Chicago's DNC retooled to capture jolt Kamala Harris has injected into presidential race

WASHINGTON — The program for Chicago's Democratic National Convention is being retooled in the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, with the first details emerging Wednesday about a new plan aimed at harnessing the energy jolt Harris has injected in the race.

The revamp of the convention, which kicks off Aug. 19, includes moving away from a very heavy use of pre-taped pieces, which had been in the works while Biden was the nominee, to doing more of the convention live.

That’s because the energized crowds Harris is drawing guarantees that the vibe at the United Center will visually translate to voters watching the prime-time “show.”

A Democratic strategist plugged into convention planning told me, “Showing the on-the-ground energy and enthusiasm for Harris is the top objective of the convention.”

A source told the Chicago Sun-Times that Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who had been advising the Biden campaign, is staying in the saddle to help shape the convention and make the Biden handoff to Harris seamless.

I’m told second gentleman Doug Emhoff is already working on the prime-time speech he will deliver, with the intent to throw a spotlight on the first man to be the spouse of a vice president — and who may be the nation's first gentleman.

As forecast in my Tuesday column, convention officials have now confirmed that former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will be part of the convention. The nights they speak — and whether they go on different days — has yet to be locked in.

Roles for the 2016 Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and former first lady Michelle Obama at the convention are still in the works.

Monday night, Aug. 19

Biden will be the showcased speaker, delivering the opening remarks with the revamped prime-time programming to turn into a Biden tribute and recognition of his legacy. This is the biggest change and first reported by CNN. Sources told the Sun- Times details about honoring Biden are still being finalized. Until Biden dropped out on July 21, he was going to cap the convention on the last night with his acceptance speech.

Also in the works — and like everything else, this can change — a salute to host city Chicago is on the drawing board. Also in line for speaking slots are Gov. J.B. Pritzker (who of course would speak if he was tapped to be vice president); Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin.

Tuesday, Aug. 20

  A highlight will be the ceremonial roll call. Harris will arrive at the convention in Chicago already nominated in order to insure she is on the ballot in Ohio and some other GOP-run states.

Delegates start virtually voting for Harris this Thursday, with balloting open until Monday. She will be the only name on the ballot, since no one else qualified by the Tuesday deadline.

Harris is expected to name her running mate in the coming days. That person would not need a separate roll call to become part of the ticket under convention rules. The Harris campaign announced that her VP pick will appear with her Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Wednesday, Aug. 21

The highlight is the vice presidential nominee’s acceptance speech.

Thursday, Aug. 22

Harris delivers her acceptance speech.

Each day, the convention will kick off with delegation meetings at the eight hotels in downtown Chicago where all the delegates will be housed. From there, there will be press briefings and meetings of Democratic groups in McCormick Place. The action will shift to the United Center in the early afternoon, with the main speakers to be scheduled for prime time.

Matt Hill, a spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee, said in a statement that the "convention is our opportunity to tell our story directly to the American people, rally behind the Democratic nominees, and grow our broad and diverse coalition to defeat Donald Trump.

“We look forward to sharing more soon about our convention in Chicago where Democrats will offer a forward-looking vision for our country that stands in stark contrast to the extremism from Donald Trump's convention that would take America backwards."

The Democratic strategist told me that another switch is that with Harris leading the ticket, “a lot more of the celebrity stars and talents are now interested in participating in a way that was not so when Biden was at the top of the ticket.”

The aim is to create a high energy for four days and snare a massive viewing audience, the strategist said. “People are going to tune in much more than in recent conventions because of the newness of the the Harris candidacy.”