But the virtual convention is also a reminder that this is an election season unlike any other. The country, the economy and the campaign trail have all been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed almost 170,000 Americans. It has also reshaped daily American life and, in the political world, voting priorities and access to the ballot box. For a community that has long suffered from an inferiority complex, winning the convention over cities like Miami and Houston had served to lift Milwaukee’s civic self-esteem. “It’s the ghost convention now.”Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee lamented the loss of an expected $200 million in economic impact and said there was “huge disappointment” that the event was now virtual.

Source: New York Times August 16, 2020 20:19 UTC