In addition to our coverage of the convention here on TAPPED the Prospect is running articles from the convention on a daily basis on the main site. So far today we have Harold Meyerson on what the conventions say about the parties:
Anyone who insists there's no difference between our two political parties should be made to attend their conventions. Even the high-dollar wing-dings thrown by the same lobbyists and law firms at both conventions look and feel different depending on whether it's D's or R's who are knocking back the drinks. And when you're actually inside the convention halls, looking down on a sea of delegates, you never have a nanosecond's doubt, no matter what or how much you may have imbibed, about which convention you're at.That's because Democratic conventions are among the most integrated gatherings in America, and Republican conventions, not to put too fine a point on it, are all white. The transition, for people who attend both conventions -- chiefly, journalists -- is always a little jarring, and this year, it will be more jarring than ever, inasmuch as the conventions come back to back, inasmuch as the Democrats will have a black nominee and the Republicans a white one
And Bob Kuttner on whether Democrats will have a drama-free convention:
A random sampling of delegates arriving in Denver suggests that the mood is nervously hopeful. There is broad anxiety about why Obama is not doing better, given the favorable external circumstances. However, the selection of Joe Biden as running mate played even better than expected. The running joke is that the white guy is going to give the black guy some soul, as well as some street-toughness that Obama has lacked.For most delegates, VIPs, and even most of the media, a modern political convention is not about the events on the podium or the formerly smoke-filled rooms where deals are cut. The action is in the hotel bars, the receptions, the dozens of daytime and after-hours events where you can connect with old chums, talk politics, and pursue free food and drink. To the extent that the nominee does his job of keeping secrets and keeping tight control, there is not much hard news to be had, and everybody shares opinions and rumors. The Prospect convention team, six strong, is sharing with The New York Times a fringe hotel far from downtown -- less because we have come up in the world than because the Times is pinching pennies.
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