Are national political conventions still necessary?

[Randi]

This is not meant to be a debate, just wondering what others may think about the subject.
Living in MA, I am hearing so much about the DNC to be held in Boston. So many people will be affected, in so many ways. And security is an issue. I am sure NYC is going through the same thing. Yet, the candidate is already chosen, so voting will be more of a formality. The platform is also pretty much set prior to the convention. I just wonder if perhaps the time has come in this day of instant communication, to do away with the conventions.
Any thoughts on the subject?

 

[CEDmom]

I've often wondered why they couldn't hold the conventions on a college campus somewhere rather than in the middle on a city. No matter where it is it will be big news so that's not the issue. We have both Rutgers and Princeton Universities w/i 10 miles of here plus an abundance of hotels along with the North East corridor rail line and major airports. Either would be a much better location that NYC or Boston.

 

[jennyanydots]

But technically the candidate is NOT chosen until the convention. If you voted in the NY primary, for example, you didn't vote for John Kerry, you voted for delegates pledged to vote for Kerry at the convention.

This year it doens't seem to make a differnece, as the delegates pledged to Kerry are the overwhelming majority. but if you follow the roll call vote, you'll see that any delegates pledged to Lieberman, Clark, Dean ro Edwards will vote for their candidate on the first ballot.

You're willing to classify the convention as a mere formality?

But 4 years ago people thought the electoral college was a mere formality. until the election became so tight that every delegate's vote counted.

 

[lux]

Well, I think the conventions will stay. Even with the security concerns, it brings lots of $$$ to Boston and NYC. Tons of media coverage. Cincinnati has been trying to get the Republican one for a long time.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

I would love to see them do away with it. The money argument is ridiculous. Businesses and employees are going to lose so much money because of the huge disruption this is causing that the money will never be made up.

 

[floridaminnie]

Read an interessting article on this last month from my former Economics department and how Boston is losing money over having the Democratic convention in Boston. Not only with security, but there were several events that were already in the works that had to be canceled that were going to make Boston money. The hotels would have already been filled either way. I'll look for the article to post of ya'll want me to. This was something they repeated to us over and over again.