All Theater, No Class at National Conventions

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is a theatrical political gathering that spans four days and attracts the highest-ranking elected officials from across the nation. These include President Joe Biden, Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as well as just about every major political personality you can think of.

When I say that it is a theatrical event, I mean it.

The DNC is an expensive platform for Democrats -- and Republicans, at the Republican National Convention -- to showcase who they are and what they stand for. Yet, without fail, these national conventions repeatedly do not address the important matters that impact all Americans.

Strip away the excessive display, allure and drama of the convention, and what remains is a collection of highly influential and well-connected people, all proclaiming to the public the shortcomings of the opposing party, the exceptional qualities of their own candidates, and just how bad you're going to have it if the other party wins.

But Americans don't need the extravagance and theatrics. They don't need to be told who's good and who's bad. What they need are tangible solutions to real problems that they face on a daily basis. They don't need to hear how incompetent or dictatorial their opponent is. They don't need disparagement. That doesn't help anyone, and it is absolutely detrimental to today's polarized America.

We need speeches that emphasize that we are all Americans, irrespective of our race, color, gender or creed. We need candidates to acknowledge their faults and shortcomings but let their supporters understand that nobody, not even themselves, is perfect.

This issue is not limited to the DNC. The RNC is no better. The purpose of these conventions is not to discuss solutions. Their purpose is to unite in support of a political party and to deepen the division between the viewers and supporters of the opposing party. Let's be clear, Democrats know what they are doing. Republicans know what they are doing. If they wanted to end the divisions in America next week, they could do so with ease.

Worse, both parties lie and lie and lie. During the DNC, a woman who was sexually assaulted by her uncle at the age of 12 spoke on stage. She and the Democrats argued that former President Donald Trump would endorse policies such as a nationwide abortion ban, which would have prevented her from obtaining an abortion at age 12. The crowd enthusiastically applauded her while expressing strong disapproval toward Trump. They did this notwithstanding the abundance of statements and interviews from Trump wherein he explicitly states his lack of support for a nationwide abortion ban and his consistent endorsement of exceptions for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother.

How many times did Democrats talk about Trump's participation in Project 2025, a policy guide produced by the Heritage Foundation that Trump has explicitly refused to endorse, had no involvement in, and even disagrees with much of? As expected, par for the course for any party, Project 2025 was given a grossly inaccurate and compelling name: "Trump's Project 2025."

Let's also not forget the numerous instances in which Trump was characterized as a dictator or a king, despite the fact that he was literally president for four years and no dictatorship or kingship came even close to arising.

We must transcend these falsehoods and theatrics, and address the substantive matters at hand, as the reality is that we are on the brink of a civil war. The country is evenly polarized along party lines, with the moderate factions of each party progressively shifting toward the extreme ends. This is not due to a sudden divergence in people's opinions. The reason for this is that each political party engages in falsehoods and ridicules the opposing party, something not seen in our nation's history. And when each party is given a microphone that broadcasts them to millions of American households, what do they do? They divide even more.

During the convention, Biden delivered a speech that could possibly be regarded as his farewell address. Despite the fact that he has several months remaining in his term, this entire speech -- along with the speeches delivered by his wife, Jill, and daughter Ashley leading up to it -- was merely a sentimental goodbye.

Prior to Biden's speech, the crowd burst into chants of gratitude and affection, exclaiming "Thank you, Joe" and "We love you, Joe." They also displayed signs bearing these messages, which were distributed to all the spectators in the state and the United Center just before Biden took the stage.

However, those expressions of gratitude were not commendations for Biden's accomplishments as president. When the crowd chanted "thank you," they were expressing gratitude to him for dropping out of the race. What a slap in the face.

Insiders will tell you: Biden is resentful. Biden believes he was ousted by former President Barack Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, because they are the only ones with the political sway to do that. It is the unspoken issue at the DNC. Everyone in the know knows there's a major rift between Biden and the party leaders -- that he feels betrayed -- but they won't dare make it public.

It's clear that Biden is putting on a happy face for the sake of the nation, cameras and his own party -- a party that orchestrated a coup d'etat against him.

The current state of affairs in America appears daunting. Today's America does not evoke feelings of security, happiness and safety. Americans desire an America that embodies the essence of what America is -- a nation unlike any other.

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Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. To find out more about him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.