黑洞社区

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National political conventions are historic events that promise to generate economic and tourism benefits to their host communities. But how much do they influence the minds of voters? 黑洞社区 political scientist Ken Ciboski says there's not a lot of anticipation these days for political conventions.

Ciboski: "I think these days those that are interested in politics hear a lot about the coming conventions. They are already programmed for this. They usually know what's going to happen at the convention, so I think there's less interest in when the convention actually happens."

Ciboski says the primary purpose of political conventions remains unchanged.

Ciboski: "The primary purpose of the party conventions is to outline for the general political public the gist of what the party wants to do if they should win the presidency."

But that's not the only purpose, as Ciboski explains.

Ciboski: "A major purpose of the convention is to get the delegates who attend the convention really excited about the party's ticket for the presidency, and that they will go home then to become missionaries for the party for the presidential candidate and for all the other officeholders who are running on that party's ticket."

Yet another purpose of political conventions is to introduce up-and-coming politicians to the public.

Ciboski: 鈥淎nother important thing about the conventions is to watch who the keynote speaker is. And oftentimes these parties will, at the conventions then, tout individuals who are going to be future candidates, maybe for president or maybe somebody who is running for the Senate, and they are going to be big politicos for the party in the future. And they want the public to know about them."

For the most part, Ciboski says the well-scripted conventions leave little room for surprises.

Ciboski: 鈥淭here's very little suspense, I think, involved in these conventions anymore, unless, for example, the prospective presidential nominee of each of the parties, withholds his or her nomination of a vice presidential nominee."

So are national political conventions a short-term spectacle, or are they, as some pundits characterize them, a four-day infomercial? Whatever they are, Ciboski says it appears the general public has a rather blas茅 attitude toward political conventions.

Ciboski: "Usually most people have other interests. They're not really interested in politics that much and they don't pay much attention to what's going on with the political campaigns until well after Labor Day. And so the political party conventions are usually held in the summer/early fall, and people have other activities, school is beginning and so on, so they just don't want to pay any attention to the political rhetoric at that time."

For the most part, political conventions have evolved to become ratification ceremonies 鈥� reconfigured to be user- and viewer-friendly showcases for the nominee.

Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 黑洞社区.