Conventions?

THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION WILL NOW TAKE PLACE DURING THE WEEK OF AUGUST 17.  ALL OTHER DETAILS (LENGTH OF CONVENTION, FORMAT) ARE IN FLUX.

Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post:

Let’s face it: Networks have been cutting back on four-day presidential party conventions for a few cycles. The most diligent voters probably catch only an hour or two total of the entire proceedings. Since the primary era, conventions have become more akin to the electoral college: a formality following the real voting. To the extent they are used to try to boost appeal in a particular swing state, there is little evidence the tactic works. (The late Sen. John McCain did not win Minnesota in 2008 despite holding his convention there; neither did putting the 2016 convention in Philadelphia help Hillary Clinton win Pennsylvania.) When covid-19 came around, naturally people began to wonder if the massive gathering has outlived its usefulness.

Former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, opined in an MSNBC interview on Tuesday that while we have had conventions in wartime, “the fact is it may have to be different.” Indeed, the delegate announcements (”The home of country music and Davy Crockett casts its 64 delegates for . . .”) can be prerecorded for those who like the tradition, the party platform can be hammered out via email, and the presidential and vice presidential nominees can give their speeches from home. Those glossy biographical videos can still be shot and played. (Bill Clinton’s “The Man from Hope” in 1992 and George W. Bush’s in 2004, “The Pitch,” were two of the best.)