During his 1968 presidential campaign, Republican nominee Richard Nixon made a surprising appearance on the popular political comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” a remarkably odd thing for a high-profile candidate to do. The famously serious politician appeared briefly to say the show’s catchphrase, “Sock it to me?” with an awkward smile, and silly laugh. This move, insignificant in the moment, would reportedly brand him as a “relatable leader,” for the young audience, a pivotal demographic in an election plagued by assassinations, street violence, and protests. The moment, broadcast on primetime television in front of millions of viewers, allowed Nixon to brand his campaign as humorous and likable, without spending a dollar of campaign funding: still regarded to do this day as one of the most brilliant moves in campaign history.
Nearly 70 years later from 1968, with the DNC coming full-circle back to Chicago, Nixon’s campaign tactics are being replicated for the Democrats this time: through memes and social media. As President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris has been quick to utilize the exact humor and fanfare that once allowed Nixon to create his image: an amalgamation of Charli XCX’s “BRAT” album, mimicked to spread Harris’s campaign for president. But while green banners with stretched arial-text is one way to capture the attention of the country, having Lil Jon, Stephen Curry, and Steve Kerr endorse you for president is certainly another.
This past week, Chicago hosted the Democratic National Convention (DNC), a presidential nominating convention held every election year to vote in the Democratic Nominee for president. In late July, Milwaukee kicked off excitement in politics at the Republican National Convention (RNC), where celebrity guests like Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan combined entertainment and politics to captivate everyday Americans. Mere weeks ago, the DNC, typically a fanfareless event, followed the hype from the RNC, and matched the decibel frequency of a Travis Scott concert, as Americans, irrespective of political view, embraced celebrity endorsements for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Yet, watching speech after speech from pop-stars and A-listers weighing in on a “life-changing election,” I couldn’t help but feel passionate to do my part in the election process.
Comparing the stark dichotomy of the political dialogues I would have with my friends at the beginning of the summer to the ones I had this week in Chicago was refreshing. What started with, “–––––– is the lesser of two evils,” “Both of them are too old,” “––––––– is less bad than ––––––” “Kendrick Lamar would sweep both of them in debate, get him in here,” turned into, “I’m actually excited for the next debate,” “That speech was so good, I love the Obamas,” “Wasn’t Steve Kerr literally at the Olympics, how did he even get here?”
The DNC for me, was nothing short of inspiring; hearing from numerous presidents, congressmen, youth, poets, and all-time great basketball players, the convention felt like the rebirth of a dying election, a democratic phoenix rising from the ashes. From fellow high schoolers to life-long public servants, speeches underscored ideas larger than a candidate: there was an underlying faith in the platform, a shared view of ideals, and a community of Americans.
I couldn’t help but feel at the center of the world, as millions of people entered Chicago to rally behind a woman, who had been flung into the running for the highest office, and was now rising to a nomination that only weeks before no one thought was possible. Irrespective of politics, rallying around a single person, in such a short time span is nothing short of electrifying.
As she rose to the podium Thursday night, she spoke about ideas that resonated with me to my core: a South Asian mother who pushes and motivates their child, a desire to change the world through law, and a fever dream of one day running for the office of President of the United States. But with the numerous quotes that I wrote down, and photos I spammed, I couldn’t help but realize the onslaught of jabs.
Every third sentence felt like a comment about Former President Trump and his agenda. Every disagreement felt like an attack on his party, not his policies. Weaponizing the political divide felt like commonplace, instead of the hole we were aiming to patch. The comments speakers like Michelle and Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and even Harris herself made about Trump, felt inappropriate; reminiscent of mudslinging efforts and underhanded tactics used to earn votes, rather than sincere, cordial political affairs.
At the same time, President Trump’s comments on X and TruthSocial can’t be excused either, offering malignant and obscene comments on speakers at the DNC exercising their First Amendment rights to express their opinions and thoughts. In light of this, it seems that today’s elections are more focused on conducting scrutinizing opposition research, highlighting flaws in former careers, privileged upbringings, and surmised, unfactual agendas of candidates. And while those aren’t necessarily negative, they are detracting from what elections should be about: highlighting what candidates will do for the people, and how they will push a country forward.
Tragically, I find that the epidemic of political partisanship has become uncontainable. And while there isn’t an immediate cure, the symptoms of division are sowing themselves. As the upcoming election promotes this “us vs them” mindset, students and citizens find themselves allying to one side, and against one another. And while it’s politicians that are spewing this separating rhetoric, it’s also our individual responsibility to independently verify if the ideas presented on stage are principles we agree with. We might not have the time to go line by line and fact check every sentence candidates are claiming, but it is our duty to verify if we align with them personally, not just politically.
I’ll cherish my time at the DNC forever. Standing hundreds of feet from a potential president, hearing speeches from lifelong idols, and getting dozens of notifications from my Apple Watch telling me “repeated long-term exposure to sounds at this level can cause hearing loss” will be memories I hope I always remember. But there are deeper issues that our generation has to do a better job of fixing: political polarization, mudslinging, personalized attacks, generational divide.
While my sentiments from the beginning of the summer have changed, that’s not to say I’m satisfied. I want to live in a country where we aren’t divided over every little topic. Because before red and blue symbolized conservatives and liberals, they symbolized the colors of the American flag. Before there were Democrats and Republicans, our country chose to govern itself as a republican democracy. Before there was “me versus you,” there was “me and you.” While it seems like we’ve forgotten that world, it’s a reality I hope we can one day return to.
