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By: Sydney Carroll
As if running a presidential campaign isn’t stressful enough, both the Republican and Democratic parties have been tasked with campaigning amidst a global pandemic - which is no easy feat. When campaign rallies, public speeches, and audiences at debates are no longer possible, it becomes more difficult than ever to make connections to voters before the November election. As a result, when the Democratic and Republican parties announced that they would still hold their usual nomination conventions (albeit virtually), the stakes were higher than ever before. Especially considering that according to many, the Democratic Party can’t afford to lose this presidential election. Because the President has the power to nominate Supreme Court Justices, with two Democratic Justices nearing retirement (Ruth Bader Ginsberg, 87, and Stephen Breyer, 81), it’s almost certain that with Biden’s defeat would come a Conservative majority in the court for decades to come as well as a weaker chance to obtain a Democratic majority in the Senate. As such, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would ultimately be one of the Democratic party’s largest and most public efforts to secure the presidency - with no room for failure.
How did the DNC go overall?
Ultimately, with this being a very different convention from years past, the Democratic party had to find a way to hold a successful convention while being entirely online. Without large audiences, events, pomp, and circumstance that normally surrounds the Democratic Nominating Convention, the Democratic party had to be creative in finding ways to present a unified party that would rally around Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, even if most speakers were on different sides of the country. The DNC saw cameos from several party favorites, including Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Barack and Michelle Obama, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Democratic primary candidate Andrew Yang. As the New York Times states, “ it was clear that even Mr. Biden’s ideological opposites within the party — including Senator Bernie Sanders, the avatar of the progressive movement — had embraced Mr. Biden’s case for focusing on building the biggest possible coalition to beat Mr. Trump, policy differences aside.” The Democratic Party put together a convention that presented a united front in a time where it seems as though chaos is the norm.
What were the biggest moments of the convention?
The 3 nights truly centered around the appearances of Presidential nominee Joe Biden and Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Senator Harris, being the first Black and Asian American woman nominated as a Vice President by a major party, was tasked with delivering a speech that allowed those who hadn’t been familiar with her work a chance to get to know her and for her supporters to become re-energized. Her initial nomination had already excited the Democratic base, as according to the New York Times, there was a surge of $48 million in donations in 48 hours following the announcement. And, her speech seemed to do the same, as she sought to be an example to young girls and people of color that, “We can do better and deserve so much more.” Senator Harris focused on America as a country making progress to fight through everything from coronavirus to structural racism - and swore that if elected, she would do her part in aiding in that fight. Her message, well received by the Black and Asian communities as well as the Democratic base, seemed to show the type of Vice President Senator Harris hopes to be and the type that America can get behind.
The task of re-introducing former Vice President Joe Biden to America was not an easy one - with #settleforbiden trending on social media during the convention, it was clear that many Democratic voters were less than thrilled about his nomination. So, in order for the convention to truly be successful, the Democratic party had to re-introduce a man that we already know in a way that made the Democratic base more enthusiastic about heading out to vote for him during a pandemic. For the majority of his campaign, Biden has benefitted from being ‘Obama’s Vice President’, and ‘not Trump’. However, his speech at the DNC, which may be one of the best performances of his career, “channeled years of homilies about good versus evil, right versus wrong”, as asserted by NPR. Biden sought to center himself as a family man, who, through immense tragedy, held onto his faith and will do the same if elected President. The speech appealed to those who may not fully have bought into Biden’s stance yet were still with an open mind, with the former Vice President promising, “I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not of the darkness.”
Was the DNC a success?
With the convention now over, we’re seeing its effects play out in real-time - and the effects signal that the Democratic National Convention was absolutely a success. In fact, according to Politico, “Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee reported raising a record $365 million in August, surprising even seasoned party fundraisers.” With this massive boost to his campaign donations, it’s clear that the convention not only re-ignited the Democratic party’s passion, but it also allowed for the former Vice President to be broadcasted to an audience that previously hadn’t known very much about him. Additionally, the DNC brought in 19.7 million viewers for its first night - topping the Republican National Convention (RNC)’s 17 million viewers. But does this mean that the former Vice President will have the upper hand in November? Not necessarily. However, the Democratic National Convention ensured that Joe Biden definitely has the momentum to secure the presidency - all he needs is the votes.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think both parties handled the online conventions well? Why or why not?
Why are nominating conventions so crucial for both candidates?
Has the coronavirus pandemic affected the significance of political conventions?
As a candidate, how can Joe Biden build on his current momentum?
Sources/Further Reading:
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