China News Service, Washington, August 17th, title: US Bipartisan Congress: "Back-to-Back" Contest under the Epidemic

　　China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong

　　From August 17, the United States will enter the political mobilization season for the 2020 election. The National Congress of the Democratic and Republican Parties (hereinafter referred to as the General Assembly) will be held "back-to-back" within two weeks. Under the new crown epidemic, the scene where tens of thousands of politicians, celebrities, media, and supporters gathered in previous years no longer exist, and replaced by live webcast speeches and conference sites with a reduced number of people.

On February 29, local time, US Democratic presidential candidate Biden won the fourth leg of the 2020 general election-the South Carolina primary. Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong

　　The main functions of the bipartisan conference in the United States include nomination of candidates for the president and vice president of the party, discussion and approval of the party's campaign platform, etc. It is also an important node for the bipartisan election campaign. The Democratic convention was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from August 17 to 20; the Republican convention was held in Charlotte, North Carolina from August 24 to 27.

Containing the epidemic, becoming a common concern

　　The epidemic that has continued since March has become the biggest uncertainty factor for the bipartisan conference. The Democratic Party conference was originally scheduled for the end of July, but had to be postponed later, and most of the agenda was converted to online meetings. Former Vice President Biden, who has locked in the Democratic presidential nomination, also changed the place for the nominating speech to his hometown of Delaware.

　　The Republican convention was even more twists and turns. In order to be able to hold the meeting "full", the party first divided the conference agenda into two, held in Charlotte and Jacksonville, Florida. Later, in view of the rebound of the epidemic, US President Trump decided to cancel the agenda in Florida and chose to deliver a nomination speech at the White House.

　　According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of the 17th, the number of new coronary pneumonia infections in the United States has reached 5.403 million, with more than 170,000 deaths.

　　The political speeches played on the screen without cheering and interaction always remind Americans that the epidemic is still not fully controllable. How to respond to this reality at the conference has become a topic that the Democratic and Republican parties must face.

Data map: US President Trump wears a mask in public.

　　According to Fox TV, Trump will attend an event in Charlotte during the Republican Party Congress to pay special tribute to frontline medical workers in the fight against the epidemic.

　　The Washington Post expects that the Democrats will continue to criticize the Trump administration's ineffective response to the epidemic through the conference. The Democrats will communicate their commitment to "proactively solve problems based on facts" in order to cater to the collective mood of the American people to contain the new crown virus and restore the economy.

　No suspense, no shortage of highlights

　　Trump and Biden locked in the party's presidential nomination early. U.S. Senator Kamala Harris has become the Democratic vice presidential candidate-another major suspense has also been revealed. The presidential candidates of the two parties are not suspenseful, but it does not mean that the bipartisan conference lacks something to watch.

　　According to the agenda of the Democratic Congress, former US President Obama and his wife, former President Clinton and his wife, Speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi, New York Governor Cuomo and others will deliver speeches at the meeting.

　　CNN listed the five most important speeches at the Democratic Conference: Harris, Biden, the youngest female Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Sanders And Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.

　　His analysis believes that Harris' speech even surpassed Biden's highlights. Because Biden, 77, claims to be the Democratic "transitional candidate", and Harris "will undoubtedly become a strong contender for the 2024 presidential candidate."

　　The Republican Convention has not yet announced the official meeting schedule. According to US media reports, the first lady of the United States Melania and Trump’s children will speak at the conference. Other speakers include McCarthy, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and Nikki Haley, the former permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations. US Vice President Pence will deliver a remote speech in Baltimore, Maryland on August 26.

　　Trump's plan to deliver a nominated speech at the White House was questioned once it was made public. After all, holding partisan political events in the White House will encounter moral pressure and legal challenges. Trump's plan to invite a large number of supporters to celebrate has also triggered criticism for his disregard of the risk of the epidemic.

Cloud conference, follow the campaign strategy

　　During the epidemic, almost all of Biden's campaign activities were conducted online. Trump's large-scale local campaign rallies are also few. The analysis pointed out that the two-party conferences that were forced to be held on the "cloud" side invalidated the traditional methods of canvassing votes and tested the campaign strategy and adaptability of presidential candidates.

　　"For decades, the bipartisan conference has been the focus of media attention and requires a lot of planning." James McCann, a professor of political science at Purdue University in the United States, believes that the challenge under the epidemic is that Trump Whether the Biden campaign team can replicate or design the "functional equivalent" of offline campaigns to create a similar sense of excitement for voters.

　　According to the analysis of American media CNET, although there is no suspense about the nomination, the bipartisan conference is still of great significance in stimulating the political enthusiasm of the American people and introducing up-and-coming political stars to voters. Conference organizers must find a balance between online and offline activities during the conference.

　　In the next four days, the Biden campaign team has launched a rally in Virginia and other states attended by congressmen or former government officials to echo the agenda of the conference. Trump will determine the itinerary and go to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and other states to speak on economic, employment and immigration issues.

　　EJDionne, a professor of political science at Georgetown University in the United States, believes that the epidemic has severely weakened the ability of the Trump campaign to continue to "attack" Biden. After the Democratic Conference, the Republican Party’s campaign tactics will become clearer.

　　The purpose of the bipartisan conference in the United States is to mobilize and inspire voters. Under the epidemic, without a full stadium, without a crowded audience, how the two parties in the United States will accumulate for the general election in more than two months can be seen. (Finish)