SAN DIEGO — As President Donald Trump fired up his followers Thursday night, his acceptance speech marked the end of both national party conventions, as well as the start of intense campaigning heading into Election Day.
Political insiders in San Diego say the back-to-back conventions showed a clear contrast between Democratic and Republican parties, and the choice voters have as they head to the polls in November,
"Donald Trump is the 'Energizer Bunny,'" said local RNC delegate Randy Berholtz, who is also secretary of California's Republican Party.
He said he sees this week's Republican National Convention as signaling to Americans a return to normalcy.
"Hey, we are coming back," Berholtz added. "Things were okay before COVID, and this president was the best president to get us through COVID."
"America is not a land cloaked in darkness," President Trump said Thursday night as part of his acceptance speech. "America is a land that enlightens the entire world."
Berholtz said that as he watched the Demiocrats' convention last week, "I just felt it was dark. It was just like, 'things are bad in America... we're bad.'"
"But the Republican Convention was really celebrating America, saying that things are positive: 'we are good people. Don't believe what people say about us,'" he added.
"The goal of the RNC was clearly to energize the base," said News 8 political analyst Laura Fink.
She added that as the Republicans focused on the party faithful these past four days, this posed a contrast to last week's Democratic National Convention, "where swing voters clearly took center stage, with Republicans taking the stage for the first time in such a number at a Democratic convention."
Fink said the Republicans did not focus on the ongoing pandemic as much as the DNC last week or on racial justice issues.
"Their focus instead is on law and order, " she added. "Their resposne is not talking about the race-based issues, but instead the control of the protests and what they see as challenges in urban areas.."
With both conventions now in the rearview mirror, the focus is on Election Day in under than 67 days.
"You're going to see a very different type of campaigning," Berholtz predicted.
"This is now where it is going to start to get more conflict-oriented," Fink said, "Post-convention is where we always see the gloves come off, and I don't think this year is any exception to that."
That renewed campaigning starts Friday, as President Trump heads to New Hampshire for an event. In San Diego, a "Trump Boat Parade" is planned for Sept. 6.