How the Democratic Convention changes the conventions of the future

For a moment, the scene seemed familiar. Joe Biden addressed the camera with a deep gaze and brief gestures, finally delivering the speech for which he prepared during half a century of political work. In the background the American flags were the perfect setting, as he said: “Here and now I give you my word: if you entrust me with the presidency, I will turn to the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not of the dark ”.

However, there was no thunderous applause, no shower of balloons and confetti or massive hugs, in fact, the crowds that physically cheer for American presidential candidates were absent from the Democratic National Convention that took place in a room. empty of the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware.

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As in a science fiction fable, coming from the mind of British writer George Orwell, the Democratic candidate was surrounded by screens that showed him to his supporters and showed him to his constituents, who clapped and smiled with placards. It was politics entering the universe of science fiction series like Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone.

It was the most obvious demonstration of the empire of biology, above any human aspiration, the reflection of an era shaped by the coronavirus that only in the United States has caused more than 5,579,000 infections, surpassing the barrier of 174,000 deaths.

Biden and Kamala Harris's Democratic formula, unlike their Republican counterparts, demonstrated their respect for viruses by always maintaining social distancing measures and wearing face masks during a four-day event that was carefully designed for the age of networking. social.

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If the 1968 Republican Convention, where Richard Nixon won the nomination, was the event that ushered political rallies into the realm of television, this convention marked the consecration of another type of interaction between leaders and citizens. Although he fulfilled his television show quota with the performances of Maggie Rogers, Billie Eilish and Billy Porter, among others, the change of mentality in the planned program was noticed.

The mass bath that nourishes the candidates and excites the voters underwent one more mutation: it made the transition to a virtuality that, despite the warnings of the voices of bad omens, was a natural evolution that implies the vital connection with a electorate that, increasingly, lives through social networks.

Biden himself, who in recent months was criticized for his digital strategy and the lack of charisma he shows in his speeches, admitted it by declaring: “I doubt that we will ever return to the conventions that we organized in the past. This is an example of the future ”.

The duel in networks

One of the great successes of the Democratic organizers was to design a media space so that the millions of Americans affected by the ravages of the coronavirus could share their sorrows.

Monday's events included a segment called 'In Memoriam' in which footage of people in their homes were broadcast, without sound, sharing their grief with various acts, while playing 'I Remember Everything', a song by John Prine, who died of COVID-19 in April.

"The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two United States: the country where Donald Trump lives and the country where my father died," said Kristin Urquiza, who lost her father to COVID-19. He had voted for Trump.

In video: The powerful speech of a Latina who lost her father to the coronavirus

The acceptance of the enormous crossroads the country is going through marked Biden's speech on Thursday. Hardly any other political leader in the West has a history of heavy family losses like yours: two children and his first wife.

“I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. I know that deep black hole that opens in your chest (...) I know how mean, cruel and unfair life can sometimes be, "she said in one of the most memorable moments of her speech, which was widely commented on in networks. .

Roll call

As with every convention, delegates from all 50 states and seven US territories nominated the Democratic presidential candidate. At other times it used to be a predictable moment where, for a few minutes, each leader had an opportunity to highlight the qualities of the person they support for the presidency. The weight of each intervention was rhetorical, a total commitment to language in order to move, generate empathy and excite.

This is how a historic Democratic convention begins: virtually and with Republican guests

On this occasion, politicians saw his absence from the convention as an advantage and decided to record videos showing the best of their states, achieving an instant connection with an electorate dejected by the COVID-19 crisis. In hindsight it was a total success that generated great reactions in the networks, moving moments and, of course, jokes and memes.

For many it was moving to see representatives like Terri Sewell, from Alabama, remembering the recently deceased John Lewis, from the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where that Democratic leader marched in 1965 to demand the right to vote; activist Howard Chou in Colorado's majestic Red Rocks Park; and to the delegate Carmelo Ríos of Puerto Rico who, forcefully and in Spanish, said: "We Puerto Ricans are US citizens, something that Donald Trump seems to have forgotten in the most difficult moments our island faced." 

However, the intervention that went viral and that is perhaps the most unforgettable - for the amount of memes and jokes it has generated - was the video of Representative Joseph McNamara, from Rhode Island, who with the sea of ​​Iggy's Boardwalk in the background, He made his nomination accompanied by an executive chef carrying a large tray of fried squid.

The technical universe

Despite criticism for the low ratings of some days, perhaps this traditional way of television to measure the success of an event is not the best way to measure the success of this virtual convention.

More than a program, it was a media experience, in which its various expressions on transmission platforms, conventional media and social networks make up a commitment to interact with the voters of a nation that is certainly in crisis, but is still a country highly interconnected.

Faced with such a challenge, we must highlight the importance of the 13,500 workers from technology companies such as Facebook, Google, Netflix and Disney who volunteered in their spare time to help Democratic candidates, at the state level, with digital and marketing tools. Social. Most belong to Tech for Campaigns, a group founded in 2018 that has worked on 468 election-related projects.

An inclusive distance

Although it sounds paradoxical, this event marked by physical distance and telematic participation allowed the participation of leaders, spokespersons, activists and members of the Democratic Party belonging to the most diverse economic and social minorities.

Furthermore, the absence of a huge crowd that depersonalizes supporters into a roaring mass was replaced by brief appearances of people who, indeed, could be more clearly identified by viewers.

The uniqueness of those interactions was less frantic, but gave the event a warm, personal, and almost homely feel, in an age where millions of people communicate with their loved ones and co-workers through cameras due to confinement.

"Without Joe Biden I would not be here talking to you," said Brayden Harrington, a 13-year-old who met the candidate during the Democratic primary elections. "He told me we were members of the same team: we both stuttered," he said in an emotional video that went viral.

“Members of the same club”: 13-year-old boy recounts how Joe Biden helped him overcome his stuttering

Although these political meetings usually appeal to inclusion but are ultimately managed by small power groups, the Democratic National Convention managed to project an illusion of closeness at a time determined by the greatest social distancing seen in generations.