Posted by
Andrews on Thursday, August 28, 2008 12:48:48 PM
I really have no idea why reporters pay so much attention to the convention of either party. Has anything unexpected happened at any convention in recent memory? With the parties both dedicated to eliminating any sort of brokered convention, and committed to never repeating the spectacle of 1968, the conventions have become stage managed affairs devoid of any surprises. The Catholic mass is more spontaneous than modern conventions.
Nor does the convention really reveal anything new. We all know well in advance what the party platform will be, who will speak, even what they will say. There is simply nothing unexpected at any convention. The only point of any interest at any convention is to find out who is speaking, to learn who is the new up and comer in the party, as well as discover who is in and who is out with the party elite, but we know that well in advance. By the time of the convention there is simply nothing left to learn.
Then again, perhaps I am not the target audience. I am a political junkie, but I am not one for spectacle and formality. So perhaps there is an appeal here I am missing, but if there is no one has let me in on the secret yet. To me it all appears to be one very long, and particularly anemic campaign commercial, and that just doesn't hold much appeal for me.