Maybe Tweety is right

[Bok_Tukalo]

Maybe the Conventions are mere theater. A slick, cynical manipulation designed to woo those 10% whom we entrust to decide what our nation is and what we will be for awhile.

It is such a dichotomy. Pointless deception and historical, immediate truth. I really hope Kerry has something to say because I know Bush has nothing.

[LiviaOlivia]

1. How old are you?

It's been this way for years. Does anyone read history anymore?

[eleny]

2. Did he really say "mere theatre"?

Last I saw him comment, he said he lived for the conventions and election season. :shrug:

[Taylor Mason Powell]

3. Conventions always have been mere theater!

And always will be. We should avoid bestowing more importance upon them than they merit. I mean, they're fun and all, I guess... I enjoy the ocassional speeches, the pageantry... but mostly both Dem and Repug conventions are total yawners.

[bluestateguy]

4. I miss the old days of conventions

Smoke filled rooms, fistfights on the convention floor, multiple ballots to choose a nominee, floor fights over credentials and real deliberative politics going on.

[Champion Jack]

5. I'd like to see someone, anyone put their fist in Tweety's face

Hard.
Do some damage.

[Warpy]

6. Consider the way the election has been reported so far

Every night on the news some blowdried bobblehead yaps about how close a horse race it is, or where the candidates are. Neither guy speaks for himself (a good thing, in Idiot's case) and issues that differ between the two are never, ever mentioned.

Congressional matches aren't mentioned at all on our local news, and I don't think this city is unique. No wonder people vote for incumbents. The news jerks never tell them who the other guy is.

The conventions are the only place we hear the candidates tell us who they are and what they want to do once they're in office. It's also where the party platform, what the party stands for and will work for, is hammered out.

In this way, conventions are very important. Yes, a lot of it is theater. It's also the best chance you'll have of learning anything about either candidate or either party, since our televised news is so incredibly piss poor.