At the 2016 Conventions

Thanks to the efforts of the Office of the Dean, a group of SIPA students and one alumnus enjoyed an opportunity to attend the major U.S. political conventions this past summer. The Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia, and the proximity of the City of Brotherly Love to the Big Apple proved irresistible: students claimed all available convention credentials. The relative distance to Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention was held, was more daunting. Still, one recent alumnus—and Cleveland native— jumped at the opportunity to attend the convention in his hometown.

Students at the DNC enjoyed an additional opportunity to meet with Michael Nutter, the former Philadelphia mayor who is now a SIPA faculty member. Nutter was still in office when Philadelphia won its bid to host the convention, and was able to provide special insights regarding the process.

The convention schedules provided a chance to attend a variety of events. As Will Jordan MPA ’17 explained, “There were public events during the day. Politico and the Washington Post had set up things for journalists and other attendees to attend—forums and lunches and speeches. So I spent most of the days doing that, and we attended the actual convention in the evenings.”

We spoke to some of the DNC attendees—including Jordan, Ed Burke MPA ’17, Chen Li MPA ’17, and Mon Yuck Yu MPA ’17—along with RNC attendee Kevin Kravitz MIA ’16. A selection of their comments (condensed and edited) are below.

A special opportunity

I’m from Cleveland and I knew I was going to be in town during the RNC. No matter what side of the aisle, the fact that my hometown was able to host the convention of a major political party was exciting. The city was buzzing, and I wanted to experience it from the inside. — Kevin Kravitz

I’m the founder and treasurer of the New York City Asian-American Democratic Club. I was fortunate to meet a number of U.S. officials and people working in politics around the country—from Pennsylvania, from California, from Hawaii. It was really incredible. — Mon Yuck Yu

I jumped at the chance to go. I might never have another opportunity like this. — Ed Burke

I’ve lived in the United States since January 2011. It was a great experience for me to closely look at how they run politics in the United States, and see both the common things and differences between the United States and China. — Chen Li

I had never seen President Obama speak [in person] before. Just seeing the big names speak, seeing the first female nominee of a major party—it’s a pretty historic moment regardless of your political affiliation. — Will Jordan

Meeting people

It was great to attend workshops but the highlight was actually meeting people at the convention. Everyone was very open. It was an incredible opportunity to meet key players in the political field without having to go through a lot of hoops. At a networking event I was able to sit down right next to [NYC Mayor Bill] de Blasio. — Mon Yuck Yu

I attended events with Governor [Jerry] Brown of California and with Mayor de Blasio to hear insights about change at the state and city level… I attended a panel with the governors of Colorado and Washington about their energy reform plans and the vital role of entrepreneurship. — Chen Li

I was able to walk around the media center and see people doing radio shows and TV programs. Later, I had a chance to attend a private event and meet with a couple of contributors and analysts who work for CNN. To talk to journalists and get their perspective on the previous night was really cool. — Kevin Kravitz

Last year at SIPA I took a campaign management class. In Philadelphia we saw a panel on how the campaigns are using digital apps, which we had examined for my class. We heard [Clinton staff] talk about engaging people. It was interesting just seeing the process up close, to observe how the convention works. — Ed Burke

Breakfast with an insider

Mayor Nutter was still in office during the decision-making process to bring the convention to Philadelphia. We had breakfast and got to speak about his role in the process and what he was doing at the convention. He talked about the election. It was a nice opportunity to get to know him. — Will Jordan

It was a great experience. Mayor Nutter really provided good insight regarding the challenges of the event, the logistics of organizing a convention. — Mon Yuck Yu

Being there

At 4 p.m. we would take the bus to the convention [at the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia’s professional sports arena]. It doesn’t wrap up until midnight—before I attended I didn’t realize how long it was. — Ed Burke

I’ve watched the convention on TV, but attending in person you have a better idea how everything works—who goes on stage, who the key players are, who the delegates are. — Mon Yuck Yu

All the speakers are emotional – the atmosphere is motivational and inspirational. — Chen Li

My friends from college, we have a Facebook group, they were talking about the people who were supposedly storming out of the convention. I was able to say ‘I’m here, it’s not like that.’ It’s interesting to actually see things occurring and compare it to the portrayal in the media. — Ed Burke

I met up with some friends who work for the Clinton campaign and on the last day I got to go on the convention floor, which was a really fantastic experience. — Mon Yuck Yu

A Democrat at the RNC

At Columbia, especially at SIPA, you don’t necessarily see a lot of support for the right wing. A lot of people have the same liberal opinion, more or less. To be surrounded by folks who thought completely different from me was a good learning experience.

Speaking to regular folks in attendance, when you just talk in broad strokes, they have the same concerns I hear on the left—good jobs, safety for their families, fairer taxation. We see the same problems, it’s when we discuss solutions that the differences come in.

Even though I wasn’t supporting Trump there was no animosity but instead a nice discussion. There was less vitriol than is often shown in the media—at least when we talked about issues.

Tempers flared when we discussed candidates. There was a strong, unmistakable disdain for Hillary Clinton held by almost everybody in the convention hall. Attacks on Secretary Clinton elicited the most fiery reactions from the crowd, even more so than talk of immigration and terrorism. — Kevin Kravitz

Concluding thoughts

I appreciate that SIPA provided us with access to the convention and a combination of guidance and independence that really allowed us the opportunity to learn on our own. The process of navigating the events and networking was an educational experience. — Mon Yuck Yu

To be president of the United States is not an easy thing. To work well, to accommodate everybody’s opinion—it’s complicated for the president. I can feel the burden but I can also feel the hope they mention in the speeches, to inspire people to fight for their personal goals and for the common ground. — Chen Li

SIPA students attend major U.S. political conventions in 2016