Joshua Spivak: Political Conventions Are a Bore

Joshua Spivak, in the Chicago Tribune (July 9, 2004):

Every four years Americans are subjected to political conventions, a relentlessly hyped, expensive event paid for partly by public funds. Despite the avalanche of coverage given to these events, the most important story is
missed: While once critical to our political system, the quadrennial conventions are a useless, pointless bore. In fact, they are now the multimillion-dollar vestigial tail of American presidential politics.

Reporters and pundits spin tales of important moments from the conventions that will supposedly shape our nation's future. However, viewers and voters are not fooled. In 2000, even though the major networks devoted much of their nightly coverage to the conventions, only 16.1 million households tuned in on the average night. Expect that figure to drop, and for good reason. Though the parties will do their best to make it look like they are presenting their take on the big issues, the conventions are actually run to make sure absolutely nothing of interest will happen.

It didn't used to be this way. Political conventions once were excitement personified, a place where "one lives a gorgeous year in an hour," according to acerbic commentator H.L. Mencken. The dreams of presidential hopefuls rose and fell in a moment's notice. But those days are long gone.

The last time a convention even went past the first ballot was in 1952. The convention's usefulness breathed its last in 1956, when, in a fairly successful attempt to enliven an otherwise dreary campaign, Adlai Stevenson threw the choice for his vice president to the delegates. Since then, due to the use of primaries and caucuses, the presidential candidates have all been known before the convention, even if some of their opponents did not realize it.

The convention is now used for political theater. While there is a grand tradition of memorable conventions in American history, from William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold speech in 1896 to Hubert Humphrey's 1948 call for the Democrats to "walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights," none of those are really remembered anymore. There is but one overriding convention moment that sticks in the mind today: the Chicago riot in 1968.

Conventions are now run with the prayer that nothing will go wrong on national television, a focus that removes all points of interest from the proceedings....