With less than 90 days left in this long and arduous election season, it has officially become crunch time.  Soon we’ll be knee deep in conventions, nominations, debates, and other customary political milestones.

But, as is everything else in 2020, nothing here is business as usual.  Both the Republican and Democratic national conventions will be neutered this year, with candidates making their acceptance speeches far away from the event floor.

Furthermore, there were concerns among top Democrats that the DNC could harm the party by exposing the massive rift that lies within the organization.  Perhaps that is why Joe Biden’s team is carving up the DNC speaker list.

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“It goes without saying that the party’s two most popular figures,” former President Barack Obama and first last Michelle Obama, will get a big role even with time so limited, Politico writes. Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are in as well. But some Democrats have “grumbled” that if Hillary Clinton is appearing, failed nominees like Al Gore and John Kerry probably should too, per Politico. Others are worried about “spotlighting” Bill Clinton “in the #MeToo era,” Politico continues.

But here is where it gets weird:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) reportedly doesn’t have a slot yet, nor do any of her fellow progressive political newcomers. But the party has reportedly made room for former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who ran against President Trump in 2016. He’ll speak on the same night as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) “in a demonstration of unity,” Politico writes. Democrats are also reportedly on the lookout for veterans and Republicans with national security expertise to speak, though planning is still underway with just 10 days until the convention’s first night.

AOC and her “squad” have come to represent the younger, angrier face of the Democratic Party – many of whom are not thrilled that a centrist like Joe Biden has become the party’s candidate.

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