Republican National Convention

Aiden Chandler, PHS Prowl Reporter

As the lights dimmed and the camera rolled, Kimberly Guilfoyle delivered her speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention. Starting Monday, Aug. 24 and ending Thursday, Aug. 27, the event took place mainly in Washington D.C.

The theme of the event was “Honoring the Great American Story,” and the purpose was to discuss the future of America and to encourage citizens to vote red this November. Many people spoke at the event, including President Donald Trump, Tim Scott and Kevin McCarthy.

One of the main topics of the convention was the re-election of President Donald Trump.

“I think the re-election of Donald Trump would be a great thing for the country,” junior Ethan Bartholomew said . “He’s passed a lot of good policies for the American people, and I think he’s going to bring more to the table [than] Joe Biden would.”

On day two of the event, Christian activist Cissie Graham Lynch spoke at the RNC about her concerns with the freedom of religion under the opposition campaign.

“The Biden-Harris vision for America leaves no room for people of faith,” Lynch said . “They will force the choice between being obedient to God, or to Caesar.”

As far as the convention as a whole, Republicans are pleased with the outcome.

“I believe that the RNC was beneficial for the [Republican Party] and America as a whole because it gave everybody a chance to see what the policies of the [Republican Party] would be,” Bartholomew said .

On one of the last nights of the convention, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a powerful speech to America.

“We stand at a crossroads, America. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity,” Vice President Pence said. “Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline.”

Democratic National Convention

Ben Whitlock, PHS Prowl Reporter and Opinion Editor

As the Democratic National Convention (DNC) closed Aug. 20, presidential nominee Joe Biden stood on a stage looking out at a crowd of supporters. He had just given his acceptance speech of the Democratic nomination for president.

From Aug.17-20, the Democratic National Convention took place virtually from across the country. Speakers addressed viewers from different locations in keeping with social distancing guidelines. Both Mr. Biden and his vice president pick, Kamala Harris spoke from Wilmington, Delaware.

Mr. Biden has long criticized President Donald Trump for a variety of things, and he did not hold back during his speech. Mr. Biden spoke for 24 minutes, covering everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the racial unrest around the country.

“Mr. Biden is not his party’s smoothest or most electrifying speaker,” Katie Glueck, a national political reporter for The New York Times said. “But on Thursday, Mr. Biden delivered his sharpest, most powerful address of the campaign, the kind of speech many even in his own party doubted his ability to give.”

Perhaps the highest profile of speakers was former first lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama delivered her most scathing critique of the current administration, but began the first half without naming the President. However, she abruptly shifted gears before she mentioned Mr. Trump.

“So let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can,” Mrs. Obama said. “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”

This last phrase was also used by Mr. Trump in an interview with Fox News to describe the death toll of COVID-19.

Not only did Mrs. Obama address the political arrest surrounding the current administration, but she also spoke of other prominent issues occurring in the country right now.

“In the middle of such…civil unrest right now it’s so important to bring a lot of awareness to the issues,” Powell High School senior Maggie Cappiello said. “She was trying to give a voice to the people that feel voiceless…she brought to light the Black Lives Matter movement and didn’t give it a negative light.”