Biden Backs Out Of Milwaukee Convention Over COVID-19 Concerns, Will Accept Nomination From Delaware

It’s official: Joe Biden, the oldest (or some might say ‘most seasoned’), presidential candidate in the modern history of the Democratic Party – a new kind of ‘placeholder’ who has already promised to serve just 4 years before gliding off into retirement (which is one reason why the hunt for his VP has become such a closely watched ordeal) – will be spared the traditional prime-time convention speech when he accepts the nomination later this month.

WSJ and a spate of other media outlets are reporting, citing anonymous insiders close to the DNC and Biden campaign, that Joe Biden won’t be traveling to Milwaukee to accept the nomination in person after it begins on Aug. 17 (it will run through Aug. 20). And it’s not just Biden: On the advice of “health officials working for the party” – according to the NYT – no senior party officials will travel to Milwaukee for the convention.

The decision will essentially transform the convention into an entirely virtual affair, offering little in the way of an economic boost to struggling Milwaukee. That’s terrible news for the city’s tourism industry.

Democrats are arguing Biden’s decision shows that he is taking the pandemic more seriously than President Trump, whom Biden has been guttersniping from the wings while President Trump faces the media and the reality on the ground every day (except when he’s playing golf, of course).

But that transparent excuse is almost comical for anybody who has been paying even the slightest attention to the race. Biden can hardly handle a television interview, let alone a major speech.

Now, he’ll get to accept the nomination from the comfort of his home state of Delaware. One can’t help but wonder: If he did defeat Trump, would Biden govern from the basement, too?