No matter the production values of these semi-virtual conventions, there’s still something lost when there’s no huge gathering. By setting a low bar for Joe Biden, President Trump made it easier to clear.
No matter the production values of these semi-virtual conventions, there’s still something lost when there’s no huge gathering. By setting a low bar for Joe Biden, President Trump made it easier to clear. What to look for when the G. O. P. takes its turn next week. What can the Republicans do to top the D. N. C.? Is a ‘convention bounce’ still a thing? Lamenting the loss of the in-person convention. By setting a low bar for Biden, Trump botches the expectations game. The ’88 presidential race shows how harsh tactics can create a comeback. On to Charlotte! OK, not really. But with the Democrats’ virtual convention behind us, and drawing generally strong reviews, attention is turning to what the Republicans might do with their time in the spotlight, which starts on Monday. In some ways, having the Democrats go first was good for President Trump’s party. Democrats got to take the virtual car out on a test ride and, presumably, the Republican National Committee got some good ideas for their own convention. And it’s always better to go second and have the last word. On the other hand, the bar has been set fairly high by the Democrats. Here’s a list of things we’ll be looking for when the Republican convention is gaveled to order: Will this be an all Trump, all the time convention? Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared each night from Delaware, doing panels with small groups of people, but he listened more than he spoke, until it was time to give his acceptance speech. Will Mr. Trump be as yielding of the spotlight? Democrats sketched a rich and sympathetic portrait of their candidate, walking viewers through the formative tragedies of his life. Next week should provide a test of whether that dissuades Mr. Trump from going after Mr. Biden. And if Mr. Biden gets a bit of a pass, will Senator Kamala Harris, Mr. Biden’s running mate, become the lightning rod? How much attention will be paid to the pandemic? Mr. Trump’s campaign has already dismissed the Democratic convention as grim and gloomy, with its focus on the devastation being wrought by the coronavirus. Will Republicans offer a more optimistic vision of how the nation is managing the virus, or push the issue into a corner? Will Republicans be as diligent about wearing masks and social distancing as Democrats were through the week? Or will they be deliberately and conspicuously more lax, making a political statement as well as a health one? Will Mr. Trump use this platform to lay out a second-term agenda? Democrats are betting he will not. “He’s not going to change,” said Rahm Emanuel, who was White House chief of staff when Mr. Biden was vice president. “He’s not going to offer an inclusionary, second-term agenda.” Will Mr. Trump (and, for that matter, Vice President Mike Pence) allow this convention to promote the next generation of potential presidential candidates? And will we see as many non-politicians — a.k.a. regular Americans — in prime spots as we saw at the Democratic convention? Will there be a lineup of Hollywood stars to give the convention more celebrity power? Will the Republicans have the kind of musical production numbers to counter the Democrats, who offered performances by, among others, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson? (Ronna McDaniel, the R. N. C. chairwoman, told us this week that the convention would shun Hollywood celebrities in favor of “real people.”) The speaking roster at the Democratic convention had a heavy representation every night of people of color and women. Will this be a priority for Republicans as well? Democrats put the virtual campaign to good use, turning to imaginative and highly produced videos to showcase voters and party leaders, and for such convention fixtures as the keynote and the roll call. Will Republican convention planners do the same, or stick with the old script? — Adam Nagourney The Biden granddaughters were lovely. Shorter speeches were effective. The travelogue roll call made for strangely good TV. Those were concessions that Trump advisers and former White House officials had to hand to the Democratic National Committee after it pulled off the first-ever virtual convention, even while they took issue with the overall message of the week. The question is, how do they top that now? It may be difficult. Republican officials wasted time that could have been used to plan a highly produced semi-virtual convention by trying — for much longer than the Democrats — to pull off a normal one.
