The Story:
John Kasich, a former (Republican) Governor of Ohio, spoke at the Democratic party’s nominating convention this week. He was featured Monday evening, along with such luminaries as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This is important because it indicates that the Biden campaign is trying to reach out to discontented Republicans, and that Kasich has become one interparty face of such “NeverTrumpers.”
Background:
This convention — and next week’s Republican convention, which will make official the renomination of Donald Trump for President — are unique. They will be remembered as the Coronavirus conventions, largely ‘virtual’ events without the cheering telegenic crowds and balloon drops that have marked nominating conventions for decades now.
Kasich’s speech, then, added one more element of oddity to what was going to be a memorable event notwithstanding.
The Thing to Know:
“We can all see what’s going on in our country today and all the questions that are facing us, and no one person or party has all the answers,” Kasich said. “But what we do know is that we can do better than what we’ve been seeing today, for sure.” He taped his speech outdoors, at a literal fork in a gravel road, to illustrate an obvious metaphor for this election.
