Thinking of the ideas of America that the parties visualized: We saw a lot more stories and testimonials from non-politicians. I wanted to say “ordinary Americans,” but there was not much ordinary about Brayden Harrington, the brave and poised 13-year-old who bonded with Mr. Biden over having a stutter. It said so much about who is permitted and denied force in this convention’s imagined America, who is seen as a threat and who as a hero. And forget the Hatch Act because in the visual age, we need to exploit every tool at our disposal!? Will the clothes our candidates wear be used to pull you in, to emphasize the telling detail?

Source: New York Times August 28, 2020 16:18 UTC