WASHINGTON – In 1948, the Republican and Democratic parties did something unthinkable in today’s climate of fierce political animosity: not only did they hold their national conventions in the same city, they also shared some of the props.
Both met in Philadelphia, in large part because the Municipal Auditorium had already been equipped with the wiring necessary for the then-innovative live coverage of the convention on national television.
To save money, Democrats asked Republicans to leave American flags and bunting to be reused at the event 17 days later. The Republican Party complied, although some items were faded and worn by halftime.
Like party camaraderie, the more informal way conventions were held evaporated. Once fierce clashes to define presidential candidates, modern meetings have evolved at carefully planned, made-for-TV events designed to showcase party unity.
Republicans are on track to achieve this by nominating former President Donald Trump in Milwaukee this week. O Democratic Convention could feature more drama when it is released on August 19, given the bitter debate over whether President Joe Biden he must stay up to date with party tickets.
But even with conventions now choreographed down to the smallest detail, the unexpected can still happen. Here’s a look at the floor fights, street battles and other memorable scenes from the convention that were uplifting, strange or just plain weird:
As the last candidate Donald Trump defeated during the 2016 Republican Party primaries, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz gathered enough delegates to speak at the party convention in Cleveland – but refused to endorse his former rival.
Still hurt that Trump had called him “lying Ted,” mocked the appearance of his wife, Heidi Cruz, and suggested that the senator’s Cuban-born father was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Cruz pleaded with delegates to “vote their conscience”. attracted prolonged booing.
Cruz reversed course and supported Trump that fall, and today he is among his staunchest defenders. But at the time, the violence was high enough that Heidi Cruz was removed from the convention hall, just in case.
A head-scratching moment occurred in 2012 when Clint Eastwood addressed the Republican meeting in Tampa, Florida, with an empty chair replacing then-President Barack Obama.
The actor and director spent 12 minutes talking to the furniture, and even dodging countless imaginary obscenities.
“What do you mean by shut up?” Eastwood sang.
He also joked about then-Vice President Biden’s reputation for gaffes — launching criticism that may be prescient given current questions about whether Biden will win a second term following his disastrous debate performance.
“Of course, we all know that Biden is the intellect of the Democratic Party,” Eastwood told the president.
The year 2004 was terrible for the Democrats, President George W. Bush won re-election and Republicans maintained control of Congress. But one bright spot came from Obama, then a little-known senator from Illinois, electrifying his party convention in Boston.
Obama called himself “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes America has a place for him, too” and summarized his political philosophy as being built around “the audacity of hope.”
As he took the stage to give a speech accepting his party’s presidential nomination in 2000 in Los Angeles, Al Gore He hugged his wife, Tipper, and gave her a full-mouth kiss, holding out much longer than usual for a public display of passion.
The crowd cheered, but the kiss ended up spanning an uncomfortable three seconds of screen time.
Gore had been battling criticism that he was too rigid during public appearances, which may have explained how much he leaned in. Regardless, the kiss was remembered more than Gore’s speech.
He narrowly lost that November to Bush. A decade later, the Gores separated after 40 years of marriage.
At the 1984 Democratic convention in San Francisco, presidential candidate Walter Mondale announced Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, making her the first woman on a major presidential ticket. Ferraro declared, “America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us,” even though she and Mondale only won 13 electoral votes compared to the president Ronald Reagan is 525.
Twenty years later, Senator John McCain he chose Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential candidate, and her speech at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a success, mixing the then-Alaska governor’s compelling personal story with humor and political impact. This gave McCain a boost, but he still lost to Obama.
At the 2016 Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major party, declaring: “When any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it opens the way for everyone.” She ended up losing to Trump.
Kamala Harris She was the first woman on a winning ticket, accepting to be Biden’s running mate during an almost virtual convention last cycle – and now she is the choice of some Democrats to replace Biden in this year’s presidential race.
In 1976, Reagan, then governor of California, challenged President Gerald Ford from the right and triggered a bitter fight at the Republican Party convention in Kansas City. Ford narrowly prevailed 1,187 votes to 1,070, but lost in November to the Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Four years later, at the Democratic convention in New York, Carter himself faced a challenge from the Massachusetts senator. Ted Kennedy, who trailed the president in terms of delegates but tried to loosen rules on how they should vote. Tensions rose, and although the move was defeated, Carter later lost to Reagan.
Biden facing mounting pressure to drop out of the race has no modern precedent at the top of a presidential ticket — but not when it comes to a candidate’s running mate.
Shortly after the 1972 Democratic convention in Miami, reports surfaced that Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern Missouri’s vice presidential pick, Sen. Thomas Eagletonhad previously undergone electroshock therapy to treat depression.
A divided convention led McGovern to hire Eagleton on his final day after he was rejected by several alternatives. Eagleton therefore did not receive much background checks, which may have revealed past medical disclosures.
Eagleton resigned after 18 days on the ticket and was replaced by Sargent Shriver. Incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon won 49 of the 50 states that November.
After the president Lyndon B. Johnson chose not to seek re-election and Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, Vice President Hubert Humphrey secured the 1968 Democratic nomination at the party convention. But this only happened after a violent struggle that ended with the delegates defeating a peace platform seeking an end to the Vietnam war.
What happened at the convention was overshadowed by thousands of anti-war protesters who marched in the streets. The protesters were attacked by the police, causing such a disturbance that the tear gas fired hit the 25th-floor hotel suite where Humphrey was preparing for his appearance at a hotel five miles from the convention site.
The Democratic convention returns to Chicago in a few weeks and widespread demonstrations are being planned to oppose the Biden administration’s decision. support for Israel in its war with Hamas – leaving some wondering if a 1968 Redux Could Be Coming. With questions about Biden’s staying in the race still being raised, things inside the convention could get just as heated.
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