Now that both political parties have concluded their conventions, pundits, politicians, columnists, plain janes, and average joes are all weighing in with their analyses. Joe Biden and the Democrats emphasized pluralism and diversity of all stripes — age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, etc. California senator Kamala Harris made history by being the first woman of color to accept her party’s nomination for Vice President of the United States of America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNaWPhzCcoo). The message Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats sent to their base was that the America that he and Kamala Harris would preside over would be one of fairness and inclusion, where people from all walks of life would be welcomed, embraced, and treated with dignity and respect.

Donald Trump and the Republicans presided over a convention that invoked themes of imperialism, nationalism, tribalism, and a deliriously dangerous dose of fear and paranoia.

Donald Trump made it clear that, if reelected, he and Mike Pence would do everything possible to ensure that the nation would become one of restriction, exclusion, recidivism, and nationalism in a manner heretofore unseen. The few selected non-White speakers aside, the message of “Let’s make America great again” (that is, White male-dominated, and as homogenous as possible) was clear.

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The hard-core truth is that most voters have already made up their minds. While there are pockets of undecided voters, they are few and far between. It will be up to that minute segment of the eligible aged voting block to decide which direction the nation will be headed. We will know the answer in a little over two months.