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:: MAX BLACK ::

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." --C.S. Lewis

"The Swiss pocket knife of conservative thought on the web..." - Eli Kardrakian

"Bookmark Max and dump your subscription to the newspaper; if you don't have a birdcage you really don't need it anyway..." - Shirley St. James

:: Monday, July 26, 2004 ::

Reinventing the Convention

Jeff Jarvis has some compelling insights, a manifesto actually, regarding the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Although it's true the contemporary conventions bear little resemblance to those of the past, they still serve the purpose of pulling together the party faithful for a massive pep-rally prior to the impending Presidential election. Although this 'sanitized' version is devoid of the 'smoke-filled' rooms and brokered deals that veteran journalists crave, the new conventions are simply a great excuse for the party to party. To this extent, the political conventions aren't unlike, say, Toyota's national dealership convention--complete with motivational speakers and elaborate power-point presentations proclaiming the virtues of it's latest product. The difference, of course, being that Toyota at least has a new product.

Are the conventions newsworthy? Probably only to the attendees, big-time journalists and micro-pundits like me who consider the American political process high sport. Will it change anytime soon? Probably not. With the exception of their votes, the last thing either the controlling forces of the Republicans or Democratic party want is meaningful 'people' participation--it's way too unpredictable (God forbid either party would end up with a living, breathing, human candidate--a populists like, say, Howard Dean or John McCain).

:: Max 2:25 PM [+] ::
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