Democratic Convention Garners Global Attention

President Barack Obama speaks to the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.

And just as with Mitt Romney last week in Tampa, the world is watching.

Few countries attract such intense international attention as does the United States when it comes to internal politics.

Every rain-delay is reported and every policy flip-flop is analyzed in detail by the world’s media.

Take the latest shift in the Democratic platform: going back to saying Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

It’s on the front pages of news sites the world over.

Nathan Guttman of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, and the Forward newspaper, says it’s been “the main item of interest out of the Convention so far,” for his audience back home.

He says it indicates an insecure party, “a party that’s concerned that President Obama’s policy, or perceived policy to be more accurate, towards Israel, could cost votes.”

Laure Mandeville of France’s Le Figaro is also in Charlotte. She commented on the reinsertion of the name of God into the Democratic platform, something she said would never happen in France: “it would be unimaginable that a scandal would pop up on this question of mentioning God.”

Both foreign correspondents also contrasted the diversity of the delegates and party members at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, as compared to the GOP Convention in Tampa last week.

“It’s the main difference,” between the two conventions says Guttman, “at least in the eyes of this foreigner.”

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Lisa Mullins: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World, a coproduction of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston. President Barack Obama is getting prepped. Tonight he accepts his party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention. His speech is gonna be listened to and dissected around the globe, just as Republican Mitt Romney’s was last week. US Presidential politics inevitably attracts international attention. Take this week’s shift in the democratic party platform going back to saying that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel that had been omitted. It’s on the front pages of news sites all over the world now the story is. Nathan Guttman is Washington correspondent for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, he also rights for the newspaper Forward. Nathan, what did you make of the chaos over the mention or lack thereof as Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?

Nathan Guttman: Well definitely for the Israeli public and I’m sure for many Jewish Americans as well, as the main item of interest in this democratic convention so far. I think there are few takeaways from this Jerusalem [inaudible 1:03] that I think definitely we saw here a very insecure party, a party that’s concerned that President Obama’s policy or perceived policy, which would be more accurate, towards Israel could cost votes in critical Jewish populations in the United States.

Mullins: Nathan, hold on the line there. I wanna bring in Laura Mandeville. She is Washington correspondent for the French newspaper Le Figaro. Laura, maybe you can tell us how you reported this issue about the flip flop on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Laura Mandeville: Yeah, actually when I saw this story sort of rising during the day yesterday I filed the story, after trying to talk to some democrats, you know, some officials, and governors and different people on the floor. And I was struck by their reluctance actually to talk about it very frankly. They seemed not at ease with the question. I talked to a senator from Michigan who was telling us that he was not happy at all with what he had seen in the platform, but he didn’t know who had pushed for this first formulation of not having Jerusalem as the capital, and no mentioning of God as well, which was a worry you know among some people on the floor.

Mullins: Well I wonder then about the issue as you said of the mention of God. This is something that was not in the platform. It was language something to the effect of people should be helped to reach their God-given potential. That was omitted again from the written platform and then reintroduced. Can you imagine, Laura, this being an issue in a place like France? Would it be?

Mandeville: Not at all. I mean you must remember that there was some kind of debate actually when the Europeans were discussing the European constitution, should we mention the Christian roots of Europe; I mean there was some kind of debate there, but of course, in France, which is a very secular country, it would be unimaginable that this kind of candle would pop up on this question of mentioned God.

Mullins: Of course we’re dealing with the separation of church and state as an issue here. Now, Nathan, Israel is built on the basis of religious identity. Does the name God get tossed about in the political arena there as it does here?

Guttman: No, not at all. It’s interesting, as you mentioned there is no formal separation between church and state in Israel. Israel does have Judaism as the state religion, although of course, a lot of other religions are free to practice. But since there is no separation, there isn’t much of a debate about mention of God in politics. Of course, there’s a constant tug of war going on between more religious elements of the Israeli political system and more secular elements over just how much control will state religions have. But discussions like this over the mention of the name of God or saying the word God in the platform would really be seen as unusual and strange in Israel.

Mullins: One question for both of you, one more question because I know you’re busy covering what’s happening there in Charlotte, but you also covered Tampa, the Republican Convention there. What are the most striking differences for both of you?

Mandeville: Oh, for me I was very struck by the diversity of the faces that we see at the convention. I mean the presence of minorities, especially the black community extremely present among the delegates. And the atmosphere is actually also very different, instead of maybe free or less you know, constrained than maybe it was in Tampa, you know, where the people were more traditional in the way they were dressed, how they behaved. I mean it seemed like a big fair here in Charlotte. And was struck also by the amount of people you know, in the streets, sort of having fun around the convention, a lot, a lot of people in the street very late at night after the speech of Clinton…people going for drinks and parties pretty much in the open there.

Mullins: I suppose the weather in Tampa might have dissuaded some people from staying out late at night, but Nathan, what’s your reaction?

Guttman: I must agree, it does seem to be that the main difference between the two conventions at least in the eyes of a foreigner looking at these delegates is a very strong visual difference in terms of diversity. In Tampa, well there was of course to a certain extent diversity, it did seem to be a very white middle aged crowd. And that is something that I’m sure just looking at it again through the eyes of a foreigner would make the difference even clearer than for others.

Mullins: Okay, we’re gonna leave it at that. Nathan Guttman of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and the newspaper Forward, Laura Mandeville of France’s Le Figaro, a newspaper, both in Charlotte, NC covering the Democratic National Convention, nice to talk to you both.

Mandeville: Thank you.

Guttman: Thank you very much.

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