Joe Biden with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, at the 2012 Democratic National Convention
The Democratic Party is holding its 2020 National Convention from August 17-20 , and the big news is that Biden has chosen U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate. Although based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the convention will actually take place at various locations and landmarks around the country, because Democrats are serious about public health, specifically, not spreading COVID. Thus, for example, the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee will be used for broadcasting and production. Essentially, the convention will be coordinated and directed from Milwaukee. However, there will only be a few hundred personnel on site, comporting with state and local requirements regarding public gatherings. Accordingly, when Joe Biden is formally offered and accepts the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at the convention, he will do so from a location in his home state of Delaware. Other scheduled speakers, including, presumably, Kamala Harris, will also appear from various remote locations.
Additionally, there are some significant differences between what is planned at the Democratic National Convention and what is expected at the Republican National Convention scheduled for August 24-27. First, as mentioned above, Joe Biden’s choice of the charismatic and accomplished Kamala Harris as his running mate promises to generate a lot of excitement, especially compared to Republican candidates Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Such excitement is sure to carry over to the Democratic convention, as Harris, already scheduled to speak at the convention, will have lots of attention focused on her.
The main thematic difference between the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention is, of course, that the Democrats are challenging the incumbent in the White House, Donald Trump, and attempting to defeat Trump’s reelection bid. In that regard, Biden and the Democrats can be expected to focus the convention — indeed, reflecting the current election campaign — into a referendum on Donald Trump. Here, the choices are ripe for picking. First and foremost should be Trump’s disastrous, deadly mishandling of the Coronavirus. It hardly needs to be said at this point that the United States is the world’s COVID outlier, with well over 5 million cases and nearly 170,000 deaths. These devastating results can be laid at the feet of Donald Trump and other Republican politicians, who have repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic and delayed action on comprehensive steps to lessen the effects of the virus.
More broadly, a hint of what the Democrats plan to highlight at their national convention can be seen in the upper left corner of Biden’s campaign website. It reads: “BATTLE for the SOUL of the NATION.” This phrase encompasses much of what is wrong with the Trump administration, from mishandling the Coronavirus response to failing to defend the U.S. against attacks by Russia, attempting to destroy the United States Postal Service and stop voting by mail, trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its coverage of preexisting conditions, demonizing women and minorities, and more. Biden’s phrase also envisions positive solutions to these problems, many of which are outlined at Biden’s website. First and foremost, of course, is to stop the bleeding by defeating Trump in the election. Along these lines, the major theme of the Democratic convention will be “Uniting America.”
To highlight this effort, the Democratic convention will also feature Republicans who oppose Donald Trump and support Joe Biden. One such prominent Republican to speak will be John Kasich, the former Ohio Governor and Congressman, who has twice run for the Republican nomination for president. The solidly Republican Kasich also represents the heartland of America, specifically the crucial state of Ohio. Biden, who is from neighboring Scranton, Pennsylvania, which has a similar Rust Belt status as Ohio, has done a skillful job of defining himself as someone with the kind of Middle American values that appeal to voters in Ohio and many other states. Thus, Kasich seems like an excellent choice for speaker, representing many Republicans who are disaffected with Trump, as well as inoculating Biden from Republican charges of being some far left “socialist.” Other speakers scheduled at the Democratic convention, including former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg, will serve to generate voter enthusiasm and highlight the diversity of the Democratic Party, which reflects the growing diversity in America, and which stands in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly white male Republican Party.
Although 2020 presents unique challenges for both parties in presenting themselves at their 2020 national conventions, the Democrats, with Kamala Harris on board as Joe Biden’s running mate, appear ready and eager to harness current technology to make the case why they deserve the majority of America’s popular and electoral votes just about 83 days from now.
Photo by Anthony Quintano, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/aZbiaP
