“Virtual” convention forced the Democrats to embrace the 21st century

Los Angeles Times

The traditional political convention is dead, says Lorraine Ali. "A funny thing happened on the way to unmitigated political disaster. This week’s Democratic National Convention was more engaging than any of these quadrennial rituals has been in ages," she says. "If there’s an upside to the pandemic — other than dining moving outdoors — it’s that both parties have had to rethink how they address the American electorate. And let’s hope they never go back to the way it was, even when it’s safe to convene again...Conceived under duress, the four-night event worked because it was forced to deviate from political theater as usual. Its organizers turned a critical function of our democracy into a made-for-TV spectacle, and as blasphemous as it may sound, it was simply more compelling to watch than the fusty, arena-bound version that rolls around every four years. The 'virtual' convention pushed the Beltway to embrace the 21st century, and cater to its changing demographics, in all sorts of exciting and uncomfortable ways." ALSO: Hundreds of pounds of equipment had to be driven from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Wilmington, Delaware after the Democrats' finalized virtual conventions plans with two weeks' notice.