vice president, Al Gore, Senator Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Carol Moseley Braun, General Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman, Al Sharpton, and John Edwards, who accepted his nomination for vice presidential candidate.

Ronald Reagan, the son of the legendary Republican president, late Ronald Wilson Reagan, spoke on the vagaries of embryonic stem-cell research. He expressed his belief in the potential advantages of stem-cell research and its prospective impact on the cure for various kinds of diseases. This belief is shared with Kerry, but frowned at by Bush. Stem cell has become a thorny issue for Bush.

It was obvious that the convention showed a united Democrats Party. There were no floor fights on the rules, credentials, and the platform.

The Democratic platform supports gay rights and abortion rights. Ahead of the convention, the Republican-controlled senate tried to introduce legislation for constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. The Senate debate on constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage was more of playing politics than the protection of traditional marriage. For the proposed amendment to pass, it would require two-thirds (67) votes of members of the senate. On July 14, 2004, the proposed amendment failed to make it to the senate floor because it could not gather 60 votes needed to overcome the procedural hurdle. The Democrats claimed that the proposed amendment was a sinister plot to corner Kerry and Edwards for capitulation on family value issue; and it was not meant for the preservation of traditional marriage.

Speaking to another civil rights group, Urban League, at its 2004 National Conference in Detroit, Michigan on July 22, 2004, John Kerry equated value with economic opportunity for all Americans. He said, “I am running for president because I believe that what matters most is not the narrow values that divide, but the shared values that unite all of us in this country.” “Let me tell you what values mean to me and John Edwards. Values mean having an opportunity agenda for metropolitan America. That means bringing capital, small business opportunities and job creation to all of our communities – especially our central cities and the surrounding metropolitan areas,” Kerry added.

It is pertinent to note that at this stage electoral permutations and postulations, candidates need help in every facet of political realm. Interestingly, about a month ago—June 26, 2004, the Green Party, in its national convention, nominated David Cobb and Pat LaMarche as its presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively thereby rejecting showing a green light to Ralph Nader, who would have used the platform to be on the ballot in about 22 states. The import of Green Party’s decision was a major setback for Nader and a huge relief to the Democrats, who accused Nader of spoiling their chances in 2000 presidential elections. The Cobb-LaMarche ticket under the banner of the Green Party has adopted a “safe state” strategy to the disliking of Nader-Camejo. The “safe state” strategy is a concept of running a high visibility campaign in states where Kerry and Bush have huge leads and low visibility campaign in the battleground states. The significance of this strategy is to avoid the repeat of 2000 presidential election where Ralph Nader was tagged as a spoiler to the Democrats’ chances of winning the presidency. Cobb, who is making his first foray in the presidential elections, is being cautious and conciliatory to the Democrats.

Meanwhile, the presidential campaign continues as we wait for the Republican National Convention in New York, New York on August 30 – September 2, 2004.