Watch Parties for the Conventions, and other ways you can keep up with the RNC and DNC this month.

The Republican National Convention starts tonight, Monday, July 18th and ends with Donald J. Trump’s Acceptance Speech on Thursday night, July 21, 2016. The Democratic National Convention starts in Philadelphia next Monday, July 25th and ends with Hillary R. Clinton’s Acceptance Speech on Thursday night, July 28, 2016. The Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club will be hosting local Watch Parties each night of the acceptance speeches (more info further down).

If you don’t want to miss a minute of the Conventions, turn on C-SPAN which is broadcasting from 1 p.m. – midnight (unless it runs longer, in which case they will keep the cameras rolling); C-SPAN turns on the cameras and the microphones and skips the commentary, so this is the place to watch it all, unfiltered. If you don’t have the time, or interest, to sit in front of the TV or computer screen all day and night for eight days, all speeches will be archived at C-SPAN.org

PBS and NPR will be devotion three hours of prime-time coverage each night (more than the networks, and without commercial interruption), from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.

MSNBC and CNN will also have extensive coverage, of course.

If it all gets too intense, Jon Stewart will be back with Stephen Colbert, live Monday through Thursday, this week (and next?), on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, 11:30 p.m. on CBS, to help with Colbert’s “2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump Starring Donald Trump as the Republican Party* (*May Contain Traces of Republican).”  The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, 11 p.m. on Comedy Central, originates from Cleveland Tuesday through Friday this week, and Philadelphia Tuesday through Friday next week. And non-subscribers of HBO can still catch the two live half-hours ( 11 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays) this week and next of Real Time with Bill Maher at YouTube or on Maher’s Facebook page.

And Stephen Colbert is once more keeping things interesting with GOP Convention Bingo Cards – multiple cards are available, here is one to get you started.

Wondering about those Watch Parties I mentioned earlier? This Thursday’s Trump Acceptance Speech Watch Party, on July 21, 2016, begins at 8:30 p.m. in East Greenville – when the speech actually begins is anyone’s guess (we suspect 9 p.m. at the earliest). There will be refreshments and beverages of all types on hand. All partisan types; Democrats and non-Trump supporters, are welcome.

Next Thursday’s Hillary Clinton Acceptance Speech Watch Party also begins at 8:30 p.m., on July 28, 2o16, in Marlborough Township (just outside of Red Hill). Once again, this is a partisan event sponsored by the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club, with refreshments and beverages to celebrate through the night.

If you aren’t on the UPDC email list and would like to attend one, or both, of the two Watch Parties, email us and we’ll be happy to let you know the address of the events.

 

John Oliver brilliantly takes down Donald J Trump

How will Republican candidates stand up to Putin?

“They say, ‘Obama’s weak.’ … They say, ‘When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out,'” Obama said.

“And then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators,” the president added. “If you can’t handle those guys, then I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”

The Republican presidential field and the Republican National Committee fiercely criticized CNBC for how it conducted itself during Wednesday night’s primary debate. Among other things, they accused the moderators of asking biased questions in pursuit of a liberal agenda.

The candidates even went so far as to band together in an attempt to pressure future debate formats into being more favorable, while the RNC went as far as to suspend its coming debate with NBC News, CNBC’s sister network, in retribution.

Business Insider