Five Things Everyone Needs To Know Going Into the DNC

Charlie McKenna | July 25, 2016
DONATE
Font Size

1. The Polls

A recent CNN poll shows Donald Trump leading Hillary Clinton, 48 percent to 45 percent. Trump’s bounce is attributed to the Republican National Convention. The poll is early in the election cycle, but it's the first major poll to show Trump in the lead. Clinton will probably be angling to close the gap during her time at the Democratic National Convention.


2. The Emails

The Democratic Party is experiencing considerable internal disruptions after WikiLeaks released emails showing the Democratic National Committee conspiring against Bernie Sanders’ campaign. The DNC is supposed to remain neutral during the primaries, but the leaked emails reveal a strong preference for Clinton. The leaked emails even show DNC officials even conspired to sabotage Sanders’ campaign. The leak sparked outrage amongst Sanders supporters, and led to the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. The Clinton campaign claims the incident was a Russian attempt to destabilize the U.S. by helping the Trump campaign. Wasserman-Schultz is now assisting the Clinton campaign as a high-level staffer, much to the ire of Sanders supporters.

3. The Platform

The Democrats are scheduled to be adopt the the most liberal platform in party history. It includes measures to make debt-free college a reality, ending “systematic racism,” guaranteeing LGBT rights, and raising the minimum wage to $15.

4. The Speakers

Monday's notable speakers include former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and first lady Michelle Obama. Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak on Tuesday. Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama will be speaking on Wednesday. Finally, on Thursday, Chelsea Clinton is speaking before Hillary formally accepts her party's nomination for president.

5. The Protestors

Enraged at their treatment by the party establishment, Sanders supporters are holding a “March on DNC” and “Occupy DNC” protests. These protests have garnered much support on social media, with approximately 33,000 members in the “Occupy DNC” group. It remains to be seen what sort of effect these activists will have on the convention, but it looks as though they will certainly be a dynamic element of the event. 

donate