The 2024 Democrat National Convention in Chicago may end up being a chaotic freak show. Dem officials and the Biden campaign know that they may end up dealing with mobs of angry leftist protesters and they’re already taking steps to deal with it.
What they really fear is a repeat of the 1968 convention, which was a disaster.
One approach they are considering is a hybrid convention that is partially virtual so that they can hide the ugliness from the TV audience.
Politico reports:
The DNC Is Preparing for the Worst in Chicago — Without the Help of the City’s Mayor
President Joe Biden’s top advisers are all too aware the ghosts of 1968 may haunt their convention here, but they’re grappling with a pair of more urgent and thoroughly modern-day challenges as summer nears: How far can they go in reprising their virtual 2020 convention to mitigate the threat of disruption inside the arena, and how will they navigate a rookie mayor who unabashedly sympathizes with protesters?
Trumpeting the success of their Covid-era convention four years ago, some in Biden’s orbit are aggressively pushing to make the 2024 conclave a hybrid production. That would mean in-person speeches from the president, party luminaries and rising stars to draw television attention alongside a mix of pre-recorded testimonials and videos from other parts of the country.
The goal: drive maximum viewership on television and the internet while minimizing live programming and openings for protest in Chicago’s United Center. This would mean moving party business, such as rules and platform votes, off the floor and denying would-be demonstrators a chance to seize on contentious debates.
Who had 1968 on their DNC bingo card this year?
The DNC Is Preparing for the Worst in Chicago — Without the Help of the City’s Mayor – POLITICO https://t.co/Kc1XDqvB1q
— CalRadioHost (@cal_host) May 10, 2024
The Democrats helped to create this monster and now they can’t control it.
Hiding from your own voting base. But the campaign is doing super otherwise.
— Big Fish (@BigFish3000) May 10, 2024
More important than that, they need a very controlled environment to present Biden.
It’s 50/50 he’d crap his pants. https://t.co/6ULX13Xvz3
— Mark Noonan (@Mark_E_Noonan) May 10, 2024
“We’re going to do the DNC but we’re afraid of our own voter base.”
And Biden still thinks he’s going to win https://t.co/GWpOZC8pfO
— Michael Edwards (@MEdwardsVA) May 10, 2024
Things could get out of control very quickly.
