While Republicans Stressed Unity, Democrats’ Convention Schedule Already Shows Division
First Lady Michelle Obama speaking in Manchester, N.H. on Aug. 2, 2012. (AP Photo)
(CNSNews.com) – First Lady Michelle Obama, arriving in North Carolina Monday afternoon, will address the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, the Obama campaign announced on Sunday.
But on Wednesday and Thursday, Mrs. Obama will address -- separately -- several key Democratic constituencies as they divide themselves into smaller groups based on race, ethnicity, gender or sexual preference.
Each of those groups comes to the Democratic convention with different grievances or demands -- immigration reform, same-sex marriage, free contraceptive coverage, and abortion rights, for example.
According to her public schedule, on Wednesday at 10:50 a.m., Mrs. Obama will speak at the African American caucus meeting.
At 11:20, she’ll speak to the Hispanic Caucus.
At 12:40, she’ll speak to homosexual activists, delivering remarks at the Human Rights Campaign/Victory Fund Luncheon honoring LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) elected officials.
On Thursday, the first lady and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, will speak at a women’s caucus meeting, after participating in a USO service project, packing supplies for American troops.
All of those events will be covered by the media.
A key criticism of Democrats at the Republican National Convention was the perception that the Obama administration is trying to “divide” Americans according to who they are and what they earn.
Speaker after speaker at the Republican convention – Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Marco Rubio, N.M. Gov. Susana Martinez, former Rep. Artur Davis and Mia Love to name a few -- spoke about achieving success in this country despite their humble beginnings.
All of those speakers are racial or ethnic minorities who stood up to celebrate the values and dreams they share with all Americans.
In her reference to “American Exceptionalism,” former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Republican convention: “The essence of America -- that which really unites us — is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion . It is an idea -- and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from but where you are going.”
Sen. Marco Rubio described the election as “a choice about what kind of country we want America to be,” and he urged Americans to “remember what makes us special,” saying that “We are special because we've been united -- not by a common race or ethnicity. We're bound together by common values.”
Rubio also criticized Obama for dividing Americans against each other: “He tells Americans they're worse off because others are better off. That people got rich by making others poor. Hope and Change has become Divide and Conquer.”
N.M. Gov. Susana Martinez said, “Growing up, I never imagined a girl from a border town could one day become a governor. But this is America…My parents taught me to never give up and to always believe that my future could be whatever I dreamt it to be. Success, they taught me, is built on the foundation of courage, hard-work and individual responsibility.”
Former Rep. Artur Davis of Fla. spoke directly to "Democrats and independents whose minds are open to argument: listen closely to the Democratic Party that will gather in Charlotte and ask yourself if you ever hear your voice in the clamor...When you hear the party that glorified Occupy Wall Street blast success; when you hear them minimize the genius of the men and women who make jobs out of nothing, is that what you teach your children about work? When they tell you America is this unequal place where the powerful trample on the powerless, does that sound like the country your children or your spouse risked their lives for in Iraq or Afghanistan?”
In discussing “the America I know,” Republican congressional candidate Mia Love talked about her parents immigrating to the U.S. from Haiti – “with ten dollars in their pocket, believing that the America they had heard about really did exist. When times got tough they didn’t look to Washington, they looked within.” She described President Obama’s version of America as a divided one – “pitting us against each other based on our income level, gender, and social status.”
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