Some Democrats are hoping to push forward with the party’s convention in-person this summer to give their candidates the best possible start to the fall fights over Congress and the White House.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has shrouded the 2020 Democratic National Convention, originally expected to draw 50,000 attendees to Milwaukee in August, with uncertainty thanks to prevailing guidance to avoid large crowds to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease. The host body also announced Thursday it was reassigning some employees and firing others amid the outbreak.
Many Democratic National Committee members told the Washington Examiner this week they were concerned about the public health risk created by the quadrennial gathering. Instead, they urged party officials to decide sooner rather than later whether they were going to proceed with the event online so planning could begin to counter a slew of logistical challenges.
But others, such as former Nevada DNC member Chris Wicker, warned there were risks associated with turning the convention into a digital confabulation as well.
For Wicker, the 2016 convention was a success, despite that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s loss that fall, because it rallied Democrats ahead of the bruising battle for political power. A virtual event may not achieve the same result, he said.
“I am concerned it will be more like a business meeting than an inspiring convention. I have participated in remote hearings and other similar activities, and uniformly, they are not nearly the same as in-person activities,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Wicker added, “Masks, no handshaking or hugging, and other precautions would be worth it to have an in-person convention.”
Several state Democratic Party leaders have already announced their iterations will be conducted online, which may influence their national counterparts, according to Wicker.
Regardless, Wicker’s comments are indicative of the split opinion among DNC heavyweights and its grassroots members.
Nancy Monacelli, a DNC committeewoman from Washington state, said watching the crisis unfold it was “hard to imagine ever holding a large gathering again,” but it was “impossible” to tell what August would look like from today’s vantage point.
“I definitely am not into shaking hands and am concerned about crowded settings. Frankly, I am as concerned about being in a bus for four-plus hours each day (our assigned hotel is in the Rosemont cluster near O’Hare) as in the auditorium,” she explained, referring to a village northwest of Chicago near O’Hare International Airport. The convention, meanwhile, will be hosted in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum from Aug. 17-20.
Yet, Monacelli insisted she was confident organizers were “working on a number of scenarios” and “that the health and well-being of the attendees” was paramount.
While DNC Chairman Tom Perez has refused to entertain the idea of a digital convention, former Chairman Terry McAuliffe echoed presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Thursday in suggesting it should be considered.
“Sure, it’s possible we have a convention,” he said. “I personally think it’s probably most unlikely that we have one.”
McAuliffe continued, “If we don’t have it, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll do a virtual one. Actually, it could save us a lot of big headaches.”
