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The Graphic Truth: Do US party conventions help in the polls?

US presidential candidates usually get a polling boost immediately after their major party convention. But in recent years the so-called "convention bounce" is hardly guaranteed — Democratic hopeful John Kerry's numbers dipped slightly in 2004, as did Republican aspirant Mitt Romney's in 2012. Even when post-convention bumps have been bigger, that hasn't always translated into winning the White House in the end. With the DNC done and the RNC wrapping this week, we take a look at how conventions have historically affected the candidates' poll numbers.

DNC 2020 recap: Joe Biden's character & the 2020 presidential election

DNC 2020 recap: Joe Biden's character & the 2020 presidential election

Watch as Eurasia Group's Jon Lieber offers a recap of the Democratic National Convention to nominate Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for president:

All in all, a successful convention for the Democrats, four nights of pretty slick production values that drove home the message of Joe Biden's decency and the fact he is not Donald Trump. One interesting contrast between 2020 and 2016 was that the Democrats largely treated Donald Trump like a joke in 2016 and didn't seem to take very seriously. This year, they're treating him as though he's an existential threat to democracy with a really dark and ominous warning from former President Barack Obama.

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Virtual DNC builds enthusiasm but Dems should not get complacent
Virtual DNC Builds Enthusiasm but Dems Should Not Get Complacent | World In :60 | GZERO Media

Virtual DNC builds enthusiasm but Dems should not get complacent

Ian Bremmer shares his insights on this week's World In (More Than) 60 Seconds:

Number one, the DNC is underway, the Democratic National Convention, how do you think the first night went?

Well, it's weird, right? Because it's virtual. But the fact that it's virtual means that everybody gets to practice their speeches and get the cinematic quality right, before it actually goes out. So, I mean, you know, when you've got a whole bunch of money and you've got Hollywood sensibilities advising you, you can make it look really good. And that's what they did. So, I mean, I do think it was entertaining, it was engaging. I think from a more meaningful, substantive perspective, it is pretty clear that you have a broader tent that is focused on getting Trump out of office.

Now, I mean the other side of that is that Biden is not driving the train, right? I mean, there's not an immense amount of enthusiasm about the actual candidate. And Kamala Harris certainly helps, but ultimately, Biden is the presidential candidate. And, you know, he's not going to inspire the way that Obama did, or Michelle Obama did last night. But certainly, I don't think you're going to have Bernie Sanders delegates, you know, opposing Biden the way many did during 2016 when I was at the both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions then. It was quite something to see, just the dissonance inside what was not one happy tent. Here, you've got a lot of people that are very motivated because everyone's angry with Trump. And I think with Kasich as well, who I, you know, I know pretty well. And I mean, you know, is an older guy from Ohio and it's an important swing state, but ultimately, I don't think Kasich is the person that swings more people to vote for Trump. It's just that there are also, in addition to the Bernie Sanders people being really anti Trump, there are a number of disenfranchised Republicans that are opposed to Trump, too. So, I think all of that, you know, certainly hurts.

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Democratic National Convention goes virtual; Trump counterprograms
Democratic National Convention Goes Virtual | Trump Counterprograms | US Politics :60 | GZERO Media

Democratic National Convention goes virtual; Trump counterprograms

Jon Lieber, who leads Eurasia Group's coverage of political and policy developments in Washington, offers insight on this week's DNC:

The Democratic Party is supposed to have their convention this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, plans changed due to the coronavirus and now you're basically looking at a week-long zoom call. There will be a lot of traditional elements at the convention that feel the same to viewers at home. Several hours of primetime coverage every night, you are going to have the primetime speeches by the big party luminaries, you're going to have daily themes highlighting the ideas that Joe Biden wants to focus on, and then you're going to have smaller speeches during the day from kind of up and comers in the party, but it's just all taking place in a virtual environment that's going to look a lot different.

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