`Best that we can do': DNC viewers adjust to virtual format
BALLWIN, Mo. — Nick Zingarelli relished Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention this week, especially when the former first lady used President Donald Trump's own words — “It is what it is” — to sum up Democrats' disappointment in his presidency.
But the moment on the first night of the first virtual convention was bittersweet for Zingarelli. A line that good deserved a thunderous applause from a crowded convention hall, he thought.
“Not having that response — yeah, there was something that was taken away from that,” said Zingarelli, a 41-year-old lawyer from suburban St. Louis. “But it's the best that we can do in this environment.”
In other words, it is what it is.
Many Americans who have tuned in to Democrats' experiment in socially distanced political theater have come away with similar reactions. They believe that a traditional nominating convention — a boisterous and quirky affair staged for a packed audience of hyped-up political activists — had to be sacrificed for safety and public health. But its replacement — a mashup of homemade videos, slickly produced montages and speeches with no applause — takes some getting used to.
Millions of people are still watching Democrats' four- day celebration of their presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris.
They are at home watching on TV and computer screens, or passing around clips of the highlights the day after. Some were in their cars at drivein movie- style viewing stations Democrats set up in a few states. Some have tried for a social experience by jumping on a Zoom watch party.
Zingarelli organized a video conference for 25 attendees on Monday night and said the communal experience was lively.
“My wife and I were sitting side by side, rocking our Joe Biden aviators from the dollar store, just promoting the fun, and my wife was making signs,” Zingarelli, an ardent Biden supporter, said.
Through two nights, television viewership is sharply down from the 2016 convention. Monday's first night reached 19.7 million viewers, the second night 19.2 million; the audience was around 25 million four years ago, the Nielsen company said. It's hard to judge how much is due to the format, since people in general are watching less TV than they did four years ago.
The Biden campaign says an additional 10.2 million streamed the first night. Although that couldn't be independently verified, this year's programs appears tailor-made for that format, easily consumed in snippets and bites. The speeches have been shorter and less formal than the behindthe- podium oratory of conventions past.
The new virtual format has spawned some creative reimagining of old traditions — including a new roll call vote quickly embraced as a success. Viewers praised the montage of clips featuring delegates announcing their states' vote tallies from state landmarks and scenic landscapes.
Laura DeGroff Simoes of Concord, New Hampshire, who voted in the Democratic primary but considers herself an independent, said it's a welcome change that offered a glimpses of the places homebound Americans miss.