For the first time, as had already been decided, a woman was nominated as the Presidential candidate for one of the two parties which hold predominant political power in the United States.
The Democratic Party has taken credit for two electoral landmarks since 2008: the first African-American President and the first female nominee.
Despite the initial sparks that indicated that the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia would degenerate into chaos, later sessions showed that the various party factions, ranging from the so-called progressives to conservatives, were committed to the strategy of putting differences aside and presenting an image of unity, to take advantage of fragmentation within the Republican camp.
Debbie Wassserman Shultz's widely criticized presidency of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was the first sacrificial lamb offered in favor of unity.
Her resignation, announced just prior to the convention, was the result of a massive leak by Wikileaks of documents which showed that the DNC was not impartial, and favored the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who immediately named Wasserman the honorary president of her campaign.
Bernie Sanders behaved in accordance with this strategy, expressing, on the very first day, his support for the nomination of Clinton and minimizing the importance of the Wikileaks revelations.
To appease Sanders' supporters, considered progressive or liberal, some of this group's favorite goals were included in the approved political platform, and the faction had the opportunity to express its frustration with their fair share of booing and shouting, tolerated in this type of event.
After the initial protests, the event proceeded in a climate of apparent unity and full support for the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.
Practically all of the highest echelons of the Democratic leadership took the stage to praise the nominee, including well-known figures who have on different occasions staunchly opposed Hillary, from first lady Michelle Obama; Vice President Joe Biden; Michael Bloomberg, the former Republican mayor of New York City from 2002 until 2013, among the richest magnates in the United States; to President Barack Obama himself.
Also among the important Party leaders speaking was Vice Presidential candidate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. In the 2008 elections, Kaine supported the nomination of Obama, and served as president of the DNC from January of 2009 through 2011, when Wasserman Schultz assumed the responsibility.
These actions reflect how the Democratic leadership has closed ranks around the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, in sharp contrast to the situation reigning in the Republican Party with respect to the nomination of Donald Trump.
It's worth noting that both Clinton and Trump are members of the so-called baby-boom generation, born shortly after WWII, but if Trump is elected, he will be the oldest President entering office, surpassing Ronald Reagan's age by a few months. Clinton is just a few months younger, while Bernie Sanders who stayed in the race until the very last primary, was born September 8, 1941, which would have made him older than Reagan at the beginning of the general election campaign.
There is one characteristic Clinton and Trump share, which reflects the growing crisis in the U.S. political-electoral system. Despite their differences in gender, government experience, Party leadership support, and public positions, both are rejected by the majority of voters, who have no confidence in them, or just don't like them. Such is the case that, on more than a few occasions during both conventions, speakers called for a "lesser evil" vote, basically saying, "Vote for this one, because the other one is worse."
The coming months will reveal if the emotional appeal and rule-breaking persona of Donald Trump, or the experience and know-how of the first female major party nominee, will prevail as the next President of the United States.
