The first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention had a solid structure, powerful speeches, and a few surprises to keep the audience’s attention.
Although Democrats would have preferred the high energy of a conventional convention, the coronavirus pandemic had other plans, forcing the party to hold a virtual convention over four nights. I wasn’t expecting a lot of excitement from a virtual broadcast, but Monday night’s opening should leave Democrats very pleased. It even offers leaders outside of politics some great ideas on how to conduct a virtual conference. The first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention had a solid structure, a clear theme, well-written speeches, and a few surprises to keep the audience’s attention. Each night of the convention has its own theme. Monday night opened with a video of citizens and celebrities reading the Preamble to the U. S. constitution, setting up the theme of the night with its first three words: We the people. The theme recurred throughout the two-hour convention with videos of average citizens from across the country expressing their reasons for casting a vote for Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate, Kamala Harris. The actress Eva Longoria Baston served as the host and provided a clear structure for the event. “Our nation is facing a lot right now and over the next four nights we’re going to cover it all, she began. “But tonight we’re going to talk about three specific crises we face: The pandemic, an economic downturn, and ongoing systemic racial injustice.
