Tech difficulties disrupt former V-P Joe Biden's virtual town hall
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Former vice-president Joe Biden speaking to supporters by video on Friday night in what his campaign called a "virtual town hall with Illinois", instead of an originally scheduled event in Chicago.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WASHINGTON • For former vice-president Joe Biden, campaigning these days means virtual fund-raisers as field offices are shuttered.
He turned to the Internet to rally support by live-stream, but he discovered last Friday evening that it is a tactic vulnerable to severe technological difficulties.
As the sound cut in and out and the audio often came out garbled, Mr Biden sought to host what his campaign had called a "virtual town hall with Illinois", in which he spoke to supporters and voters via video in place of an originally scheduled Chicago get-out-the-vote event - or at least, that was the goal.
"I'm sorry this has been such a disjointed effort here because of the connections," Mr Biden said as he wrapped up his final answer, to a question about whether he supports the Endangered Species Act.
He does, he said. "Oh, I love you," the questioner replied.
Mr Biden added: "There's a lot more to say, but I've probably said too much to you."
As the nation confronts the coronavirus crisis, the presidential candidates are facing a new challenge to their pursuit of the Democratic nomination: How to connect with voters during the height of the presidential primary campaign - from a safe distance.
Both Mr Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, his chief rival in the primaries, have had to pull back from large-scale events last week and allow their staff members to work from home.
In an internal memo, Mr Biden's senior leadership on Thursday announced a series of other measures, including closing all campaign offices and campaign headquarters to the public, turning fund-raisers into virtual fund-raisers - "indefinitely" - and relying on "smaller events, like roundtables, house parties and press statements, as well as virtual events, like tomorrow's virtual town hall".
The limits of such an approach were on vivid display by Friday night.
Yet, behind the technological challenges was evidence of the anxiety Americans are feeling about the virus - and ways that the outbreak has overtaken the 2020 contest.
According to prepared remarks circulated by the campaign, Mr Biden began the town hall event by discussing the virus, detailing his vision for fighting it and praising the deal reached between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House on a coronavirus relief package.
NYTIMES
