i3 - September/October 2016 - 39

By Tiffany Moore

Policy

G U E ST B LO G

Recapping the RNC and
DNC Conventions

hile accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for
President, Hillary Clinton declared, "In my
first 100 days, we will work with both parties to pass
the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs
since World War II - jobs in manufacturing, clean energy, technology and innovation, small business and infrastructure."

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICROSTOCKHUB/ISTOCK

When the Republican Party released
its 2016 Party Platform, they highlighted
the 'digital revolution' our nation is
experiencing and acknowledged the
critical roles technology, innovation
and trade play in driving our economy,
creating good jobs and strengthening
our international competitiveness.
Never before have technology
and innovation issues played such a
prominent role in the national policy
and political conversation, as they
will in the 2016 election.
Back in June, the Clinton campaign
released a detailed technology and
innovation agenda, becoming the first
major presidential candidate in this
election cycle to put these issues frontand-center in the national policy debate.
Whether you agree or disagree with
every policy initiative the campaign put
forward, it was impressive that they took
the initiative in the first place.
One of the glaring omissions from
the Republican Party's convention in
Cleveland was the failure to acknowledge
technology and innovation during any
of the primetime addresses.
To this point, the Trump-Pence

C TA . t e c h / i 3

The biggest
takeaway from
these two
weeks is that
the sharing
economy is
providing necessary services,
while allowing
everyone to be
entrepreneurs.

campaign has failed to produce a
substantive agenda that recognizes the
role that technology and innovation play
in our economy. Let's be honest; there can
be no viable economic growth strategy
that ignores this substantial component
of public policy in the 21st Century.
With every election cycle, we see how
technology and innovation touch every
part of our day-to-day routines. These
issues are more than a box to check in
a speech. They are at the heart of any
realistic debate about our country's
economic health.
Between now and November, both
campaigns will be competing to prove
to the American people that they are
best equipped to create jobs, grow GDP,
foster a more productive environment
for enterprises to thrive, get better trade
deals, get a handle on cyber-security and
broaden internet access.
Like most things, the devil is in
the details.
The Clinton-Kaine campaign have put
forward their ideas and vision, when will
we get to see some substance from the
Trump-Pence ticket?
Regardless of what happens in
November, our team couldn't have
survived Cleveland and Philly without
Airbnb, Lyft, Travelocity, TripAdvisor,
Uber and Yelp. We saw first-hand the
instrumental role disruptive innovators
like these had in making the visitor
experience more enjoyable. Convention
attendees booked tickets through
Travelocity, stayed at Airbnbs, moved
about via Uber and Lyft, and navigated
unfamiliar cities with TripAdvisor. The
biggest takeaway from these two weeks
is that the sharing economy is providing
necessary services, while allowing
everyone to be entrepreneurs. And the
elected officials who flocked to the conventions witnessed just how technology
is improving lives for the better.
■
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

http://cta.tech/i3

i3 - September/October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i3 - September/October 2016