‘Catastrophe’ in Chicago: Logistical Failures Mar First Day of DNC

Inaccurate schedules, missing seats, and snarling lines undermine DNC kickoff

CHICAGO — Bungled schedules, not enough seats for delegates, and a 75-minute line that even party donors had to wait in to see the lawmakers they helped propel into office on the convention stage. Those are just a handful of the logistical failures that plagued the Democratic National Convention on its first day.

The haphazard planning culminated with the sitting president, Joe Biden, speaking at nearly 11:30 p.m. Eastern—outside the primetime window in which he had been scheduled and after many voters on the East Coast were asleep. That indignity was reflective of a convention that lacks the meticulous attention to basic details seen at prior political conferences.

The view that the Democratic Party fumbled the rollout of its convention is held by many volunteers and delegates in Chicago. One DNC volunteer described the changing schedules and locations as “annoying.”

“We’re not told anything,” the volunteer told the Washington Free Beacon.

A delegate who waited outside the United Center that evening, only to be confronted with a horde of thousands of other attendees, called the line and changing security measures a “catastrophe.” Some would-be attendees simply turned around and walked home, while others waited for upwards of 90 minutes.

At 8 p.m., four hours after the United Center opened its doors, there were still buses full of delegates and other Democratic Party officials outside the arena. A DNC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Inside, delegates were met with a lack of seats. One volunteer informed the head of the California delegation that convention officials did not supply enough seats for their entire delegation.

That lack of courtesy extended to the press, who also lacked enough seating. TikTok influencers, however, were treated to a private riser.

The Standing Committee of Correspondents, a nonpartisan association of journalists who attend political conventions, released a statement that said the group was “concerned that the decision to reduce dedicated and accessible workspace by hundreds compared to prior conventions will hinder journalists’ ability to cover the historic nature of this convention.”

Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, denied any changes to press access and said that reporters have “all of the same stuff that they’ve had in the past.”

The refusal to take responsibility was a theme from Democrats. An unnamed convention official told Axios that “raucous applause” between speakers was responsible for Biden’s late start.

“We are proud of the electric atmosphere in our convention hall,” the individual said.

Nor were the daytime affairs better managed.

The day started off with a frenzy of reporters in the morning puzzled about where to pick up their media credentials, inside the convention’s security perimeter. That perimeter, they soon realized, required credentials to enter.

“This makes no sense,” said one reporter, who said he was told to pick up his credentials at 9:30 a.m., only to later be told the time had changed to 11:00.

The public schedule released by the Democratic National Committee featured the wrong days for a variety of breakout events.

When the Free Beacon showed up for a “disinformation” seminar, the room was mostly empty. A subsequent email showed that the online schedule was wrong and that the seminar was to be held Thursday. Another breakout session on “protecting your online identity” switched rooms just five minutes before the start time, leading to a paltry showing of roughly a dozen individuals.