Political Conventions

[Idnar7]

Remember back when the conventions were actually to select the party's ticket? Earliest I can remember was 1960. If my memory is correct, Kennedy and LBJ were both presidential candidates. The convention selected Kennedy as the presidential candidate and LBJ as vice president. The convention also set the platform of the party. What are conventions for now? How have they evolved? When did they stop selecting the candidates at the convention? Are conventions still needed? Let's discuss conventions in general, not party or candidate (non political).

 

[MichaelB]

Conventions are partisan political events. Not sure you can discuss one without including the other, and we know that will not end well.

 

[Alan]

Conventions are partisan political events. Not sure you can discuss one without including the other, and we know that will not end well.

+1

 

[REWahoo]

I hear the sound of approaching pigs feet...

 

[Alan]

I hear the sound of approaching pigs feet...

Trotting up the Convention Hall steps....

 

[rescueme]

In today's world, any political convention has passed the way of selling "buggy whips", IMHO.

If you don't know the canidates and what their views and party platform is, you don't read the news - being print or the internet (I leave TV out, since they have their own axe to grind). I don't need silly hats and waving signs to tell me how I will vote. That was done way before the next tweeks (the RNC/DNC conventions).

It's a time (regardless of party) to just have a good time, IMHO.

Some "important things" just die hard.

 

[pb4uski]

Have a good time and gin up the base (both literally and figuratively I guess).

I'm not sure that I can remember the last convention of either party where the nominee was not known going into the convention, but I'm sure that it has been a long time.

 

[easysurfer]

What are conventions for now?

Nowadays...Conventions to the candidates are like the superbowl ads and superbowl coverage to the superbowl.

 

[eytonxav]

What are conventions for now?

.

For the media: to dissect and put there on spin on it

 

[Midpack]

Very timely topic, but not here...

 

[mickeyd]

Will the 2016 conventions be totally online?

 

[samclem]

They provide free airtime for politicians to make speeches and be heard in a venue that will broadcast nationwide. That's valuable stuff, and the political parties are not about to turn it down.
They also provide a platform to spotlight "up-and-comers" who the parties believe will be leaders in the future. Very few folks outside of Illinois had heard of Barrack Obama before he gave a speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, and that speech did more than anything else to bring him to national attention. The RNC will likely use their convention this year to similarly put both Chris Christie and Marco Rubio in front of a national audience. Sure, you could go online and pull up a speech from either of these guys, but it wouldn't necessarily be "the" speech they'd choose to give to make their case.

 

[Purron]

The only thing I enjoy about conventions is the coverage by comedians and political satirists.

 

[travelover]

I think that the convention is also a time to make peace within the warring factions in each party. A party platform is put together with ideas many don't agree with, then promptly flushed after the election.

 

[Alan]

We think this thread is going nowhere except politics not related to FIRE.

Queen - 'Another One Bites the Dust' - YouTube