I'm continuing coverage of the DNC, this time examining what's taking place outside the walls. For those who don't know, the DNC built an ~8 mile wall around their convention center. The wall itself is now a platform for these protesters to show their grievances.
The perimeter of the wall has created a place for protesters to gather, and gather they did. Everyone from Bernie Supporters, Trump Supporters, and Westboro Baptist protesters are here doing what they do best; protest.
Like I said, even Westboro was there. Does anyone even know what they're trying to do at this point?
The general mood surrounding the convention center was that they were all set on leaving the Democratic Party. Bernie received 12 million votes in the primary and I wouldn't be surprised if 10% of those voters left the DNC. These are the young voters, the independent voters, and the massive numbers that swept Obama into the White House in 2008.
At this point, I'm going to make a prediction that Hillary Clinton cannot win the election. The energized base that made up the incredible ground game of Obama is gone. The excitement on college campuses has vanished. And it's pretty accurate to say low voter turnout years massively benefit Republicans. I've spoken to many of my peers and I haven't seen such low enthusiasm since I was first able to vote in 2004.
The other huge opportunity I see is the rise of a third party to replace one or both of the dominant parties, something that hasn't happened in more than a century. Both big ticket candidates have historically low likeability ratings so neither is really drawing from the other. They are both simply repelling voters to either not vote or find a third party candidate.
Tonight is the last night of the DNC and it'll be interesting to see the reception Hillary receives, the coverage the media provides, and the reaction of the protesters outside.