Democrats kick off convention hoping to virtually nominate Biden, rally troops to beat Trump

Ever since Joe Biden announced that he would skip traveling to Milwaukee to accept his party's nomination, the Democratic National Committee has been solidifying plans for a virtual event that promises to be the most unconventional nominating convention in the party's history.  

The week-long event kicks off Monday, with the coronavirus providing both challenges to the usual human contact at celebratory nominating conventions and political opportunity to attack President Trump's stewardship of the pandemic.

“From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first,”  DNC chairman Tom Perez said in a statement. “That’s the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that’s the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House.”

It is an historical moment with Biden choosing Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential candidate. Harris is the first Indian-American and African-American woman on any national ticket, but in some ways, the convention is very traditional. 

"Uniting America" is the overall theme with Democrats focused on unseating a sitting president, which has not been accomplished since 1992 when then-Arkansas Gov. William J. Clinton beat President George H.W. Bush.

The four daily themes are: "We the People," "Leadership Matters," "A More Perfect Union," and "America's Promise."  The prime time lineup will included speeches from former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former first ladies Michele Obama and Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Kerry, and Dr. Jill Biden, the nominee's wife.  

One oddity though will be Bernie Sanders sharing the virtual platform on Monday night with John Kasich, the former Republican Ohio governor and one of Trump's 2016 rivals. A handful of GOP defectors are expected to be showcased on the Democratic stage, including former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel, who crossed over to serve as Obama's defense secretary . 

"I’m a Republican, but the Republican Party has always been my vehicle, but never my master. You have to do what you think is right in your heart. I'm comfortable here," Kasich told Ohio's Lima News,

Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan will also be speaking as well as Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who pulled together the African-American support in his state for Biden, when the former vice president badly needed a win during the early primary season. 

During the week, there will be 18 special interest meetings consisting of Hispanic, Black, Interfaith, Ethnic, Youth, Women, Rural, Seniors, Muslim, Small Business, Disability, Jewish, Youth, Native American, Environmental and Climate Change, Veterans and Military Families, Poverty, and Asian American and Pacific Islanders Caucuses and Councils.

During a Sunday Meet the Press interview, Sanders said that Biden and he were in agreement to create "task forces facing health, climate, education," promising them to be progressive.

With the task forces' implementation, Sanders foresees that a Biden administration will be the most progressive since Franklin Delano Roosevelt's.  

Democrats will be folding in the Potomac culture of Washington D.C. with the celebrity glamour and performances from Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Royce, Stephen Stills and others across the four nights of the convention. 

One of Monday night's performance of the National Anthem is a youth choir from across America by Commonwealth Youth choirs consisting of 57-member choir of young people from remote locations.  

A teacher and a retiree with chronic health conditions will be among the Democratic National Convention speakers from Milwaukee.

Luz Chaparro Hernandez, a mother, elementary school teacher and union member, and Julie Buckholt, a mother and retired educator, will both speak. They are expected to share their families' stories as they talk about their support for former Vice President Joe Biden. 

"Joe Biden is the leader we need as our country navigates this treacherous moment," Buckholt said in a statement, which was released by the Biden campaign. "We are in the middle of a global crisis, and we need empathetic, strong leadership to get us through and heal."

Luz Chaparro Hernandez teaches a bilingual program for second and third graders.

"As an educator, mother, and union member, I know how important this election is. I have seen how the coronavirus pandemic has changed our classrooms and our lives, and I keep telling myself: It just didn't have to be this bad," she said in a statement.

Retired Chicago Tribune chief political reporter Jon Margolis, who has been covering conventions since 1964, and now is a contributing columnist to VTDigger, thinks this year is quite different in defining unity in the democratic party.

"Bernie Sanders actually likes the 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden," Margolis said.