2012 Convention Differences: DNC vs. RNC

by: DocJess

Fri Aug 10, 2012 at 06:16:58 AM EDT

As the Democrats and Republicans, look forward to their conventions, let's take a break to compare and contrast what each is doing. While a quick peruse through recent posts will show that while the Democrats have great speakers, the GOP is looking to keep their most visible folks off the podium (think Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich,  Donald Trump and Orly Taitz). Dems showcase, GOP hides. The Democratic platform is constructed with a lot of public scrutiny (and y'all know how I feel about the platform!) while the GOP version will likely be a more locked down version of their last production, which was dedicated to the rich and powerful. And then there is what is euphemistically called the adult entertainment industry:

“Hands down, the Republicans have always been our best customers,” says Angelina Spencer, the Executive Director of the Association of Club Executives. It is the national trade organization for adult nightclubs.

“And they tend to be business-focused,” she says. “That’s really all I can say. We get clients from all walks of life, but for whatever reason… I have heard club owners say, ‘Boy, those Republicans really are great customers.’” 

Family values. Go figure.

And then there are the attendees. They have all sorts of restrictions on who can and cannot attend while the Democrats are open. If you want to attend, you can sign up here. Want to skip most of the convention but see Obama accept the nomination? Click here. 

Next, the Democrats will have no mystery. They stand for what their large tent has always stood for: The American People. All of us. Its our core value and it will be on glorious display. The GOP will be dealing with a veep nomination. The final short list is rumored to be Pawlenty, Portman and Ryan. While we'll know which middle aged white guy gets chosen prior to the event, the choice will feed into the platform determination and the tone of the convention. If the choice is Ryan, as the GOP "intellectuals" want (mostly for reasons of "purity") the platform, and the convention, and then the campaign, will center on the dismantling of Medicare and Social Security. (Hello! Florida!)The big mystery though, will be which Mitt Romney shows up to accept the nomination. Here's a set of choices:

And finally, a fun push poll to end the morning post. When I put up the #DNC2012 logo, I thought I'd compare and contrast by showing the RNC Convention logo (you remember, originally there was the one with the minarets, but now it's changed, but I digress.) I went over to the RNC site, and was greeted by a pop-up from John Boehner advertising a survey, with the note:

Your survey answers will help shape, guide and/or confirm our new House Majority’s approach to dismantling the liberal, job-destroying programs that President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats put in place in recent years.

So I took the push poll. It's here, and if you want to have 5 minutes of fun, you too can contribute to their platform ideas. I thought I did my bit as an American by answering things like "Do you favor repealing the Democrats’ jobs-killing health care law?" with a resounding no, NO, HELL NO. Just trying to be helpful!

If you're in the Philadelphia 'burbs, we're running voter registration drives all weekend (and every weekend) - if you'd like to stop by, drop me a note for directions. Would love to see you. I'm the one in the "register here, register now" tee shirt.