Ten Things I Learned From the Democrat Convention

There's something risky about drawing conclusions from political conventions. The platforms may be approved and the delegates may vote. But the real purpose is for the party to put on a glitzy, heart-wrenching show, with speakers who praise the nominee in tones usually reserved for monarchical coronations and attendees who nod at every word like bobble-heads. When the cameras are on, everyone swims in a unified current. The most shocking part of the Democrats' Villaraigosa fracas wasn't that the delegates booed God's name and land, but that the drumbeat was briefly interrupted.
Commentators always talk about convention speakers throwing out red meat. But it's always more sizzle than anything else. Even this year's Bill Clinton address, lauded as effective by liberals and conservatives, was more notable for its style than its substance. The Democratic National Convention is an opportunity for Democrats to pretend that 40% of the country agrees with each other about everything.
If you're the sort of person who gets inspired by incantations of "Yes we can!" or mildly unsettling UAW signs with red-silhouetted workers punching the air, then the Democrats' grand show probably had deep meaning for you. But for everyone else, it was the usual stage-managed affair; a mawkish romance for an America where individuals work hard to get ahead, and occasionally come together to seize an entire car company and hand it over to a labor union.

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