We are right now in the middle of the most meaningless, overhyped, expensive exercise in political cheerleading in the Western World —The Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
National Conventions are to the US what the Monarch is to New Zealand – Formerly powerful institutions that now exist entirely for show. Once upon a time, Conventions were an intense week of wheeling and dealing as candidates worked over and wooed delegates from all 50 states in the pursuit of the party’s nomination for President. Now they are little more than a televised pep rally.
These were the halls where Johnson (allegedly) blackmailed Kennedy, where Roosevelt tore apart his party. Legacies were made and lost in a single day, with a single vote. It wasn’t always easy – the 1924 Democratic Convention famously took 103 ballots before a nominee was chosen. Powerful men in smoke-filled rooms decided the fate of a nation, and the world.
Since the popularisation of the primary system in the 1970s, the process has become increasingly democratic, and conventions increasingly dull. The winners have already been decided, the votes will be a mere formality.
This year at one point, was proving to be different. While the vast majority of Democratic delegates are bound to the results of their states, a subgroup known as ‘Superdelegates’ can vote for whomever they choose. Early in the process, many in the Sanders camp openly feared that Hillary would attempt to override the will of the voters this way. Ironically, toward the end of the process when a Sanders majority was looking increasingly unlikely, he started using this very same argument to suggest that he could in fact still win.
On the Republican side, several groups of anti-Trump activists planned ways of stopping what they saw as a disastrous nominee. Their foremost goal was to pass a ‘Conscience vote’ rule which freed delegates from states who voted for Trump from casting a vote which they found morally reprehensible. That was eventually quashed in committee the week before the convention, though several groups still attempted to disrupt proceedings in various ways throughout the process.
So don’t expect to see any real changes made. Trump and Clinton are still going to be the nominees. But, even though they are entirely superficial, conventions can still make a difference. Pollsters typically observe a ‘Convention Bump’ in the weeks following, as parties coalesce and get excited about their candidates.
Honestly, the most bizarre thing about Conventions is that people still watch them. All three major networks in the US broadcast them for at least an hour every night, and the ratings are huge. In 2012, the final nights drew in over 30 million viewers. The closest comparison in New Zealand, the Political Party Broadcasts hour, rates so poorly that in 2013 TVNZ put it on against an All Blacks game, when they knew no-one would be watching anyway.
So for you political nerds out there, go chuck on CNN and check it out. You’ll get to see Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Bryan Cranston, Fergie, plus a whole bunch of old white dudes talking about tax policy. What more could you want?