It's no longer Democrat versus Republican. It's aspiration versus anxiety.

The fundamental differences in the parties was on full display at their conventions

The contenders.
(Image credit: Illustration | Images courtesy Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

Hillary Clinton is not a gifted orator.

When, in her convention speech on Thursday, she retorted to Donald Trump's brag, "I alone can fix it," with "We can fix it together," her expression wasn't one of satisfaction with her commonsense point. Instead, her eyes bore down on the audience and seemed to say, "Why can't you idiots get this?"

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is the founder and editor of The Slurve, a newsletter about baseball. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Slate and The American Conservative.