The Democratic 2020 Convention has officially downgraded from its arena-sized gathering to a much smaller venue where delegates have been urged NOT to attend.
Politics
Originally, the Democratic 2020 Convention was scheduled to take place at the 17,000-seat Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. Instead, the event has now been moved to the Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee’s much smaller convention center. Additionally, party leaders have told state delegations to stay away due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
.
Instead of the traditional convention loaded with a packed arena of screaming delegates, Democrats have scaled down their political party to fit the times. According to party officials, the Democratic 2020 Convention will be “anchored” in Milwaukee, but will “include both live broadcasts and curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country.” Additionally, delegates will conduct all convention business remotely, including casting their votes for Biden to become the party’s nominee.
“Leadership means being able to adapt to any situation,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement. “That’s exactly what we’ve done with our convention. Unlike this president, Joe Biden and Democrats are committed to protecting the health and safety of the American people.”
Cameras will be set up in locations across the country to capture the spirit and enthusiasm of the state delegations of the Democratic Party. Speakers and performers will deliver content remotely, then the convention will culminate with Joe Biden officially accepting the nomination for president live at the Wisconsin Center — complete with social distancing and a drastically smaller in-person crowd.
“Vice President Biden intends to proudly accept his party’s nomination in Milwaukee,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, Mr. Biden’s campaign manager. “The city of Milwaukee has been an incredible partner and we are committed to highlighting Wisconsin as a key battleground state at our convention this August.”
Veteran producer Ricky Kirshner, who has worked on every Democratic National Convention since 1992, will produce the event. Kirshner is a 9-time Emmy Award winner who has served as executive producer of the Tony Awards since 2004 and the Super Bowl halftime show since 2007.
By contrast, the Republicans are planning to go “BIG, BIG, BIG” at the behest of Donald J. Trump.
The Republican 2020 Convention was originally slated to take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. However, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper refused to allow Republicans to enter his state en masse and ignore social distancing guidelines with tens of thousands of delegates crammed into an arena — a move which angered Donald Trump.
The GOP has since opted to move portions of its convention to Jacksonville, FL, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has given Trump permission to cram all the MAGA conservatives he wants into the VyStar Veteran’s Memorial Arena.
.
Much of the party business will take place in North Carolina, however, Donald Trump will formally accept the nomination and give his acceptance speech in Florida, followed by the traditional balloon drop and hordes of screaming Republicans chanting his name in adulation. However, if his recent Oklahoma rally and the huge spike in coronavirus cases in the sunshine state is any indication, the Jacksonville event could be an even bigger flop than Tulsa.
The Democratic 2020 Convention will take place August 17-20 in Milwaukee. The Republican 2020 Convention will happen August 24-27 in Charlotte and Jacksonville.
Yep DJ. The contrast couldn’t be more glaring.
Okay so we know that prior to his rally in Tulsa Trump had his supporters sign a liability waiver to keep the host venue and his sorry azz from being sued if they became ill from Coronavirus.
Re; Jacksonville, Florida
[A GOP official said it’s possible GOP convention attendees will be asked to sign a similar disclaimer before arriving at the 15,000-person VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, though this person stressed that nothing has been decided yet and planning is still in an early stage. ] – Politico, June 25, 2020
Of course, they’re going to be asked to sign a similar waiver for the exact same reason. And again, it’s gonna interesting to to see just how many people show up (assuming the event still takes place).