Democratic convention, day 2: Joe Biden officially invested by interposed screens

It's official: Joe Biden is the Democrats' candidate for the 2020 US presidential election. His designation was confirmed, Tuesday, August 18, by the vote of party delegates during the second evening of virtual convention, pandemic requires.

If the outcome of the vote is not a surprise, the format is new. Instead of taking turns at the microphone in a room crowded with spectators and shouting the name of their candidate, the representatives of each American state and territory spoke in turn in short, more or less homemade videos.

An invitation to travel for viewers and Internet users who have admired the fields of Iowa, the blue waters of Hawaii and the beaches of California. This succession of mini-clips has sometimes turned into blooper, with the sound of the wind in the microphones, speakers not finding the camera or little cries of enthusiasm too forced. Special mention for Rhode Island, a coastal state where a chef proudly presented, static, a dish of fried calamari on screen.

The "Calamari comeback state" of Rhode Island caught viewers' attention during its turn on the #DemConvention roll call across America 🐙🇺🇸 https://t.co/6tjma19Dq4 pic.twitter.com/4jp0thiAir

The traditional release of balloons has not been forgotten: after the vote, Joe Biden, surrounded by his wife and their relatives in the library of a high school in Delaware, was able to express his gratitude: "Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart, "he said before putting his mask back on.

Bill Clinton, key guest

The rest of the evening, often monotonous, was enhanced by the intervention of a few key personalities. Former President Bill Clinton, 73, denounced the lack of leadership - that was the theme of the day - of Donald Trump: "In a time like this, the Oval Office must be a center of command. Instead, it's a center of storm. There's only chaos, "he said in a pre-recorded video. "One thing never changes: (Trump's) determination to deny responsibility and turn the blame," he added.

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Another very popular ex-president, Jimmy Carter, 95, praised the experience, personality and decency "of Joe Biden" in bringing us together and restoring America's greatness. "

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young star representative of the Democratic Party left, had only one minute to speak. She pleaded the cause of the socialist Bernie Sanders - it is the tradition even if the vote was folded between the two final competitors of the primaries - and especially of the progressive movement which goes up in the country.

New hand extended to Republicans

Convention organizers, however, decided to continue reaching out to anti-Trump conservatives. As echoing the presence of Republican John Kasich the day before, it was the former Secretary of State to George W. Bush, Colin Powell, who offered his support to Joe Biden on Tuesday evening. "Our country needs a commander-in-chief who takes care of his soldiers and his family", who "does not give in to the flattery of dictators" and who "restores America's leadership in the world", he said. he pleaded.

Joe Biden also received a message of support from Cindy McCain, widow of Republican Senator John McCain, who died in 2018. This hero of the Vietnam War was hated by Donald Trump.

The final words were spoken by Jill Biden, future aspirant "First Lady". Live from her old classroom in Wilmington, Delaware, this ex-English teacher praised her husband's qualities. “How do you reunite a broken family? The same way you unite a nation,” she said. "With love and understanding, and with little gestures of kindness. With courage. With unwavering faith."

On Wednesday, all eyes will be on Kamala Harris, the senator chosen by Joe Biden to accompany him to the White House if elected. Thursday, it is the Democratic candidate himself who will accept his nomination and end this convention unlike any other.

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