Democratic Platform
Dean Esmay notes that the 2004 Democratic platform is now available online and marvels about how much the Internet has revolutionized citizen access to such information.
True enough. One wonders if anyone will read it, though. These things are virtually meaningless, since they represent a consensus of the party activists and no candidate, including the presidential nominee, is in any way bound by it.
The early release of the platform, while minor, is also another step in rendering the national conventions trivial. It has been years since they have been a factor in nominating presidential candidates but there was always a bit of drama in the vice presidential announcement and it was where the platform was hammered out. Now, even those things are done before the conventions. It’s no wonder that the networks have stopped covering them.
It’s no wonder that the networks have stopped covering them.
Which will only increase the advantage of incumbency.
(revising and extending my remarks…)
With only an hour per night then one night of coverage, I’m already wondering what kind of “convention bounce” Kerry will get.
In fact, the convention will be a gamble for Kerry. If he does not get a big bounce the dems and the media may call him dead.
Remember the “Dem panic mode” of a few months ago? The Veep selection gave him no bounce when everyone predicted it would. If Kerry does not get a big bounce, look for the panic mode to return.