Do conventions still matter?

by: Matt

Mon Aug 06, 2012 at 00:28:07 AM EDT

Politico takes a long look:

It’s become a quadrennial dilemma for Democrats and Republicans alike: How do you make a national political convention meaningful when all the events are pre-programmed; the presidential nominee has already been chosen; and most of the proceedings aren’t even broadcast on television?
...
Perhaps, but Democrats have recognized since they began planning the convention that there’s something dated about the format. These events may help the parties define themselves in the eyes of the public, but the days when Democrats or Republicans would brawl on the convention floor over what the party believes in, officially, are mostly over.
...
“The fact that it’s a three-day convention instead of a four-day convention is a harbinger of things to come,” said Deb Kozikowski, a national committeewoman from Massachusetts.

But that's all they wrote about the future. We'll have conventions as long as there is no incumbent running, as the convention decisions are made long before the primaries. But the next time a President runs for re-election, could be the first time in close to 200 years (if its the DNC) that a major party does not have a full convention.