And what calamari tells us about that question.
 | By John Guida Politics Editor, Opinion |
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I focus on our political coverage so, for me, this week has been all Democratic National Convention, all the time. |
On Night 2, Democrats had their first big breakout star of the all-virtual party convention: the “calamari comeback state of Rhode Island.” |
The moment was also one answer, in the negative, to a question that has been asked a lot this week: Do we really even need party conventions? |
Before our modern primary system (essentially an innovation of the 1970s), real things happened at conventions; now they are largely ceremonial events — or, less generously, “infomercials,” as two writers in our daily commentary on the convention put it. |
Yet many of our writers argued that the conventions can be valuable for the parties and for citizens engaged in the political process. The roll-call vote was a good example, provoking stirring, delighted commentary. |
Jamelle Bouie wrote, “I found it genuinely moving to see Americans of all colors and backgrounds speak to that pride and to their faith in this country.” |
It “looked outward at America,” Michelle Cottle wrote, while Héctor Tobar admired the nation’s “great landscapes.” |
The activities and speeches have also articulated what it means to be a Democrat — particularly during the Trump years. |
Frank Bruni called Michelle Obama’s speech “salvation.” She distilled, for him, what’s wrong with President Trump: “He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us.” |
The convention has also highlighted the contributions of ordinary people and activists. To beat Trump, Chuck Rocha wrote this week, Democrats will need to galvanize a diverse coalition — in particular, he stressed Latinos and pointed out a “culture of activism” in Arizona and beyond. |
Adam Jentleson, a deputy chief of staff for former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, warned Democrats to be ready for challenges beyond Election Day. Even with a Joe Biden victory, he wrote, the party will “still be confronted with a radical Republican Party.” |
So perhaps there is value in political conventions, even virtual ones. The “infomercial” may be “over-produced, stilted and ought to have been boring,” as Will Wilkinson put it, “but it wasn’t. It was soothing, hopeful and sentimental in a good way.” |
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