Dems must now pave way with hope

26 July 2004

So why are you here?

Thanks to you, they've closed our highways, removed our trash cans and shut down the mail. They search us on the subway and tell us we can't drive. We can't work, we can't move, we can't go out to eat. They've even told our kids they can't swim.

Sure, there's been some good. The grass is cut, the plantings in the Public Garden never looked so lovely and - at least in the areas you're likely to travel - the roads are freshly paved. We're one of the oldest cities in the nation, the cradle of the revolution, yet this is our first-ever convention.

It's also likely to be our last. We once thought your presence here would be a big celebration and a financial windfall. Now some say it'll cost us $50 million. And while you may be partying, the rest of us are just hoping for a mercifully quick end. You won't see this mayor, or any future one, plumping for another convention. Voters wouldn't stand for it. Four years from now, good luck finding a city that will.

And for what? The observation is almost trite: Conventions aren't what they used to be. Where once TV viewers would watch proceedings on the edges of their seats, wondering who would get the party's nod, now everything is a foregone conclusion. That's the fault of the primary system. In the sense of injecting more democracy into the process, it's been a fine thing. But it's made conventions into something like the wedding of a couple that's been living together for a few years. There's not a lot of excitement when the honeymoon arrives.

The media have figured this out too. Sure, political junkies can watch everything on CSPAN, but national broadcasters have scaled their coverage down to just one hour a night, meaning the average, more disconnected voter - presumably the ones you need to reach - can easily avoid your grasp.

Numbers bear this out. The ultimate point of the convention, of course, is to give your nominees broad exposure and attract voters. But that legendary bounce - the uptick candidates enjoy following their weeklong lovefest - has diminished, says Harvard Kennedy School professor Thomas Patterson. He cites two reasons. One, fewer voters are truly independent. As we've become more polarized as a nation, the number of true undecideds has dropped to just 10 percent to 15 percent.

In addition, he says, fewer people watch. Back in 1976, 28 percent of all Americans tuned in while the conventions were on; four years ago, only 15 percent did. Even worse, where in 1976 viewers watched an average of 11 hours, in 2000 they watched only two. TV would be happy to give you gavel-to-gavel coverage if people cared. But with the level of interest this low, and since there is no real news value anyway, the networks can't even rationalize it as something they must do in the public interest.

So is the week a waste? An opportunity to eat, drink and bond as Democrats, with little else accomplished?

The answer, it may surprise you, is no. This year, in particular, your convention matters, perhaps more than ever. For there is something you have to do, something we desperately need from the Democratic Party.

We need inspiration.

Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Al Franken have been telling us just how bad George W. Bush is. They've mocked his name, his intelligence, his family, his ethics, his decisions and even his goofy look when asked a question he doesn't anticipate. And a lot of us - a majority, polls say - are persuaded. Most of us don't approve of Bush and we especially don't like the job he is doing.

Despite that, though, not enough of us are planning to vote for the man you intend to nominate. As Patterson observes, a strategy that relies upon us disliking someone is not sufficient to win - or at least, it makes things extraordinarily difficult. And that's the situation in which John Kerry and Democrats now find themselves.

This week, you can change that. Instead of listing Bush's sins, tell us about Kerry's virtues. Instead of railing on about us-vs.- them, show us how you will unite us. Instead of trying to buy us off with goodies, sketch us a vision of what this nation can become.

In short, excite us, thrill us, motivate us. Give us a reason to vote for John Kerry and not just against George Bush.

I know. Inspiration is a tricky thing to manage. Perhaps in this cynical age, it's impossible. I do hope you try, though. It could make us believe again. It could bring you to victory.

Yet if it can't be done, no hard feelings. Whining aside, we really do appreciate your visiting. And at least we got our potholes filled.