The virtual Democratic National Convention begins on Tuesday with the
party’s disparate factions joining hands as a united front to support Joe Biden.
They come together by their common goal of ousting Donald Trump in the US
Presidential election in November. Bernie Sander, who is a former Biden rival
and a keynote speaker in the convention’s opening night, said that it is
important to defeat Donald Trump.

“It is absolutely imperative that Donald Trump be
defeated,” AFP quoted Bernie Sanders as saying on ABC’s “This Week”.

The four-day convention, which was originally planned for
the Midwestern city of Milwaukee had to be shifted online due to the coronavirus
pandemic.

During normal years, nominating conventions are a grand
affair with thousands of supporters flocking the venue. However, this year,
with the virtual convention, the planners are struggling to find virtual
replacements for the usual vociferous scene.

This year, the viewers are expected to watch the live feeds
from several Democratic ‘watch parties’, with fear of the convention being a
boring show looming large. However, this format will allow speakers to address the American
voters unfiltered.

According to a report in AFP, Biden enters the convention
with significant but tightening poll leads over President Donald Trump and amid
signs of Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, being widely popular among
Democrats.

Harris is a former prosecutor who was promoted by Biden as
the “American Dream” incarnate. At 55, she brings relatively youthful
energy to bolster the 77-year-old Biden.

Democrats hope keynote speakers across four evenings will
draw viewers to the prime-time slot that networks have committed to airing.

The first day’s top speaker will be Sanders, a leader of the
party’s progressive wing, and widely admired former first lady Michelle Obama. The
next day, former president Bill Clinton and Jill Biden, the nominee’s wife,
will speak.

On the third day, former President Barack Obama will speak,
and Harris will have her moment in the spotlight before the convention
culminates when Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination and delivers
his acceptance speech — via videolink from his home state of Delaware.

“If I’m elected president, I will always choose to
unite rather than divide. I’ll take responsibility instead of blaming others,”
Biden tweeted Sunday.

The convention has been overshadowed by a coronavirus
pandemic that has now killed over 170,000 Americans.