Nets to Conventions: Eh

It's about time. The major television networks will devote even less time than in recent years to this summer's Demoratic and Republican conventions. Most are even ignoring the first two days, when there are due to be some major speakers. They are fobbing off wall-to-wall coverage to the cable news networks, if they want it.

This is a long-overdue move. The conventions ceased being real nominating conventions decades ago. Now, they are just beauty pageants for politicians, launching pads and lifetime achievement awards to the ambitious. It's nothing but free advertising to the two major parties.

I wish the two parties would go back to the old, pre-Seventies days, when the primaries were less important than the convention itself, where the action took place. Now that would be drama worth watching. Unfortunately, it is also too dangerous to the stability of the status quo, which is enriching everyone involved, so it will never happen.

Those of you on the port side of the political ship (ie. the left) who keep hoping for some convention miracle this year to energise things need to stop drinking the Kool-Aid and sober up. It ain't gonna happen. It can't under the present structure.

This is all good for me, as it means The Drew Carey Show, which is burning off its final season of episodes over the summer, won't get pre-empted. I hope. It's not even bad for democracy, as nothing important to the Republic will occur.

A win-win situation.