Bernie Sanders, John Kasich Pairing Possible At Virtual Democratic Convention

With the Democratic National Convention reduced to a virtual event that includes former Vice President Joe Biden accepting the presidential nomination from his home in Delaware, organizers may have come up with a way to add some pizzazz: pairing speeches from former Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Convention organizers announced earlier this week they were scrapping plans for any events to be held in Milwaukee, which had been chosen to host the conclave set for Aug. 17-20. Instead of the usual television extravaganza, airtime also has been reduced to just eight hours.

“2020 will always be remembered as a year of once-in-a-lifetime challenges and changes – but it will also be remembered as a time when Americans were their most compassionate and resilient selves,” convention CEO Joe Solmonese said.

“This convention will look different than any previous convention in history. It will reach more people than ever before, and truly be a convention across America for all Americans, regardless of which party you belong to or who you’ve voted for in previous elections. This ‘unconventional’ convention will launch Joe Biden to victory in November.”

The posted convention schedule lists the various caucus and council meetings, but not who will be speaking.

Politico reported Friday Kasich, an outspoken Trump critic who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, would appear on the same night as Sanders, whose progressive politics have captured the imagination of younger voters.

Biden is to speak on the final night of the convention and his as-yet-unnamed vice presidential pick is to speak on Aug. 16.

Politico said Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California are on the roster, as is former first lady Michelle Obama. Biden has pledged to pick a woman as his running mate, and the smart money is on Harris. Both Harris and Warren had sought the presidential nomination before Biden’s campaign took off with the South Carolina primary.

Also to be featured are former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Politico said.

A Biden adviser said organizers were trying to keep the number of politicians speaking down, featuring, instead, video of “a lot of regular people.”

“A convention has always been both about the candidates and the event – balloons dropping, people cheering, debates on the floor,” an executive at one of the big three networks told Politico. "All of that is going away.”

The networks were not expected to air the entire two-hour nightly feed, likely just broadcasting the main speeches of each night.