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Democrats Planning Made-For-TV Unity Convention
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 04:14 PM
By: Brian Freeman
Planners for the Democratic National Convention seek to generate excitement and boost television ratings by highlighting an A-team of entertainers and performers, Politico reports.
The idea is to attract the attention of young voters who otherwise might not be so inspired by the usual cadre of older politicians giving speeches.
Democrats familiar with the plans for the convention say that the goal must be to create a sense of unity and purpose against Republican Donald Trump, but memorable and enjoyable moments at the convention that convince many to tune in to watch on TV each night can help achieve that feeling.
"The nights [of the convention] are three-hour prime time TV shows," PR executive Ken Sunshine told Politico. "Entertainment and adding excitement become a key part of it, as opposed to hard-core politics. Good entertainment doesn’t have to appeal to the lowest level of expression. Great art and humor can be inspirational, uplifting, can celebrate our diversity instead of cheap laughs at the expense other Americans."
The desire to create an entertaining spectacle is considered even more crucial because the July 25 to 28 convention in Philadelphia will almost immediately follow the Republican one in Cleveland on July 18 to 21, which is expected to be memorable and entertaining if for no other reason than the unconventional and unpredictable style of Trump.
This does not mean, however, that the Democrats will not be without some traditional political big names. Unlike the boycott expected by many Republicans of their own convention, the Democrats can expect a full slate of political heavyweights to come out and support Clinton.
Any remaining concern about Bernie Sanders ruining the unity party appears to have dissipated, Bloomberg reports. Although he has not officially conceded the nomination and an indictment against Clinton over the e-mail scandal before the convention could shake everything up, Sanders has apparently set out conditions for an eventual concession that will include inspiring his supporters to rally around Clinton for the sake of common goals and countering the dangers he says Trump poses to the country.
