It’s another Sunday, so for those who tune in, welcome to a diary discussing the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. If you’ve missed out, you can catch up any time: Just visit our group or follow the Nuts & Bolts Guide. We’re headed into convention week, and it is going to be a convention unlike anything we’ve seen before. A few months ago I was asked by a reporter what I thought, and I responded that the balloon drop should happen at Biden’s house. Well, that won’t happen (that I know of), but the convention itself will certainly present something new to the Democratic faithful. These changes may alter the stage and the venue, but in the end, they could also set a new standard for what a convention should look like in the future.
Are you interested to know about the changes? Okay, here we go.
The way in which convention sites get chosen
The way to host a convention is tricky. While Republicans only had one city bid for their convention this time around, the Democratic Party had numerous cities bidding. This resulted in states and cities lobbying for Democratic National Committee member’s votes, and definitely for the support of the executive committee and convention membership who define the location. States and cities throw out swag in order to gain consideration. Before Milwaukee was chosen, I still managed to receive—as someone who isn’t on an executive committee or on the convention committee so my vote is almost predetermined by the recommendation of those groups—beach towels from Miami saying “Democratic Convention 2020”; a shot glass and some souvenirs from Houston; and a photo op with Kareem Abdul Jabar from Milwaukee.
This is the dance of placing a convention. So you can imagine if that is happening to the 500 members who have very little impact, exactly how much lobbying effort goes on to wrangle those who do have impact—and how much work the cities and states put into advertising their location as the place to be.
There is a good reason for this: Well-run conventions can generate significant tourism revenue, and they can showcase your city on the national stage. All of these are things states and cities want.
Is this the way conventions should operate going forward? Looking at DNC 2020, we may be seeing that even if it were an option to choose a single site in 2024, the logic for doing so may be getting less obvious. As technology improves, the ability to have speakers appear in multiple locations around the country and streamed seamlessly out to the public may present a better image of the wide nature of the party.
Imagine this as an example: As Kamala Harris runs for president in the future, the convention is held nominally in Denver, but the speeches of everyone else come from Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Mexico, a national wildlife preserve, and sites with historical importance. We show the nation what the country really looks like with speakers who can address it locally rather than being crammed into one room.
This is the kind of event that wasn’t possible before, but now that it is, why on Earth should we not consider using a format that welcomes every Democratic swing state and location possible? It’s just a thought, but one I have heard from several others, and I’m definitely on board.
Even this year, digital makes changes
Things can look very different when they are conducted digitally. This allows for some unique participation that hasn’t been possible before. Last week in this column, I mentioned that the caucus and councils of the Democratic Party have always been open meetings. Still, it wasn’t always easy for people to come to them, so the number of people in attendance at even a large caucus or council wasn’t immense. Now with virtual attendance possible, any Democratic member can attend a caucus or council meeting. All you have to do is sign up.
These meetings can provide you with a lot of information and a much closer look at down-ballot races, candidates, and issues that impact specific communities. In a lot of ways, I have found the caucus and councils to be some of the most informative meetings at every DNC event, and hey, if you just want something in the background to get a feeling of the energy going on, it’s a good way to pump yourself up.
This expansion of access is a continued improvement for the party.
Conventions for everyone
In 2016, the Democratic convention had an attendance cost of around $5 to $6 per delegate. Some could get by on less, some more, depending on how much your travel to Philadelphia was and any costs you had while present there. You could reduce those costs by sharing rooms, but the expense would still be significant. This year, many delegates are able to attend for, well, free to $200, depending on what kind of swag they may want. While I generally have negative feelings about paying for swag, the fact that this cost reduction is possible makes it easier to see more young people participating in the process and considering themselves as a possible delegate to the convention. In 2016, many potential delegates for Bernie Sanders found themselves opting out, with cost being one of the main reasons. On the other hand, at least a few delegates were able to come not out of interest in the convention, but because they could raise the money to be angry. That’s okay. If the price is lower, though, you get a better chance for young people to attend without tapping friends and family members for significant amounts of money—money that can later go straight to local candidates, congressional candidates, or Biden/Harris instead.
Summary
COVID-19 may have been the proximate cause of the Democratic convention going into a virtual format instead of a large in-person event, but even without COVID-19, the time for conventions to move in a virtual direction is here. Going forward, we should not rule this out as a solution.