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| © Provided by Washington Examiner |
By Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner
It's a quadrennial event Democrats eagerly anticipate, with planning starting years out.
But a traditional confetti-topped Democratic National Convention this August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is in doubt, even with the one-month delay, as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to grip the nation and upend American life.
Terry Tucker, a DNC member from Colorado, admitted he was concerned about an in-person convention, where Joe Biden would officially become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee before 50,000 party faithful and observers.
"It will be very hard not to hug people I see only a few times in the year — similar to not being able to touch your family," he told the Washington Examiner.
A more pressing issue for Tucker, however, was the shape of the COVID-19 case curve and the timeline. For Tucker, if the Democratic Party waited until midsummer to come to a decision about how to proceed, it could be too late to avoid logistical snafus caused by ill-prepared rules, platform, and credential committees.
"I am speaking from experience, since Colorado's platform process was condensed into a few weeks, and it was difficult to get the work done over the phone and virtually in a short amount of time," he said.
Another consideration, according to Tucker, was cost, suggesting the money raised for the confabulation may be better spent on "get-out-the-vote" efforts. The organizing fundraising committee has set itself a $70 million goal and will receive $20 million from the DNC.
"Perhaps considering the fact that we have a presumptive nominee, having a large 'party' that may look extravagant to the millions of Democratic voters who are hurting right now is not the smart thing to do," he said.
"I know the convention is the sacred end of a four-years-long wait, but as leaders, we need to be aware of the economic impact to the voters and make sure our optics do not impart a sense of elitism in this time of crisis," Tucker said.
Shelia Huggins, a North Carolina DNC committeewoman, voiced the uncertainty surrounding the convention.
"I have no idea what this is going to look like. We're not just talking about the convention site. We're talking about full buses transporting people to and from delegation hotels, where we typically have morning delegation breakfasts and other events together, daily caucus meetings, trainings, and other gatherings," she told the Washington Examiner. "I'm not sure how we would practice social distancing in that setting."
Huggins was adamant shaking hands would be "out of the question," stressing the importance of bearing the host city in mind.
"Wisconsin currently has over 2,500 cases, with coronavirus significantly impacting the black community," she said. "So when we look at who will be providing a lot of the services that will be needed, we have to ask the question, are we increasing the risk for people who are already at an increased risk?"
South Carolina DNC member Clay Middleton was worried about the pressure the convention could place on Milwaukee's healthcare system.
"The only way I would be comfortable in such a convention and travel setting is if the temperature of folks are done as people enter and exit the convention hall and other events or nationwide the virus has been contained," he said.
Cliff Moone, a North Carolina DNC committeeman, was hopeful the convention could be held "without too many restrictions" as long as Democrats didn't "do anything that would extend or resurge the COVID-19 pandemic." While trusting the party to heed public health guidance about when and if it's safe to meet in-person, Colorado committeewoman Jeri Shepherd reiterated that rules for an online confabulation should facilitate "robust debate on policy," maximizing "inclusion."
Earlier this month, Biden himself floated the idea of turning the convention into a digital event if officials were still warning against large crowds, after Democrats revealed they were moving the gathering from mid-July to Aug. 17-20, one week before the Republican National Convention, which is set for Charlotte, North Carolina.
The proposal was quickly mocked by President Trump.
“Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a ‘Virtual’ Convention, one where he doesn’t have to show up. Gee, I wonder why?" Trump tweeted.
DNC chair Tom Perez this week also pushed back on the calls, saying his team postponed the confabulation by five weeks "because we wanted to maximize our opportunities to have an in-person convention, to have as muscular a convention, as exciting a convention."
See more at Washington Examiner
It's a quadrennial event Democrats eagerly anticipate, with planning starting years out.
But a traditional confetti-topped Democratic National Convention this August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is in doubt, even with the one-month delay, as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to grip the nation and upend American life.
Terry Tucker, a DNC member from Colorado, admitted he was concerned about an in-person convention, where Joe Biden would officially become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee before 50,000 party faithful and observers.
"It will be very hard not to hug people I see only a few times in the year — similar to not being able to touch your family," he told the Washington Examiner.
A more pressing issue for Tucker, however, was the shape of the COVID-19 case curve and the timeline. For Tucker, if the Democratic Party waited until midsummer to come to a decision about how to proceed, it could be too late to avoid logistical snafus caused by ill-prepared rules, platform, and credential committees.
"I am speaking from experience, since Colorado's platform process was condensed into a few weeks, and it was difficult to get the work done over the phone and virtually in a short amount of time," he said.
Another consideration, according to Tucker, was cost, suggesting the money raised for the confabulation may be better spent on "get-out-the-vote" efforts. The organizing fundraising committee has set itself a $70 million goal and will receive $20 million from the DNC.
"Perhaps considering the fact that we have a presumptive nominee, having a large 'party' that may look extravagant to the millions of Democratic voters who are hurting right now is not the smart thing to do," he said.
"I know the convention is the sacred end of a four-years-long wait, but as leaders, we need to be aware of the economic impact to the voters and make sure our optics do not impart a sense of elitism in this time of crisis," Tucker said.
Shelia Huggins, a North Carolina DNC committeewoman, voiced the uncertainty surrounding the convention.
"I have no idea what this is going to look like. We're not just talking about the convention site. We're talking about full buses transporting people to and from delegation hotels, where we typically have morning delegation breakfasts and other events together, daily caucus meetings, trainings, and other gatherings," she told the Washington Examiner. "I'm not sure how we would practice social distancing in that setting."
Huggins was adamant shaking hands would be "out of the question," stressing the importance of bearing the host city in mind.
"Wisconsin currently has over 2,500 cases, with coronavirus significantly impacting the black community," she said. "So when we look at who will be providing a lot of the services that will be needed, we have to ask the question, are we increasing the risk for people who are already at an increased risk?"
South Carolina DNC member Clay Middleton was worried about the pressure the convention could place on Milwaukee's healthcare system.
"The only way I would be comfortable in such a convention and travel setting is if the temperature of folks are done as people enter and exit the convention hall and other events or nationwide the virus has been contained," he said.
Cliff Moone, a North Carolina DNC committeeman, was hopeful the convention could be held "without too many restrictions" as long as Democrats didn't "do anything that would extend or resurge the COVID-19 pandemic." While trusting the party to heed public health guidance about when and if it's safe to meet in-person, Colorado committeewoman Jeri Shepherd reiterated that rules for an online confabulation should facilitate "robust debate on policy," maximizing "inclusion."
Earlier this month, Biden himself floated the idea of turning the convention into a digital event if officials were still warning against large crowds, after Democrats revealed they were moving the gathering from mid-July to Aug. 17-20, one week before the Republican National Convention, which is set for Charlotte, North Carolina.
The proposal was quickly mocked by President Trump.
“Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a ‘Virtual’ Convention, one where he doesn’t have to show up. Gee, I wonder why?" Trump tweeted.
DNC chair Tom Perez this week also pushed back on the calls, saying his team postponed the confabulation by five weeks "because we wanted to maximize our opportunities to have an in-person convention, to have as muscular a convention, as exciting a convention."
See more at Washington Examiner
