RE: Vote Black buttons at the DNC? Are you kidding me?
(09-05-2012 06:27 PM)maximus Wrote: Looks like a circus.
In the old days, ALL conventions looked like a circus. That was considered part of the appeal. The idea of a tightly controlled, scripted coronation-ceremony started with LBJ's convention in Atlantic City in 1964 and it's gotten worse (in both parties) ever since. The last one that really "decided" anything was the GOP in 1976 where Reagan and Ford were going at it. Wasn't until the third day (out of four) that people even knew that Ford has won the nomination.
(This post was last modified: 09-05-2012 06:36 PM by Native Georgian.)
RE: Vote Black buttons at the DNC? Are you kidding me?
(09-05-2012 06:35 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:
(09-05-2012 06:27 PM)maximus Wrote: Looks like a circus.
In the old days, ALL conventions looked like a circus. That was considered part of the appeal. The idea of a tightly controlled, scripted coronation-ceremony started with LBJ's convention in Atlantic City in 1964 and it's gotten worse (in both parties) ever since. The last one that really "decided" anything was the GOP in 1976 where Reagan and Ford were going at it. Wasn't until the third day (out of four) that people even knew that Ford has won the nomination.
Blame the Chicago Democratic convention.. that's what started the "controlled" situation.
RE: Vote Black buttons at the DNC? Are you kidding me?
(09-05-2012 11:07 PM)DaSaintFan Wrote:
(09-05-2012 06:35 PM)Native Georgian Wrote: In the old days, ALL conventions looked like a circus. That was considered part of the appeal. The idea of a tightly controlled, scripted coronation-ceremony started with LBJ's convention in Atlantic City in 1964 and it's gotten worse (in both parties) ever since.
Blame the Chicago Democratic convention.. that's what started the "controlled" situation.
Chicago '68 definitely had a lot to do with it. But even 4 years earlier, Lyndon Johnson was terrified that a spontaneous demonstration might cause the delegates to waver, and give the VP nomination to his bitter and hated enemy, Robert Kennedy. So LBJ went to great lengths to make sure that RFK's speaking slot was scheduled after Humphrey's nomination was formally sealed. LBJ also took a lot of time dealing with the Mississippi situation. The official delegation was all-white, but a protest group showed up uninvited and demanded to be recognized as either the "true" Miss. delegation, or else as an "alternate" delegation. We know today, from Johnson's secret tape-recordings, that he was furious at the protesters, but publicly he kept mum. Both of these things (RFK and Miss.) would have been knock-down, drag-out political brawls in the pre-1964 era. Ever since, the bosses have tried to keep the proceedings scripted to a fare-thee-well (the GOP started doing so in 1968; Dems didn't really get the hang of it until 1976). Which is the main reason why the TV networks have cut down on the coverage: almost nothing interesting ever happens at conventions anymore. The little flare-up yesterday with Villaraigosa and the imaginary "2/3 majority" () was a brief reminder of how things used to be.
(This post was last modified: 09-06-2012 10:25 AM by Native Georgian.)
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Vote Black buttons at the DNC? Are you kidding me?
) was a brief reminder of how things used to be.
