A friend of mine, who read the post about the advisability of canceling the Republican convention in Charlotte, NC (www.timesofcoronavirus, 1 June), asked me why I hadn’t also mentioned the Democratic National Convention. The Democrats have their convention scheduled on 17-20 August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they have to deal with the same problems and headaches as the Republicans about health and safety issues. He thought that my view of the situation was one-sided.
I try to avoid discussing politics with him since our positions on the political spectrum are rather far apart. However, he did have a point. I had criticized the Republicans without considering the Democrats and their convention plans.
It goes without saying that both the Democratic and Republican Conventions will bring similar economic benefits to the hosting city and state. They will also have a similar number of attendees as well as the same dangers and risks. Both convention organizing committees are thus expected to bear in mind CDC guidelines for mass gatherings, which are condensed in the following recommendation:
“CANCEL community-wide mass gatherings (for example, >250 people) or move to smaller groupings.”
Perhaps Democrats planned to do exactly the same as the Republicans and were going to place everyone at risk. There was also the (remote) possibility that they had found the key to holding a massive convention without endangering the health of their delegates and the community. I thought that it would be interesting to find out.
As we know, scaling back the national convention is not an option for Republicans, whose plan is crystal clear. As stated by President Trump, the Republican Party will forge ahead with a large-scale in-person convention without facemasks or social distancing (regardless of the consequences). Given the current context, this is a huge gamble, which may pay off hugely or may trigger an exponential health catastrophe. It all depends on whether the coronavirus decides to attend the convention.
But what about the Democratic Party? After sifting through the information available, I discovered that the Democrats as yet have no idea what they will do. They cannot be certain that in August, the virus will have disappeared. They would like to be but that is impossible. Two months from now, anything could happen.
They evidently prefer a huge in-person convention like the one planned by the Republicans. Who wouldn’t? Joe Biden needs more media exposure and a larger television footprint. He would like some more time in the spotlight so that people can realize that he would be the best candidate for president.
However, at the same time Joe Biden also wants the public to see him as more empathetic than President Trump (which is not difficult) and more tuned to the health concerns of the American people. By organizing the convention differently, the Democrats can showcase their concern and awareness of the viral threat. In their favor, they seem to be aware that a safe convention is not just a question of generous doses of hand sanitizer.
To keep all options open, the DNC Committee voted in favor of a resolution that gives committee officials authority to make changes to convention procedures to ensure the event is conducted in a manner that protects the health of participants. Freely translated, this means that now in 2020 the Committee can hold the convention in any format that they wish. This gives them slightly more wiggle room before making their final decision.
The possibilities contemplated are the following: (1) a full convention, if health conditions permit; (2) a mostly virtual convention that features a limited in-person presence; (3) an entirely remote convention.
Let us examine these possibilities one by one.
1. A FULL CONVENTION
A full traditional convention is what everyone wants. Decades ago, conventions were held to pick and nominate candidates for president and vice president. Now, conventions are no longer really necessary for this purpose, but they are held anyway. Everyone loves a show.
So, political conventions have now morphed into infomercials designed to sell the politicians that voters have previously chosen at the polls. After three days of extravaganza, the grand finale is a lengthy address that permits nominees to rally the party faithful, and audition for the role of president.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats wish to sacrifice this television production with a cast of thousands, where they can showcase their policies and give the public a narrative that they can identify with. Democrats, however, admit that because of the coronavirus, they may have to significantly reduce their political pageant, or even axe it altogether. Republicans refuse to admit this possibility.
2. A MOSTLY VIRTUAL CONVENTION WITH A LIMITED IN-PERSON PRESENCE
The second option is a mostly virtual convention with a limited in-person presence. This would be a hybrid scaled-back event that combines the best of both worlds, besides sending a strong message of social responsibility. Since this is the only type of in-person convention that can conform to CDC guidelines, it may very well be the option chosen.
Most Democratic delegates, many of whom are in the Covid-vulnerable age range, would prefer not to have a face-to-face convention. In a recent study, only nine out of 59 delegates surveyed said that they planned to be at the convention. Of these nine, only two believed that it would be safe to attend the event.
Democratic leaders (privately) acknowledge that even if an in-person convention does finally take place, the size and scope of the gathering would have to be limited. They have discussed allowing remote delegate voting to cut crowd sizes and holding smaller satellite events in swing states to reduce travel. This seems to indicate that someone has read the CDC guidelines for mass gatherings.
3. AN ENTIRELY REMOTE CONVENTION
An entirely remote convention would be the least likely format unless there is a spectacular second wave of the virus in August. All of us who use online meeting programs are aware that the chances of a Zoom-type platform crashing are in direct relation to the importance of the meeting and the number of people trying to join it. So a totally virtual convention would have risks.
Such a convention would also have less repercussion in the media, especially if this grey virtual event were followed by a huge traditional Republican Convention with all of the usual drama and ballyhoo generated by the center-stage appearance of President Trump.
These three convention formats are the options under consideration by the Democratic Party though, as yet, nothing has been written in stone. Since the choice will probably entail a painful sacrifice at some level, the convention committee is waiting until the last moment to decide. This flexible decision-making and willingness to adapt to circumstances reflects the existence of intelligent life in the Democratic Party.
This morning, President Trump has stated that the Republican convention will probably not be held in North Carolina because the governor, who is a Democrat, has refused to pre-authorize a mass gathering of at least 19,000 people and to place many thousands of lives at risk.
