Both in Cleveland during the RNC,  Mark Alderman, chairman of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, and Howard Schweitzer, managing partner of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, spoke with OZY on Facebook LIVE, offering their differing perspectives on the convention and the 2016 candidates. Mark said that he “didn’t feel the excitement thus far” and that “the enthusiasm seems very superficial” because it’s “a Trump family event.” He adds, “It’s not really a republican convention. The majority of those delegates in the hall don’t care about the establishment of the party.” The host asked Mark if Trump’s anti-establishment demeanor mirrored that of the Obama movement, and Mark offered a firm no, saying that the Obama camp “actually believed in government. These people [Trump supporters] do not believe in the federal government. They are not here to elect someone to govern the country. They are here to elect someone to dismantle the government and that couldn’t be more different than what happened in ’08.”

Howard and Mark then discussed the nature of the 2016 Republican candidate and his campaign, which has been decidedly unusual. Howard remarked, “Trump’s entire career has been in a family business. That is all he knows; he’s never even had to answer to a private board of directors” and his operation is “clearly not traditional.” They also discussed how Trump has changed the future direction of the Republican party, with Howard commenting that “I think we are witnessing the decline and ultimately, the death of the Republican party,” and he questions the party’s core, “Is it a conservative party? Is it a corporate party? Trump has driven the stake through it and won the nomination even though he’s been a registered Democrat half of his life.”

The host then asks Mark and Howard to switch roles and offer advice to their own party's opposing candidate. To see their responses and the full interview, click here.