I Attended Both The RNC And The DNC. This Is What I Noticed

The visions being laid out for Americans by the Democrats and the Republicans could not be more different and potentially transformative in how we as Americans live our everyday lives. Yet, many of us are pigeonholed into our political beliefs that have become less about individual policies; instead, our political beliefs have become an extension of ourselves, so much so that policies have disappeared from many mainstream political conversations altogether. 

Despite being a politically astute person, I rarely, outside my political circle, talk politics with people and friends. I often find myself in the dark as to what most Americans are actually thinking outside Twitter and podcasts. 

That changed this election cycle. I have diligently focused my attention on the political pulse while reporting, leading me to rallies, events, neighbors' doors, and even the RNC and the DNC, to understand what politicians are focused on and what the people attending actually think.

Coming from my political bubble, attending the largest political events of this election cycle and talking with the people there had a profound impact on how I understand the policies and beliefs of both those who identify as Republican and as Democrat, which I hope to lay out for you here. 

I will preface that of course I have a personal political bias. I am not trying to change your mind – rather I am letting you know what I saw. You can make the decision yourself. 

The Republican National Committee

There was an air of holiness at the RNC, the kind that only comes after narrowly escaping disaster.

Trump had been shot earlier that week – one person died – and many at the RNC had been at that rally. It was on everyone's mind, a palpable sense that evil had played its hand and lost. This triumph rippled through the entire building and across downtown Milwaukee. There was a feeling that something divine had happened, a sense that this was a sign of being on the right path.

I felt an urgency in the air, a pressing belief that now is the time for saving America – not tomorrow, but today. It was the kind of urgency that comes when you know something precious will be lost if the necessary work isn't done.

At the same time, it felt as though the Republicans were trying to play their hand, mirroring some of the Democrats' tactics. There were Hindu prayers alongside Catholic bishops and former porn stars on stage with evangelical leaders. It was a strange atmosphere. A hodgepodge of people who somehow all ended up at the RNC. 

Perhaps that is reflective of shifting politics in the country, how darlings of the Democratic party like RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have come out not just in support of Trump but are actively campaigning for him. Many who feel like the Democrats have become too progressive all ended up with Republicans. It’s almost a new party that rejects the establishment and war-hungry neocons. 

When Donald Trump took the stage for the RNC finale and announced he would address the assassination attempt he had survived, the stadium fell completely silent. "You will never hear it from me a second time, because it is actually too painful to tell," Trump began.

Trump scrapped his entire speech and rewrote it himself, a Trump official told reporters beforehand. Instead of focusing heavily on attacking the Biden administration, Trump aimed to bring the country together through his near-death experience.

As Trump recounted the story, the crowd erupted into chants of "fight," just as they had throughout the week.

There was a lofty feeling that those in attendance were on the right side, a sentiment that extended even behind closed doors. Policies were, of course, discussed as they had been on the campaign trail, but the RNC felt more like a gathering to express gratitude that President Trump was still with us and less about attacking the Democrats. 

In private sessions and breakouts, policies were discussed on things like bolstering the economy, improving illegal border crossings, and protecting families. However, I can not say the same for the DNC. 

The Democratic National Committee

Before I even arrived in Chicago, I found the choice of city for the DNC bizarre. The first of three times the DNC was held in Chicago, in 1968, the streets erupted in chaos as tens of thousands protested America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Bloodshed ensued among protesters, police, and bystanders alike.

The atmosphere at this DNC felt eerily similar to what I imagine it was like in 1968. Inside, there was an affluent calmness. Outside, the streets of Chicago were riddled with crime, poor illegal immigrants without homes, and a chaotic swell of protesters right outside the Secret Service security perimeter. Moving between these worlds – inside the DNC and the chaos outside – was a strange experience. It felt like entering a walled city, where the suffering outside was forgotten simply because we were inside. There was this air inside that those of us at the United Center were different, perhaps better, from those beyond the walls.

As I moved through the DNC, it became apparent that it was all about sex. When I walked into my first of many parties happening throughout the week, hosted by an organization that trains women to run for office, I was first struck by tables of condoms everywhere with political messaging on the packaging. That was far from the most vulgar event of the week, with parties like "Hotties for Harris," where attendees could walk away with Plan B, lube, and even more condoms.

It's also what was on every woman's mind at the DNC. Every woman I spoke to, without exception, said the main reason they were voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz was access to abortion. I found it odd that even older women, with no prospect of getting pregnant, cited this as their primary reason. I was disturbed when I saw a pregnant woman wearing a T-shirt proclaiming her pro-choice stance – something I mulled over for quite some time. I couldn’t pinpoint why a pregnant woman wearing this shirt felt worse than every other woman expressing support for the same cause. Perhaps it’s because the message seems to be, "I can have my children because I choose to, but I don't care if yours is aborted." I'm not entirely sure that's right, but it’s how it feels.

This theme wasn't avoided during the televised speeches either, where abortion doctors and activists were given plenty of stage time. Even within the halls of the DNC, Planned Parenthood set up an abortion bus where attendees could get one for free and blow-up IUD inserts were displayed. It seemed odd that such a private matter was paraded around, especially when public topics like policy plans were not included in the televised program.

While VP Harris has tried to obscure her true agenda, the Democrats at the DNC were open about their vision for America behind closed doors. The beauty of America and the way our government was set up is to move slowly, ensuring that radical pushes can't be easily accomplished. It's meant to be the pull of the American people over many years that eventually allows for such significant changes – changes that, quite honestly, go against the beliefs of the majority of Americans. In private sessions, Democrats spent considerable time discussing the necessity of packing the courts, essentially turning the slowest moving branch of government into one that is politically reactive to the will of the majority. It’s deeply un-American to alter the makeup of our government in order to quickly push through policies that would change the fabric of American society. Hearing this, it made sense to me why it was omitted from the televised speeches. 

What was perhaps the most bizarre finding came when I spoke with attendees, asking simple questions about why they supported VP Harris and what they thought of President Biden. Their answers were almost verbatim what you would hear on ABC News or CNN. It makes sense that talking points would be repeated, but the strangest part was the confidence with which they spoke. I could see the pride on their faces, believing they had come up with those words themselves, happily turning those scripted phrases into their own. It became a strange guessing game in my head. I would approach someone to ask questions, already knowing their answer before they did, just by looking at them. It felt like a simulation.

Even more bizarre was that I found more substantive conversations at the pro-Palestine rally just outside the DNC's doors. While I may not have agreed with their views, their arguments were more eloquent and thoughtful than those representing the Democratic Party inside. I wondered then if being a parrot was a requirement to be inside, and that's why all the protesters were out here. With that said, there were many among the protesters who thrived on chaos, the Machiavellian types. Their faces were hidden, and they refused to talk to me. I avoided them as well; they were there to take advantage of the veil that a crowd creates, and chaos erupted because of it. 

Traveling back from Chicago, I drove in silence, partially because my head hurt from all the thinking that I was doing to process what I saw, a light shown on ideas and people that I never associated with but needed to to understand. I saw the future that could ensue if the American people did not pay attention, which is difficult when we are fed curated stories. What I saw was an undoing of what is good toward a chaos that will inflict the masses. 

The Takeaway

You'll find that my takeaways from the DNC were much longer. Perhaps that's because what transpired there was more surprising to me. Having only seen the Democrats in the light of favorable media coverage previously, I was shocked to hear policies openly discussed that would never see the light of day on TV and to hear ideas I thought were widely unpopular being praised in private conversations.

What unfolded at the RNC was no surprise to me. There were prayer breakfasts, expressions of gratitude for our lives as Americans, and a strong sense of urgency and duty to save our country from policies that undermine the family and destroy the economy. That was the focus of the discussions. 

I can only imagine that the several days at both the RNC and the DNC are a preview of what a Republican and a Democratic administration would look like. The choice is ours.