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Democratic Party, Democrats 2020, Election 2020, Joe Biden

Democratic National Convention, Now Virtual, Announces Themes for 4 Nights Aug 17-20, How to View

The 2020 Democratic National Convention which is expected to nominate Joe Biden as the party’s candidate for president will have a very different look from 2012 or any other national convention because of the public health crisis posed by the coronavirus (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

MILWAUKEE—The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced the themes that will guide each of the four nights of convention programming, which will take place August 17-20, from 9 to 11 pm,. The themes are intended to show how Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, intends to bring the country together around, to lead the nation of Trump’s chaos and crises, and rebuild a better America for all.  In look and feel, the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which will be conducted virtually instead of as an in-person gathering, will be different. More innovative, more creative—and engage with more Americans than ever before. “Uniting America” will serve as the primary theme for the four nights of programming.

Having made the decision for a virtual convention instead of in-person gathering, a custom virtual video control room has been designed to take in hundreds of feeds from around the country, including the potential of interacting with Americans from around the country. As in past conventions, a feed of convention proceedings will be available at no cost for media and accessible in multiple formats, including via satellite and embeddable livestream.

“The Democrats’ convention stage is bigger this year than it ever was—located in cities and towns across America,” the DNC stated. “This year, we’ll see fewer people behind podiums—and more people in living rooms, on factory floors, at small businesses, and in schools and town squares. No one will need a floor pass to experience the biggest moments up close, and we’ll hear from the everyday Americans that represent our nation’s strength, decency and humanity.”

“This convention is for all Americans, no matter who you voted for in the past. We will unite America around the critical task of electing Joe Biden as president in November so we can begin to build a more just, more democratic, kinder and stronger country—a better America,” said Stephanie Cutter, 2020 Democratic National Convention Program Executive. “The message we aim to deliver is simple: Joe Biden is the steady, compassionate and experienced leader America needs right now to bring us together and steer our nation out of Trump’s crises and constant chaos and build a better future for all.”

The convention will take place over four nights from August 17-20, 2020 and will air live from 9:00-11:00 PM Eastern each night. Over the course of those four nights, programming centered around the following thematics will aim to unite Americans from coast-to-coast around Joe Biden’s vision to build a better future for all.

Monday, August 17: We the People—This convention is about Americans rising up to take our country back—and move forward as a nation together. As we have learned throughout our history, when we stand united, we can overcome anything, including the monumental challenges we face today. With Joe Biden as president, ‘we the people’ will mean all the people.

Tuesday, August 18: Leadership Matters—A moment like now demands real leadership. A leader who has the experience and character to meet the moment. A leader who will unite us, tell us the truth, take responsibility, listen to experts and be an example for the nation. Strong people and strong countries rise up during crises, don’t shy away from what is tough, and lead with competence. With Joe Biden as our president, we will restore honesty and integrity to our government, and stake out a renewed leadership role in the world. And we will create more justice, more fairness and more equality for all.

Wednesday, August 19: A More Perfect Union—We are not going back to where we were before Donald Trump’s economy and mishandling of the pandemic—for too many Americans, that wasn’t good enough. As president, Joe Biden will lead us to a better America we know is possible. As he leads us out of Trump’s chaos and crises, he will help America build back better.

Thursday, August 20: America’s Promise—The measure of a president is the same as the measure of a person: What principles guide them? How do they handle adversity? Being president doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are. Joe Biden is a good man who believes in the promise of America, and as president, he will deliver on that promise for all.

Public Health Concerns Nix In-Person Gathering in Milwaukee

After ongoing consultation with public health officials and experts—who underscored the worsening coronavirus pandemic—the Democratic National Convention Committee decided that speakers for the 2020 Democratic National Convention would not travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in order to prevent risking the health of the host community as well as the convention’s production teams, security officials, community partners, media and others necessary to orchestrate the event.

In accordance with this guidance, Vice President Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee and will instead address the nation and accept the Democratic nomination from his home state of Delaware. Details about the location of the speech will be released at a later time. Other speakers who had been planning to come to Milwaukee will not travel to the city.

“From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first. We followed the science, listened to doctors and public health experts, and we continued making adjustments to our plans in order to protect lives. That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez.

Democrats have been working for months to build flexible plans that modernize and transform the convention experience for delegates and viewers across the country.  From the start of the pandemic, contingencies were put in place for a successful convention that would ensure public health was protected. Today’s announcement represents a small adjustment to the overall planning, as the majority of speeches and segments were already taking place in locations across the country. Democrats will offer four nights of programming, which will include a mix of both pre-recorded segments and live broadcasts from locations across the country.

“2020 will always be remembered as a year of once-in-a-lifetime challenges and changes—but it will also be remembered as a time when Americans were their most compassionate and resilient selves. While we wish we could move forward with welcoming the world to beautiful Milwaukee in two weeks, we recognize protecting the health of our host community and everyone involved with this convention must be paramount,” said Joe Solmonese, CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. 

“This convention will look different than any previous convention in history.  It will reach more people than ever before, and truly be a convention across America for all Americans, regardless of which party you belong to or who you’ve voted for in previous elections. This “unconventional” convention will launch Joe Biden to victory in November,” Solmonese added.

In order to ensure that the convention will reach viewers wherever they are, convention officials have been working with partners to house convention content on over a dozen platforms, in addition to traditional broadcasts. The official live stream for the 2020 Democratic Convention will be hosted on DemConvention.com, where viewers can also find the full convention schedule, and a digital tool kit to get involved.

How to Watch the 2020 Democratic National Convention

Viewers will have more than a dozen options for watching the 2020 Democratic National Convention, ensuring that this year’s convention will reach viewers where they are, however they prefer to watch, all across the nation. 

With an unprecedented number of ways to tune in, this year’s convention will engage voters in new, innovative ways and unite the country around our shared values. The convention will take place over four nights from August 17-20, 2020. Convention programming will air live from 9:00-11:00 PM Eastern each night.

The official live stream for the 2020 Democratic National Convention will be hosted on DemConvention.com, where viewers can also find the full convention schedule, a digital toolkit to get involved, more resources for viewers, delegates and the media and additional plans and details. 

“While our convention will certainly look different than previous years, what hasn’t changed is that this is an opportunity to engage and unite more Americans than ever before and to launch Joe Biden to victory this fall,” said Solmonese.  “With so many different ways to watch and get involved this year, Democrats are ready to make the case for Joe Biden’s vision for a better, safer future for the country.”

In addition to the DemConvention.com livestream and traditional broadcasts, the DNCC is working with partners to house convention content on a range of platforms, ensuring that no matter what services and devices audiences are using, the full program is available live and on-demand. 

The full list of platforms is as follows:

Computer + Tablet + Mobile Device

DemConvention.com/watch

YouTube.com/demconvention 

Facebook.com/demconvention 

Twitter.com/demconvention

Twitch.tv/demconvention

Amazon Prime Video (search for DNC)

Microsoft Bing

TV Device Apps (search for “Democratic National Convention” or “2020 DNC”) 

Apple TV devices powered by Endavo

Roku TV and streaming players powered by Endavo

Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and smart TVs powered by Endavo

TV Providers 

AT&T U-verse (Channel 212/1212 in SD/HD)

DIRECTV (Channel 201)

Comcast Xfinity X1 (say “DNC” into your Xfinity Voice Remote)

Comcast Xfinity Flex (say “DNC” into your Xfinity Voice Remote)

Smart Speaker

Listen or watch on Alexa-enabled Devices (Just say “Alexa, play the Democratic National Convention”) 

The Democratic National Convention is the formal event during which delegates of the Democratic Party choose the party’s nominees for president and vice president in the 2020 election. At the convention, the Democratic Party also adopts the official Democratic Party platform as well as the rules and procedures governing party activities, which includes the nomination process for presidential candidates in the next election cycle. www.demconvention.com

Coronavirus Pandemic, Democratic Party, Democrats 2020, Election 2020, Joe Biden, News & Photo Features

Democrats Announce Plans for Virtual National Convention ‘Across America’ Anchored in Milwaukee

Vice President Joe Biden at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. To minimize risk to the public from COVID-19, the 2020 DNC  will be a virtual convention, with four days of special events anchored in Milwaukee where Biden is expected to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

MILWAUKEE, WI—The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today their convention plan to broadcast from Milwaukee and across the nation, in a convention geared to reach out to all Americans. The DNCC reiterated the Democratic Party’s commitment to holding a convention that would protect public health while transforming the convention experience for delegates and viewers. Convention planners said that host city Milwaukee would anchor the events for the week, and that programming would include both live broadcasts and curated content from Milwaukee and other satellite cities, locations and landmarks across the country.

“Vice President Biden intends to proudly accept his party’s nomination in Milwaukee and take the next step forward towards making Donald Trump a one-term president,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, Campaign Manager, Biden for President. “The city of Milwaukee has been an incredible partner and we are committed to highlighting Wisconsin as a key battleground state at our convention this August. This will be a convention for all Americans who wish to join our mission to win the battle for the soul of this nation and build a fairer, more united country for us all.”

Convention planners are also developing new ways to organize and engage online with more voters than ever before during this critical election year. Later this week, convention organizers will launch the first of a series of engagement campaigns that will allow Americans across the country to share their ideas and add their voice to convention programming.

Anchored every night in Milwaukee, the Democratic National Convention will include four nights of programming from August 17-20, 2020. The overall production of the convention’s program—including the satellite broadcasts—will be led by nine-time Emmy-award winning producer Ricky Kirshner. Kirshner has served as the Executive Producer of the Tony Awards since 2004, the Super Bowl Halftime Show—the most-watched television event of the year—since 2007, and has worked on every Democratic National Convention since 1992.

At the convention, Democrats will officially nominate Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. Through multiple formats and mediums, it will also celebrate the promise of America by featuring the people and their stories that represent the strength and collective humanity of our nation and demonstrate that Vice President Biden is the leader the country needs right now—with the experience, steady hand, and compassion to lead us out of the crisis of the last four years, and strengthen our nation for all Americans.

“Leadership means being able to adapt to any situation,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “That’s exactly what we’ve done with our convention. Unlike this president, Joe Biden and Democrats are committed to protecting the health and safety of the American people. I couldn’t be prouder of the way our team has organized and mobilized to get out the vote and ensure a successful convention anchored in Wisconsin, and I’m grateful for the extraordinary leadership of our partners in the city of Milwaukee. Donald Trump’s days in the Oval Office are numbered.”

Additional updates unveiled by the Democratic National Convention Committee today include:

  • Conducting official business without risking public health—After consulting with public health officials about the COVID-19 pandemic, convention organizers are announcing today that they have determined state delegations should not plan to travel to Milwaukee and should plan to conduct their official convention business remotely. A process is being developed to ensure all delegates can cast their votes on all convention matters, including the presidential nomination, remotely during the convention. DNC standing committee meetings will take place virtually as well, with the first standing committee meetings set for the last week of July.  
  • Announcing our Convention Chair—U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson will serve as Permanent Chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The Convention Chair presides over all official convention business.
  • Developing robust health protocols—In addition to continued collaboration with local, state, and federal public health officials, the DNCC is bringing on nationally-renowned epidemiologists and infectious disease experts Dr. W. Ian Lipkin and Dr. Larry Brilliant, who will help advise on efforts to protect the health and safety of convention staff, attendees, and the people of Wisconsin. Dr. Lipkin, Director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, is an expert in diagnostic testing and collaborated with the WHO on coronavirus outbreak control for SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. Dr. Brilliant, a former professor of epidemiology, is best known for his work on the successful eradication of smallpox.
  • Updating the convention campus—With fewer people gathering in person at this year’s event, convention planners are modifying the convention campus. All convention proceedings will move from Fiserv Forum to the Wisconsin Center, the convention center located in downtown Milwaukee. Specifics regarding delegation representation on the convention floor will be provided after public health officials complete their assessment of the trajectory and impact of the coronavirus pandemic and determine how many people can safely gather in person later this summer.
  • Eliminating official auxiliary events—Previous conventions have included several large-scale events attended by thousands of people, such as a welcome reception for media and delegates as well as an event for volunteers. In keeping with the commitment to deliver a convention that poses no unnecessary risk to public health, convention organizers will no longer proceed with hosting these in-person parties.

“Everything is on the line this November, which is why we must find creative and forward-looking ways to organize, mobilize, and unite our party around our shared values at the convention so that we can launch Joe Biden to victory this fall,” said Joe Solmonese, CEO of the Democratic National Convention. 

As convention planners continue to monitor the coronavirus health crisis and its impact across the nation, they will continue to examine all options for the success of the convention that ensure the safety of any participants and the host city. More details will be made publicly available as the convention’s plans are further finalized.