LOS ANGELES -- In 1896, William McKinley, the governor of Ohio, ran for president from his front porch in Canton while his opponent, William Jennings Bryan, traipsed tirelessly across the country. McKinley chose this style of electioneering because his wife was seriously ill and depended upon him.
Two of McKinley’s predecessors, James A. Garfield and Benjamin Harrison, had taken the same approach. All three won decisive victories, thus demonstrating that a presidential candidate could win the office without visiting another state.
In a sense, Joe Biden’s virtual campaign is a modern throwback to McKinley’s front porch. Coincidentally, both were necessitated by disease. McKinley spoke live to less than 5% of voters who had gathered on (and probably trampled) his front lawn, and word spread through social media of the day — newspapers and word of mouth. Technology has made it possible for Biden to reach millions of voters anywhere, but he, too, has had minimal direct contact.
The formats of the two virtual conventions, in spite of a slight resemblance to Hollywood awards shows (minus the red carpet), received mostly excellent reviews from pundits and commentators. No one seems to have missed the goofy hats, the pandemonium and the endless ovations. A year ago, the very notion of virtual conventions and a campaign without the county fairs, crowded town hall meetings, donor brunches and the usual handshaking and baby-kissing rituals would have been unthinkable. Today, it’s the only sensible alternative to public exposure. (One might wonder why mothers were so eager to have their babies slobbered on by a candidate that had just shaken hundreds of hands and already kissed numerous other babies. Even in non-pandemic times, that was beyond unsanitary. Today, we shudder at the thought.)
John Blumenthal is a former magazine editor, novelist and playwright.
It’s hard to imagine, but if Joe Biden and Donald Trump opt to appear live on stage to debate before a small, socially distant audience, they will either stand far apart or be housed in separate Plexiglas enclosures. More likely, debates and town halls will be held remotely.
Is this a one-shot COVID-19 scenario or does it mean that traditional campaigning has caught up to technology and is no longer necessary? Thus far, voters don’t seem to mind at all. Many have become inured to, disgusted with or just plain exhausted by the usual nonstop traveling circus. As for the candidates, three hectic months of grueling cross-country travel (morning in Columbus, afternoon in Albuquerque, evening in Seattle) is brutal. In spite of all this, we expect them to be flawless. One minor slip-up from exhaustion dominates the news cycle for days.
This election year poses a unique problem for Donald Trump. Driven by his misguided theories, many of his devoted fans still believe that COVID-19 is a hoax and thus shun sensible precautions. Yes, he did agree, albeit reluctantly, to hold a virtual convention. But will he later defy the experts and pander to his base by continuing to fill indoor venues? Will he bow to the experts and eschew traditional campaign rallies? Or will he simply take the middle road and hold his rallies outdoors? Whichever option he chooses, thousands of his supporters, none of them sporting masks, will no doubt stand too close to each other anyway.
Hopefully, COVID-19 will not be a factor in 2024, but think how refreshing it would be if a virtual version of the front porch campaign replaced the traditional election year madness. It’s probably too much to hope for, but whatever happens, there is at least an excellent chance that baby-kissing (which began with Andrew Jackson in 1833) will one day become a distant memory from a bygone era of American politics.
An award-winning novelist and former magazine editor, John Blumenthal’s work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, Playboy, Publishers' Weekly, Salon and Huffington Post. He also co-authored the movie “Blue Streak.”
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