The first night of the Democratic National Convention demonstrated clearly that putting on a fervid event in the age of COVID-19 may well be an impossible task.
The scheduled speakers appeared in remote locations. Many had prerecorded their speeches, and, most importantly, there was no boisterous audience to generate excitement. The absence of live speeches, live music, and live applause resulted in a forced and wholly uninteresting event.
The Republican National Convention will face similar challenges when it convenes on Aug. 24, though the party has the advantage of watching its opponent run through trials first.
There are several things the Republicans can do to ensure the convention is worth watching. For one, they should be careful about airing too many recorded speeches, considering how fluid the news can be. Michelle Obama’s speech did not even mention Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s running mate, because it was recorded before the pick went public. The omission left Obama’s speech seriously wanting, as Harris is one of the most compelling factors in the election.
If and when the convention does air recorded speeches, they ought to be clean and gimmick-free. John Kasich’s speech, which started out with a goofy drone shot showing him at an actual crossroads, was far too contrived. The speech by Kristin Urquiza, a woman whose Trump-supporting father died from COVID-19, declared that her father’s only preexisting condition “was trusting Donald Trump.” It made her father’s death look rather opportune.
It would also be strong for Republicans to come out immediately pushing policy on the first night. For the most part, Democrats avoided policy on Monday night, focusing on Trump’s character and putting forth the notion that Trump plans to defund the post office. The post office and mail-in voting dominated last weekend’s news cycle, and, considering that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling the House to Washington to vote on $25 billion in post office aid, that focus will remain as the convention begins.
Trump allies who open the convention would be smart to challenge the voting narrative in the very first speech and to make the policy conversation the predominant one.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to book a cover band. The band that played at the 2016 Republican convention actually did a pretty good job of covering the Spencer David Group and AC/DC. The music was lively and energetic, a fun break from all the talk, in total contrast to the bizarre Billy Porter performance and the slow acoustic song by Maggie Rogers on Monday night. It’s entirely possible to do the music live, too, and to stream it through to the convention, even if the band isn’t on-site in Charlotte.
The Democratic convention has been a bore and a drag. Republicans can certainly do better and should work to put on a convention that is serious on policy but also joyful to watch.
