A Low Energy, Disjointed Start to DNC Convention

Today was the first night of the virtual DNC Convention. We watched all two hours of the programmed event and found it a low energy affair that was very disjointed. Here are our key takeaways:

• The night was one pre-programmed video session that seemed disjointed and outright boring, lacking any suspense and excitement. A few twitter comments bring home the lack of excitement. 538 Nate Silver summed it up well: “This would be more interesting if everyone was drinking scotch.” Democratic commentator Meena Ganesan said, “I’m genuinely confused as a viewer. Where are we going?”
• The DNC-Biden teams came in to the night trying to unify the party, the country, and appealing to Republican voters. The convention started off with reciting the Preamble to the Constitution, the Pledge of Allegiance, America the Beautiful, and even a prayer mentioning the word Jesus. The DNC gave high profile speaking roles to former Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich as well as former Republican women former NJ Governor Todd Whitman, CEO Meg Whitman and Congresswoman Susan Molinari. The appeal to Republicans elicited strong reaction from progressives who could barely contain their distaste, with many lamenting that Kasich was given more time than AOC.
• The Democrats seem to be focusing on two themes: the COVID pandemic and racial justice. We thought the attack on Trump’s response was more compelling than the focus on racial justice. The video programming tried to capture the right balance between extolling the Black Lives Matter movement and reconciling the protest movement with a unifying message. Many speakers referred to systemic racism in America.
• The final speech of the night was former first lady Michelle Obama, who started by saying how hurt the nation was. She spoke reasonably well, but we think it would have been more powerful had she been speaking in person in front of a large crowd. She did a better job of attacking Trump but failed to make a convincing argument for Biden. She also seemed like she was lecturing viewers, rather than telling a convincing story. Her most memorable line: “Joe is not perfect”
• Bernie Sanders seemed much more constructive about Joe Biden than he was about Hillary Clinton four years ago. His speech probably was a disappointment to the Progressive wing and a relief to the Biden team.
• The Democrats certainly went postal, making the latest Post Office conspiracy theory the latest Russiagate / Ukrainian impeachment case.
• The time frames were shortened for many speakers, as the DNC scrambled to have Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Megan Rapino, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Gretchen Whitmer, James Clyburn, Corey Booker, Tom Steyer, George Floyd’s brothers, and others all address the nation. It seemed difficult to follow the back and forth.

The virtual convention failed to generate the excitement that a live party convention with cheering, delirious crowds and booming voices can create. While early the programming had a positive message about America, the event also got darker throughout the evening and by the end seemed to focus largely on systemic racism. We are not sure if this is the right message to lead with. Earlier in the day, President Trump made live speeches in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, where he highlighted “law and order” in response to the riots in Minneapolis. The message was also much more anti-Trump than pro-Biden.

So, we would give the DNC a passing grade so far, but considerably short of a high A or B. On the positive side, we think the DNC had a much easier job of controlling the Bernie Bros using a virtual format, but we doubt that tonight’s event helped win over new voters. Democrats are going to have to raise the level excitement if they want to avoid fewer and fewer viewers tuning in.