‘Am I on?’: Chirping birds and ‘Funkman Productions’ DJ steal show in glitchy virtual Biden rallyWashington Examiner, May 7, 2020
It was lauded as Joe Biden's first virtual rally of the coronavirus pandemic, but it showcased the technological challenges involved in the COVID-19 world of campaigning.
"Did they introduce me? Am I on?" Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, said Thursday as he walked up to the camera and removed his trademark aviator sunglasses.
His 10-minute outdoor address was garbled and difficult to hear over birds chirping in what was presumably the backyard of his Delaware property, where he's been obeying a stay-at-home order since March.
The announcer threw to Democratic state Sen. Janet Cruz as well, who similarly didn't realize she was being broadcast.
The rally, an attempt to emulate traditional campaigning despite the virus putting a pause on large, in-person events, also included a short set from "Funkman Productions" DJ Jack Henriquez, who provided a musical interlude after the Pledge of Allegiance and a speech from Biden regional organizer Larry Bowden.
Biden's effort to ramp up his online game comes after Obama campaign alumni David Axelrod and David Plouffe warned his team they faced an uphill battle against President Trump in the fall if he didn't. As an incumbent, Trump has had four years to amass a loyal following and iron out any kinks, opting to pretape events to minimize snafus.
Thursday's rally, promoted to Tampa residents via email, phone calls, and text messages, capped a day of Biden focusing on Florida, a critical battleground state, ahead of November. Earlier, he convened a roundtable of black leaders in Jacksonville.
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