360aproko News Democracy 2020: Convention Kickoff
Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum co-anchor a kickoff as COVID-19 forces candidates to get creative.
Monday night’s programming at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) will feature four Republicans speaking in support of presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, underscoring an effort to reach out to moderates and undecideds who may be recoiling at the prospect of four more years of President Trump leading the nation.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who was the last to drop out of the 2016 Republican primary against Trump, was already scheduled to be featured in Monday night’s programming. But Monday morning, the DNC released the names of three more Republicans who will speak during the convention’s two-hour broadcast that starts at 9 p.m. ET.
In the lineup will be former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman; Quibi CEO Meg Whitman, who previously advised Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns; and former Rep. Susan Molinari, who delivered the keynote address at the 1996 GOP convention.
PROGRESSIVES BLAST DNC FOR GIVING AOC JUST 60 SECONDS AT CONVENTION BUT MORE TIME TO KASICH, BLOOMBERG
Christine Todd Whitman has been a strong critic of Trump, as recently as Friday accusing the president of abuse of power.
“@realDonaldTrump is once again attempting to abuse the power of his office to undermine democracy,” she tweeted on the president’s actions in regards to the Post Office. “Each time this President makes a statement that has to be walked back, we have a glimpse of exactly what he really means. The right to choose our own leaders through free and fair elections is one of our most precious possessions as Americans. It is ironic that, as we approach the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and the enfranchisement of women in the electoral process, we have an administration that is trying to disenfranchise millions of American voters.”
The addition of even more speakers with a history in the Republican party could signal Democrats’ efforts to appeal to more voters and increase the size of their party’s tent. But it could also heat up simmering tensions between the party’s powerful progressives and its establishment.
The fact Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is only getting one minute of speaking time at the convention, whereas Kasich and Michael Bloomberg — a former Republican but current Democratic megadonor who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination this cycle — are getting larger platforms roiled some members of the Democrats’ progressive wing last week.
“@AOC needs more than 60 seconds if we’re fine wasting time & space bringing Bloomberg & Kasich,” New York Times contributing op-ed writer Wajahat Ali tweeted. “This is more proof the DNC still doesn’t understand the Democratic base, the youth, people of color, or the fact they are not a conservative party. It’s OK to be progressive. Its OK.”
Also on tap for the Monday DNC broadcast are former Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as well as former first lady Michelle Obama, among others.
