After 18 hours of speeches by the candidates, testimonials from former presidents and generals, poignant appeals from voters, a cross-country nominating roll call, opera on a White House balcony and fireworks over the Washington Monument, the verdict is in on the national political conventions.
Ratings were down. Polls barely budged. And all of that costly, patriotic pageantry and Hollywood-style production were eclipsed within a day by the next lurch in the relentless news cycle — in this case, protests in Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis.
Political conventions had been on life support for a while. But this year may well be remembered as the end of conventions as we know them. CONT.
Adam Nagourney & Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times