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19 AUGUST
Virtually un-conventional
Day two of the Democratic National Convention 2020 has just wrapped. The parade of speakers over days one and two included Democratic heavyweights like Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders; rising stars Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Andrew Cuomo and Catherine Cortez Masto; and several Republican defectors including John Kasich. The move to live-streaming made the convention more accessible to viewers around the world than ever.
In a conversation with United States Studies Centre (USSC) experts yesterday, the reactions were split. Senior Lecturer David Smith said, “I like the fact that there wasn’t crowd noise. It often, I think, gets very very tedious. It really just confirms the team sported-ness of it and you hear just mindless applause and cheering for rather banal things.” And Non-resident Fellow Kim Hoggard agreed it is, “a more intimate experience for the viewer.” Associate Professor Brendon O’Connor “missed the pageantry of the balloons and the crowd that look like and seem like they’ve been on Gatorade for about 12 hours.”
Next week will be the Republicans' time in the sun, but details are still emerging as the pandemic pushed the party to vacillate between locations and formats. Where the Democrats made the call early to host a virtual event, the Republican National Convention is still looking for ways to foster the enthusiasm that plays to President Trump’s strengths and avoid some of the flatness of a virtual experience. The delayed conventions and isolation have condensed the campaign timeline.
The USSC will be tracking developments through conventions, debates and then the big day on 3 November. Make sure to follow USSC on Twitter and visit the USSC Election Watch Hub to stay across the latest news in the race to the White House.
VIDEO
Election Watch: DNC 2020
The 2020 Democratic National Convention is the most accessible and most isolated convention in US election history. Does a convention without balloon drops or crowd fanfare hit the mark or fall flat? USSC experts David Smith, Brendon O’Connor, Bruce Wolpe and Kim Hoggard shared their instant analysis after day one. Watch the full discussion HERE.
Catch this and other recent webinars on the USSC YouTube channel!
We are on the doorstep of possibly the end of our electoral democracy for the first time in our 244 year history. If you don’t think this is a fundamental threat to our democracy, you’re not paying attention.
Thomas Friedman
USSC Webinar
The trajectory of American politics, power and prestige
19 August 2020
NEWS WRAP
Going postal
Mail updates held for 2020 ballot
The US Postmaster General has suspended all cost-cutting operational changes until after the November election in response to claims Donald Trump was deliberately attempting to slow down mail to aid his re-election. New York Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described attempts to dismantle the postal service as a "selfish desire to sabotage our democracy and maintain a grip on power". READ MORE HERE
Trump v Michelle Obama showdown following DNC address
President Donald Trump has taken aim at Michelle Obama on Twitter after she delivered scathing criticisms of the president in her address during the Democratic National Convention. President Trump labelled the former First Lady's endorsement of Joe Biden as “very late and unenthusiastic” after she described Trump as the “wrong president” for the United States who is “clearly in over his head”. READ MORE HERE
Colin Powell backs Biden in DNC video message
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has joined a growing list of Republicans supporting Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention, where he said Biden would be a president “we will all be proud to salute”. John Kasich, the former Governor of Ohio, and Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Senator John McCain, have also been among the anti-Trump Republicans to speak at the convention so far. READ MORE HERE
US Senate panel details ties between Russia and 2016 Trump campaign
A Republican-controlled Senate panel has laid out an extensive report detailing Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the web of contacts linking Trump campaign advisors to Kremlin officials and others, including the country’s spy service and at least one intelligence officer. The nearly 1,000 page report add to the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller, which were released in 2019. READ MORE HERE
ANALYSIS
Biden vs Trump: White House Capacity
V. Kim Hoggard
Non-resident Senior Fellow
The task is enormous for Joe Biden to meet the challenges of governing a divided country facing an historic set of crises after four tumultuous years. Biden has said he is ready to “hit the ground running” on day one of his presidency. As a former senator and two-term vice president, he is well qualified to do so, as was George HW Bush, who said after his presidential election, “I know how to begin…” The depth of experience and the political and diplomatic relationships Biden has built over decades in Washington would ensure a return to more stability.
Biden describes himself as a “transitional president” who can help grow the next generation of Democrats. His “unity task forces” have sought to unite the left-wing of the Democratic party leading up to the Democratic National Convention, working out major policy differences before the general election campaign. The results produced a governing agenda focused on criminal justice reform, climate change, the economy, education, healthcare and immigration. Biden has talked about creating new cabinet-level posts, including an Office of Science and Technology Policy, a Global Health Security Pandemic Office and a separate Climate Change operation that “goes beyond the EPA.”
COVID-19: BY THE NUMBERS
Vaccine production
Current capacity 5B | COVID need 15B
Australia secured the rights to produce 25 million doses of the Oxford vaccine if it is successful. Global health security expert and USSC Non-resident fellow Adam Kamradt-Scott points to the challenge ahead, noting that current total vaccination production is estimated at 5 billion worldwide, but 12-15 billion doses may be needed to inoculate against COVID-19.
In his latest article for The Conversation, Non-Resident Fellow Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott explains creating a vaccine is only the first step, warning that "some of the biggest challenges in getting everyone vaccinated still lie ahead". READ MORE HERE
VIRTUAL EVENT
A conversation with Molly Ball
Nancy Pelosi is the most successful woman in American politics. The first female Speaker of the House in American history, Pelosi has twice held this position. And, in one of the most tumultuous eras in American politics, she's taken centre stage multiple times.
To discuss Pelosi's career and to talk about the state of the US election, please join us for a webinar event featuring the award-winning political journalist Molly Ball, TIME magazine’s national political correspondent and author of the recent biography Pelosi, in conversation with the United States Studies Centre's Dr Charles Edel and Dr John Lee.
WHEN:
Tuesday, 25 August 2020, 10am AEST
COST:
Free, but registration is essential
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
