How It Feels To Be A Delegate To A Virtual Convention: ‘Like Canceling Christmas’

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Instead of attending the Democratic National Convention in person, Bobbi Green is volunteering and handing out Joe Biden yard signs in Eau Claire, Wis.

Courtesy of Bobbi Green

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Courtesy of Bobbi Green

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So, what does it mean to be a delegate to a virtual convention? First of all, if you’re from Milwaukee, it generally means plenty of disappointment, says Deiadra Queary, a first-time Joe Biden delegate.

She grew up watching DNCs at home and couldn’t wait to participate in what she calls «a grown-up pep rally in her hometown.

«I just think, you know, it’s just like being a kid on Christmas. It’s like somebody canceling Christmas, she says. «You know, you’ve been good all year, you wrote your letter, and then somebody cancels Christmas. That’s a lot to deal with, you know.

Standing outside the Wisconsin Center in the city’s downtown, where Democrats had planned to hold the scaled-down convention until earlier in the month, Queary says the party’s decision was the right thing to do. Instead of being there in person, she’s working hard to encourage people to vote for Biden.

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Deiadra Queary is disappointed to be missing out on an in-person convention but remains excited about volunteering for Democrats this year.

Maayan Silver/WUWM

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Maayan Silver/WUWM

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Not everyone is as disappointed by the change in the convention’s format. Biden delegate Vik Verma is the vice chair of the Lincoln County Democrats, in a swing county in northern Wisconsin. He says the switch to virtual events has allowed him to pay close attention to Biden’s campaign around Wisconsin.

«By watching these events and seeing the vice president with no applause, there’s just a focus on what he’s talking about. I can only speak for myself — I have very much enjoyed watching it in that way, he says.

While they won’t be showing up in person, many delegates are putting their energy into political activism this summer. State Rep. Myers, whose district is in Milwaukee County, is holding virtual focus groups for women of color, to make sure their voices are heard, and is also registering voters.

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About 3 1/2 hours northwest of Milwaukee, in Eau Claire, Bobbi Green is stapling together «Biden for Wisconsin yard signs in her pickup truck and taking them to houses in a congressional district that swung from Barack Obama to Trump in 2016.

As she delivers a sign, a neighbor asks where she got it. Green eagerly asks if he wants one too and grabs one for him when he says yes. In one way, Green says, she’s dreading the convention.

«I’ve got a little bit of Zoom fatigue to be honest with you, she explains, referring to videoconferencing apps. «Just because that’s how all of our meetings for everything have been lately.

But at the same time, she’s optimistic her efforts may pay off with a victory for Democrats this fall. «I think that [Biden’s] going to use this convention as kind of a way to assure us that we can straighten this ship out.