I agree with Mr. Norman's suggestion that political conventions be scrapped as they are anachronistic, though I also realize that the GOP convention was booked at the Garden before security concerns became paramount.
But I must also dispute one small detail of his thesis, viz., that 1952 was the last suspenseful year for any convention. In 1968 in Miami Beach, there was a last-minute attempt from the floor to draft then-Governor Reagan as the GOP presidential candidate, as the Governor himself had weeks earlier indicated his willingness to cooperate with such a proposal. The attempt failed and Mr. Nixon was nominated, as expected, but there was some drama.
In 1980, more Reagan drama loomed over the convention in Detroit as to who would be the vice presidential candidate. Until June, various names had been circulated, with little idea of who would prevail, until Bush's name gradually became central. But while at the convention, it was revealed that former President Ford had been to Reagan's hotel room to discuss the possibility of Ford serving as running mate. This caused extraodinary excitement on the night of 9 July, as this, if it had come to pass, would have been the first instance of a former President running for the Vice Presidency. It was even informally termed a "co-presidency," with Ford serving as a foreign policy maker. In the end it did not come to pass, but it was high drama for several hours into the night, ending with Reagan himself breaking with tradition and appearing at the convention hall with Bush that same night, rather than the following evening.
Sorry for the history lesson, but I could not resist reliving those moments. However, even the latter incident was nearly a quarter-century ago, so I must concur with Mr. Norman's consignment of the political convention to the ash heap of history. Sadly, many of our adversaries feel the same about Amtrak.
