The New Republic

Except, good sir, that we already have exactly this sort of discussion in TV news coverage. When Democrats make "coded" concessions to interest groups, they are roundly derided for pandering to minorities and special interests in the national TV media. When Republicans do the same, they are roundly credited with courting "values" voters. I would submit that adding a more concentrated draft of this poison to the convention coverage would not, on the whole, improve the campaign.

My pet improve-the-conventions proposal is for an audacious presidential candidate to open the VP nomination to the convention, so "the American people can have just as much a voice in choosing the vice president as they do choosing the president." It would take careful stage management -- the presidential nominee would have to have party leaders lined up in advance behind a slate of acceptable VP candidates so as to exclude the damaging ones. And I really, really don't want any Democrat to do any such thing while Hillary Clinton is still alive. But I thought George W. Bush could have turned 2004 into a landslide had he pulled such a stunt to replace Cheney, and I think such a stunt is McCain's best chance to get TV audiences invested in his party's convention.

- rhubarbs

August 18, 2008 at 1:53pm

"Immediately afterward, the networks would feature panels of experts discussing the basis, significance, and feasibility of its principal proposals."

What networks have you been watching for the past several years, and what on Earth makes you think they'd do such a thing?

- AlanSP

August 18, 2008 at 7:05pm