Ignoring the Obvious

I have to agree with Jeff Jarvis on this one: sending 15,000 reporters to the political convention(s) is stupid.

I've pretty well been ignoring the convention this week (and expect to do the same for the Republicans next week) for precisely the reasons outlined in Jarvis's article and in many of the comments on his post. I'm old enough to remember when conventions WERE important, a chance to watch the political system in action - warts, smoke-filled rooms and all. Candidates would be chosen - really chosen, not crowned. Politicians would fight over issues, positions, rules, platforms and all the real inner workings of politics.

Not any more - it's all marketing, spin, counter-spin, and the glorious irrelevancies breathlessly repeated and reported by perhaps 14,900 of those 15,000 "journalists." I used to be one of them; I'm relieved to be out of that rat-race.