When Democrats awarded their 2020 convention to Milwaukee, the plans called for a crowd of more than 50,000 delegates, journalists, party officials, and VIPs. But as the coronavirus spread this spring and the convention was delayed until August, the number decreased.
First 5,000 attendees. So only 1,000.
Now, a month before the party is held at a smaller convention site than originally selected, officials expect the quadrennial event to include just 300 people, a number that includes not only attendees but members as well. from the media, security personnel, medical consultants and party workers.
All aspects of the four-day Democratic National Convention, slated to begin on August 17, have shrunk from ambitions set when Milwaukee was named the host city in March 2019. A five to six hour program of daily speeches, Designed to entertain delegates in the arena and garner great television coverage and headlines for Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his vice presidential nominee, it will drop to about three hours each night. Much of the show is likely to be prerecorded videos, according to people familiar with the planning.
On Thursday night, convention planners sent an email instructing all members of Congress and delegates to stay away from the convention, announcing that all party business meetings would take place virtually.
According to attendees, none of the Democratic presidential candidates who appeared on a primary debate stage this year have plans to travel to Milwaukee, nor did former Presidents Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton, although they all said they would do what the campaign and party asked. .
As of this week, only Mr. Biden and Tom Pérez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, have vowed to come to Milwaukee, although party officials said the program was still being written. They have even given the event a new catchphrase to reflect the change: “Convention across America.”
The event is “anchored” in Milwaukee, but much remains uncertain, according to convention attendees, depending on the spread of the virus and the advice of public health officials. What is clear is that the convention is unlikely to be like any other in political history.
The image of Mr. Biden’s main rivals standing behind him can take place in Zoom boxes on a screen, if it happens. The classic photo of the nominee, running mate, and their embraced wives will surely be banned by social distancing requirements, while delegates who would have filled the noisy convention floor will spread across the country, watching video broadcasts.
Any comedy-style joke between former President Barack Obama and Mr. Biden, beloved by Democratic voters, will have to take place at a distance of six feet, or through the magic of television.
“Obviously, this is not what we anticipated,” said Alex Lasry, who led the 2018 Milwaukee convention bid and whose family controls the downtown stadium where the event would take place. “On the positive side, we will have hosted the most unique and consistent convention in history.”
The best case scenario, Democrats familiar with convention planning now say, is a slick program that’s a mix of live speeches, prerecorded videos, and small events held at satellite locations in battlefield states and landmarks. in all the country. Several officials cited this year’s National Football League draft, in which coaches, college stars and the league commissioner appeared live from their homes, as a model.
“We hope for little things like, can we send delegates’ credentials so that people can have them as souvenirs,” said Jane Kleeb, the chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party. “Can we get some of those signs so that delegates can wave them at home?”
Democratic officials warned that virtually every aspect of the convention continued to change. Convention planners regularly consult with public health officials in Milwaukee and two epidemiologists hired on staff last month. Stephanie Cutter, a veteran of the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Democratic campaigns, is tasked with writing the speaker show, but she still has weeks to go.
“I will show up if I am called,” said Stacey Abrams, the star of the party that narrowly lost the 2018 race for the governor of Georgia.
But Democrats familiar with planning the convention say there is a high probability of other high-voltage speakers, a group likely to include Mr. Obama and Michelle Obama, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, address delegates and the country from satellite locations.
The limited nature of the program will eliminate some of the spontaneous moments that make conventions compel political events with appearances that can make or break a candidacy, and a political career.
“There will be no balloons or screaming and cheering at a convention,” said Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee that oversaw the party conventions of 2000 and 2004.
Fewer spaces to speak means fewer opportunities for promising politicians to have a defining moment, as Obama did with his opening speech in 2004 in Boston. Socially distanced addresses make it more difficult to wire scenes of party unity. And television producers will not have the usual scenes of local party presidents announcing their votes or delegates wearing state-appropriate clothing.
“Obviously, when we are together in a space and physically together, it empowers us,” said Senator Kamala Harris of California, one of the top candidates for the vice presidential position on Mr. Biden’s ticket, who attended her first Democratic convention. in 2000. “But we are going to have to find other ways to collectively empower ourselves and remind each other that we are in this together.”
Ms. Harris, like other former presidential candidates contacted for this article, said she planned to do whatever the campaign asked of her, including appearing in person if necessary.
“I do not plan to go and to my knowledge no one has contacted us to participate remotely or in person,” former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas wrote in an email.
Unique to the general election calendar, conventions are the only time a party can choreograph a multi-day event with a wide audience and expect a week of anything but one-sided media coverage. With the spread of the virus, it is unclear how the event will resonate with voters, even if the audience could be larger with people trapped in quarantine in their homes.
The typical goals of a national convention – to raise funds and motivate party worshipers – were fulfilled long ago through antipathy to President Trump. Mr. Biden’s position has only increased as he has largely campaigned from his Delaware home, leading Democratic officials to wonder if it is not a bad thing that the convention is less noticeable than usual.
For committed Democratic volunteers, a ticket to the convention is both a reward and a promissory note for continued participation in the type of grassroots organization that drives the campaigns. Without that, the event turns entirely on television, but it lacks the drama that can make conventions attractive to watch.
“I don’t think they see four days of continuous coverage,” said Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York Democratic Party. “I hope everyone and their mother who likes to talk don’t get a chance to get the coverage they wanted.”
Democrats said the contrast between the Trump event and his more modest, and in his opinion more responsible, demonstration will be stimulating for his supporters and persuasive for undecided voters concerned about his future and the rapid spread of the deadly virus.
His decision comes when Trump has made it clear that he wants the Republican convention to continue. Party officials transferred him to Jacksonville, Florida, from Charlotte, North Carolina, because North Carolina state officials said they would have to comply with the rules of social distancing. Many of the top Republicans skip the event, scorning Trump’s desire for an elaborate gathering attended by large crowds.
On Thursday, the Republican National Committee announced new details about the convention, confirming a New York Times report this week that the party planned to change some outdoor events.
“What you will see is that thousands of unmasked people gathered to listen to a speech in front of the Democratic side where there are much smaller numbers taking every precaution,” said Leah Daughtry, who led the Democratic conventions in 2016 and 2008. “On which side Do you think it represents you better and are you concerned about your health?
Long ago, Democrats began to narrow their plans, eventually moving the convention to downtown Milwaukee from Fiserv Forum, the city’s professional basketball stadium, to the Wisconsin Center, a modest convention center that generally hosts events like the show. of cars in the city. The last national political event that took place there was the 2004 Green Party convention.
Last week, the convention committee informed delegates that they would receive email ballots. The vote will take place over a two-week period in early August.
The city of Milwaukee currently has limited public gatherings of 250 people in one location. An ordinance requiring the use of masks in indoor and outdoor public places went into effect Thursday.
The extraordinary nature of the public health crisis combined with Biden’s growing leadership of Trump in polls has prompted senior Democratic officials, usually a scary group still stung by the 2016 election, to exude some confidence in their smaller convention. .
States parties are trying to find ways to energize their volunteers and reward delegates, with plans in place for drive-in events and outdoor parties with the convention broadcast on big screens. Delegations are working together to replace regular state holiday breakfasts with regional Zoom events that may attract more powerful speakers than small states could have attracted on their own.
“I think everyone is very aware that there are more important things to worry about than the nature of the convention,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. “We know who our candidate is and we recognize that it is too dangerous to meet. We are not going to risk anyone’s life for a rah-rah convention that can take place virtually. ”
