Tonight is the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC), which will be drastically different than previous conventions. For more information regarding conventions in general, see my "Presidential Conventions" PDF in the PDF Gallery under "GOVLEARN Phase 2." In this blog post, I will break down this week's Democratic Convention's logistics and what to expect tonight. I will make a post every day regarding each night's speakers and performers.
So, how can a convention be run amid a global pandemic? Well, originally, the 2020 DNC was supposed to be held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The convention was moved to have its headquarters at Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. However, not all speakers and performers will be on-site in Milwaukee for the convention. Many will give speeches and perform from throughout the country. Additionally, the convention will be shrunk to two hours each night, from 9pm to 11pm EST. For reference, conventions used to be all-day procedures, with speakers and performers going on stage throughout the day. In terms of on-site procedures, only the Democratic Party leadership will be on-site, and the convention will be gaveled in and out each night from Milwaukee.
So, where can you watch the convention? ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News will carry the convention from 10 p.m. EST to 11 p.m. EST each night. C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC and PBS will cover the full two hours each night. Streams will be available on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV by searching “Democratic National Convention” or “2020 DNC,” and on Amazon Prime Video by searching “DNC.” If you have an Alexa device, you can say “Alexa, play the Democratic National Convention.”
Who is speaking and performing tonight?
- Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a former 2020 presidential candidate who endorsed Joe Biden on Super Tuesday.
- Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who has been described as a future star in the Democratic Party.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, who has been both applauded and condemned for his aggressive tactics in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in his state.
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who has also been described as a future star in the Democratic Party, and was considered to be Joe Biden's running mate.
- Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, whose endorsement of Joe Biden prior to the South Carolina primaries is what many believe to be the reason Biden was nominated.
- Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Milwaukee's congresswoman.
- Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, whose position as a Democratic Senator in a heavily Republican state is in jeopardy this November.
- Performance by Maggie Rogers, a folk-pop singer.
- Performance by Leon Bridges, a soul singer.
- Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of the most influential politicians today, whose presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020 heavily influenced the Democratic Party platform. Sanders was the last candidate to drop out of the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Sanders popularized left-leaning policies such as universal healthcare and taking on Wall Street.
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama, whose 2016 Democratic National Convention speech garnered acclaim, especially for her quote "when they go low, we go high."
Stay tuned for a blog post every morning regarding convention scheduling and events. GOVLEARN will also cover the 2020 Republican National Convention next week.
Comments