Oh, the trials and tribulations in being on a winning team... (sorry, no absolute desperation for washed up B-listers like Chachi from Happy Days here)
Democratic Convention Challenge: Squeezing In the A-Listers
By PATRICK HEALY JULY 25, 2016
nytimes.com
PHILADELPHIA — At a normal convention, organizers would happily give a coveted speaking role to a popular vice president like Joseph R. Biden Jr.
But this year the Democrats find themselves with too many party leaders ( Hillary Clinton, Senator Tim Kaine, President Obama, Bill Clinton, Mr. Biden) and political stars (including Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Michelle Obama) and not enough prime slots in the 10-11 p.m. window over the convention’s four nights, when the networks join cable channels in live coverage.
This cup-runneth-over challenge stands in sharp contrast to the glass-half-empty problem last week at the Republican convention, which had relatively few A-list speakers because so many prominent party leaders objected to Donald J. Trump. Republicans scrambled to put together a roster and unveiled it at the last minute, while Democratic officials announced theirs early, including naming Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden as headliners for Wednesday night.Mr. Kaine is now widely expected to speak that night as well. Will all three men share a single hour? Will Mr. Kaine speak on another night, or will Mr. Biden be squeezed out? Convention organizers and Clinton campaign officials said details would be announced soon, leaving it to other Democrats to explain that an abundance of riches is not always easy to manage.
“It’s like admissions at a really good college: There are 10 applicants for every one slot, so the Clinton campaign has to make hard choices,” said former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, who helped organize the Democratic convention in 2008. “What you’ll see this week are the leaders that Hillary wants you to see, because the program is really up to her.”
</snip> Rest here: nytimes.com |
