Juan Williams on DNC kick off: 'Tonight is about Michelle Obama'
Juan William discusses expectations for the Democratic National Convention
It’s not easy putting on a virtual convention. What we learned from the Democrats on Monday night is that it’s even harder putting on a compelling virtual convention.
The two-hour program was so underwhelming, you wonder how many viewers decided to click it off and go to bed.
The format resembled a low-energy cable show, hosted by an actress (Eva Longoria Baston), with “average” people in quickie interviews. Interspersed with music and video segments such as Biden remotely chatting with black activists and Chicago’s mayor, it felt like what it was, a propaganda film, and a totally canned one at that. So much was on tape that there was no real rhythm or pacing, just a series of odd juxtapositions from, say, Jim Clyburn to the daughter of a virus victim to soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
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Talking to ordinary folks is a laudable goal, but it’s not exciting programming. Smart people were shoehorned into bite-sized bits. I’ve seen late-night infomercials with more pizazz. Honestly, the networks would cut away from much of this stuff at a live convention and put their pundit panels on. For long stretches, Biden seemed almost an afterthought.
CNN and MSNBC took the first hour live, while Fox aired Sean Hannity (whose first guest was Donald Trump Jr.) before Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum took over for the second hour.
Michelle Obama proved herself a talented political performer, connecting what she described as the pain in the country to her husband handing the reins to someone with a total lack of empathy who doesn’t understand that black lives matter. She hates politics, the former first lady said, but Trump’s presidency is “downright infuriating.” Even in a taped address, she seized the audience and didn’t let go in what felt like the night’s only authentic moments.
Bernie Sanders gave a disciplined speech, at normal decibel levels, warning of President Trump’s “authoritarianism” and comparing him to a fiddling Nero while Rome burned. He tied Biden to a series of liberal goals--minimum wage, child care, climate change--and it was a more full-throated endorsement than he gave Hillary Clinton.
Andrew Cuomo, of coronavirus briefing fame, used the virus as a metaphor to criticize Trump’s handling of the pandemic and the country. It was a sober address, with the governor seated at a desk, that did not exactly recall his father’s 1984 stemwinder to a cheering convention crowd.
In one surprise segment that actually resonated, the brother of George Floyd asked for a moment of silence, recalling the Minneapolis police killing that sparked nationwide protests, and riots, and transformed the atmosphere of the campaign.
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How much did it matter that Republicans--John Kasich, Christie Whitman and Susan Molinari--broke party ranks to speak to the DNC? It probably changes no votes--there are always turncoats, like Zell Miller--but could foster the idea that dumping Trump is socially acceptable.
Conventions are a huge hassle to cover: hot, crowded, long lines, oppressive security, bad food, and journalists often working in noisy and poorly ventilated tents. But I’ve learned a great deal at every one I covered.
At the 2000 GOP convention, I came up with a scoop: John McCain, angry about the way he was treated by the Bush forces, left the Philadelphia gathering early and returned to Washington. At the 2008 Democratic convention, the journalistic enthusiasm for Barack Obama was palpable and a bit embarrassing. At the 2012 Republican convention, I watched with amazement as Clint Eastwood, there to support Mitt Romney, delivered a bizarre rant to an empty chair representing Obama, totally overshadowing the proceedings. At the 2016 Democratic convention, the first two days were dominated by the controversy over Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s resignation as party chairman.
Beyond the media bubble, the remote nature of the convention, as opposed to a mass gathering in Milwaukee, drains much of the little remaining drama. There’s no opportunity for a symbolic but pointless platform fight or attention-grabbing walkout, even if the Biden and Bernie forces weren’t getting along. Television will fill many of the empty hours with, yes, more punditry.
The overarching question is whether the ratings will take a nosedive--except perhaps for the Biden and Harris speeches--and whether that will eliminate any bump from the convention. Those tend to be short-lived, and to cancel each other out, though a convention is more important for a less-well-known challenger.
If the bump proves to be nonexistent, keep in mind that the coronoavirus that forced the cancellations in Milwaukee and Charlotte also allowed Biden to run a stay-at-home strategy that has protected his summer lead in the polls. By September and October, though, all bets are off.
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