This Monday begins the Democratic National Convention, the first time in history that a convention to nominate a candidate for the presidency is held virtually.
During this week, the main political figures of the party will make their speeches through videoconferences. Former Vice President Joe Biden will accept his nomination from Delaware.
[This is how the first virtual presidential convention in history works]
These are the main information of the day:
- Biden "is a profoundly decent man" who "will tell the truth and trust science": preview excerpt from Michelle Obama's speech
- Five things to watch out for on the first day of the Democratic National Convention
- The Democratic Convention starts by asking for the Latino vote: "It is tremendously important"
- Two out of three Latinos say they will vote for Biden in the next election
- Trump slightly narrows gap with Biden, according to latest NBC national poll
- What is the schedule for this Monday?
Biden "is a profoundly decent man" who "will tell the truth and trust science": preview excerpt from Michelle Obama's speech
Former First Lady Michelle Obama, one of the figures who injects the most optimism into the Democratic campaign ahead of the November elections and whose speech is the most anticipated on the opening night of the Democratic Convention, will use her screen time to highlight values the character of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Biden "is a profoundly decent man" who "will tell the truth and trust science," Michelle is heard saying in a nearly two-minute snippet of the prerecorded speech that was advanced this afternoon.
"He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, face a pandemic and lead our country," he will add in his speech, scheduled for between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm (Eastern time). "He will make smart plans and lead a good team."
Biden is a man who, she emphasized, she "knows" well, having seen him serve as second in command during the administration of her husband, former President Barack Obama.
During the 2016 Democratic Convention, when former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton accepted the Party's nomination as the candidate who would face Trump, Michelle Obama delivered some of the most motivating phrases of the electoral contest when she said about political contenders: “When they go low, we go high ”.
This Monday, Trump tried to discredit her because her speech was prerecorded. "Who wants to hear Michelle Obama make a recorded speech?" He said during a political event in Wisconsin.
Michelle recently said in a podcast that she has been suffering from a "mild depression" amid the pandemic and the fight for racial rights unleashed under the Trump Administration . "I wake up in the middle of the night because I'm worried about something or I have a regret," she said.
Five things to watch out for on the first day of the Democratic National Convention
The first presidential convention that is held in a virtual way can be described as a true experiment. The coronavirus pandemic prevented the traditional mass gathering, and transformed the meetings and interventions into videoconferences and online broadcasts.
For the main schedule of this first day, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. these are five things that are worth following:
1. Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama in primetime
Speeches from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and former First Lady Michelle Obama will air tonight. Governors for New York, Andrew Cuomo, and for Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, will also speak by video conference.
Some of the interventions will be live and others were previously recorded.
Democratic National Convention prepares virtual events and official nominations of Biden and Harris
Aug. 17, 202002: 192. How will Sanders take advantage of his intervention?
Sanders' last participation in a convention is remembered by the protest of hundreds of his delegates who left the meeting upset by his defeat to Hillary Clinton in 2016, accusing unfair treatment by the party.
This time there is no place to leave, but tension remains between some progressives who were disappointed that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (will speak Tuesday) was given just one minute in the schedule while they were offered time to intervene. ex-republicans like Michael Bloomberg.
It will be interesting to see how Sanders will use his space. Whether he will push Biden to support his ideas, like Medicare for All, or whether he will focus on how much the party has embraced his proposals or the work he feels still needs to be done.
3. Governors and COVID-19
The coronavirus will be the central theme of the interventions of two governors who have had to face the crisis. Cuomo and Whitmer have also faced Donald Trump several times, so it will be a time when frontal attacks on the current president and the way in which he has addressed the pandemic can be seen.
4. Michelle Obama on stage
Joe Biden and Michelle Obama in 2012 Getty Images
Perhaps the main figure tonight will be former first lady Michelle Obama, who despite the desire of several Democrats to see her as a candidate for the presidency, has remained on the sidelines of the political dispute.
It is expected to be the moment of greatest interest in this convention, second only to the interventions made by Barack Obama, on Wednesday, and Joe Biden, on Thursday.
5. A Republican in the Democratic Convention
John Kasich hoped to participate in the convention but in that of the Republican party, accepting the nomination as a candidate for the presidency. However, after losing the primary school, he broke with the party and became one of the founders of the "Never Trump" movement.
The participation of former members of the rival party is a tradition at the conventions and the invitation to Kasich seeks to attract Republicans and independents not convinced to vote for the current president.
However, some Democrats did not like the idea of giving a Republican time instead of spending it on future party leaders.
With information from NBC News
The Democratic Convention starts by asking for the Latino vote: "It is tremendously important"
With stories of Latinos affected by the coronavirus, not only in their health but also because they lost their jobs or had to close their small businesses, the Democratic National Convention officially started, which next Thursday will nominate Joe Biden as its candidate for the presidency.
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto stated that "the goal of putting Biden in the White House will help our communities, but while that happens we can help by providing education to reduce gaps with other communities."
The panel, in which former Democratic candidate Julián Castro also participated, analyzed how the pandemic has hit Latino communities the hardest.
"Latino businesses were on the rise. But they have been swept away by the pandemic in addition to the terrible response that President Trump has had," Castro said.
"This pandemic has hurt Latinos a lot. But I know that Biden will focus on helping Latinos get back on their feet," added Biden's former primary challenger.
Presidential conventions: what they are and how they will be done in times of pandemic
Aug. 14, 202002: 24Castro also called on Latino communities to participate in November.
"The Latino vote is tremendously important in Florida, but also in places like North Carolina, Georgia, California, Arizona and Texas. Our communities are counting on you to ensure that we guide the Latino vote in November," he said at the beginning of the first meeting of the day.
"I am eager to see Joe Biden win and we will achieve that because of the great work that Latinos have done," Castro added.
Two out of three Latinos say they will vote for Biden in the next election
Two out of every three Latinos have expressed their intention to give their vote to Joe Biden in the next presidential election, according to a poll conducted by the Latino Decisions political opinion research center.
66% of Latinos surveyed said they will vote for Biden, while 24% said they will vote for Donald Trump. 10% remain undecided.
In all the states where the survey was administered, Biden has the advantage. In Texas 66% prefer it, a percentage that increases to 70% in states like California and New York. In Arizona (63%), North Carolina (61%) and Florida (55%) the Democrat is the favorite.
Additionally, 70% of Latinos in the United States disapprove of the way President Trump has addressed the coronavirus pandemic. The figure represents an increase of 14% compared to the opinion they had last May.
The level of disapproval is even higher in Texas, reaching 73%. In California (74%), Arizona (63%) and Florida (58%) are also the majority who do not agree with the president's actions regarding the pandemic.
Trump slightly narrows gap with Biden, according to latest NBC national poll
At the national level, the gap between Joe Biden and Donald Trump narrowed by one point since last July, according to a poll by NBC News, Telemundo's sister network, with 50% of preferences in favor of the Democratic candidate, and 41% in favor. of the current president.
Poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.Felipe Gálvez, Telemundo
The 9-point difference narrowed from last July, when Biden led the preferences with 51%, against Trump's 40%.
The number of undecided increased from 1% in July to 4% in August, according to the survey.
What is the schedule for this Monday?
The Democratic National Convention starts at noon this Monday, with a meeting of the Hispanic Caucus. During the afternoon a series of meetings will take place, which can be followed through an online transmission on the convention website.
At 8:00 pm (Eastern time) an event will take place prior to the most anticipated interventions of the day. This meeting will have live music and will showcase artists and personalities that support Joe Biden.
[What happens at national conventions, why do they mark a before and after and how will COVID-19 change them]
The highlight with the interventions of the political figures of the party will begin at 9:00 pm and will be divided into two blocks of one hour. In the first of them, the senator for Minnesota and former candidate, Amy Klobuchar; the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo; Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; in addition to the presentation of the singer Leon Bridges.
The second block, which starts at 10:00 pm, is reserved for speeches by Vermont senator and former candidate, Bernie Sanders, and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
