When I attended presidential nominating conventions in1972 and 1976, I felt they were irrelevant. I still do—unless the Democratic convention turns on President Biden.
This years Republicans meet July 15-18. Democrats Aug. 19-22.
Here’s a look at past conventions, and some highlights that I can recall (or found on the internet.)
1952-As a 10-year-old I was fascinated by the intrigue and ceremony in picking a new president. After watching one of the earliest of such televised gatherings, I even staged my own convention in the backyard. In the playhouse, we opened an “I Like Ike” club complete with banners and stickers. That was until one kid’s mom, a union member, insisted we support Adlai Stevenson. But my dad voted for Dwight Eisenhower, he said, because my 4-year-old sister told him, “He would make a good grandpa.”
1956-The Democratic convention was thrown into upheaval when Stevenson let the delegates pick his running mate (Estes Kefauver). That never happened again.
1960-With crowds cheering, Adlai Stevenson upstaged the eventual Democratic nominee, John F. Kennedy.
1964-As he was forcibly removed from the Republican convention hall, NBC’s John Chancellor declared on live television, “I’ve been kicked out of better places than this!”
1968–At an Army Reserve summer camp, I wanted to watch the chaos at the Democratic convention in Chicago. But everyone else insisted on seeing an Elvis Presley movie on the only television.
1972–I got to go! The Associated Press sent me as one of its editors to both the Democratic and Republican conventions in Miami Beach. George McGovern’s hotel was a wild place with pot smoking, as I recall. When Richard Nixon occupied it for his convention, it was an armed camp. I knew the Democrats were in trouble when disruptions forced McGovern to give his acceptance speech at 3 a.m., not quite prime time. I felt throughout that there was far too much media covering these events.
1976–The Republican convention in Kansas City is seen by historians as the last competitive one. But as an editor there, I recall that Gerald Ford had the nomination pretty well locked up against Ronald Reagan before it started. For the Democratic convention, New York seemed like an odd place to crown an outsider and country boy like Jimmy Carter.
1980-Carter was unable to get his Democratic opponent, Sen. Ted Kennedy, to raise his hand with him to express solidarity after Carter was nominated again. At the GOP event, false rumors swirled that Ford and Reagan would run to be co-presidents.
1984–The first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, was nominated as vice president. Candidate Walter Mondale was criticized for picking the disgraced Bert Lance as his general campaign chairman.
1988–President George H.W.Bush’s pledge of “Read my lips: no new taxes” backfired in his 1992 re-election campaign.
1992–Barbara Bush stole the show with a rousing speech at the Republican convention.
1996–Bill Clinton’s political career was declared doomed after his dreadfully long speech at the Democrats’ convention.
2000-Al Gore planted a passionate kiss on his wife Tipper when accepting the Democratic nomination.
2004-Great speeches by Barack Obama and Arnold Schwarzenegger propelled them into national political fame at each party’s gathering.
2008-Sarah Palin delighted the Republican audience with her folksy humor as the surprise vice presidential pick by John McCain.
2012-Actor Clint Eastwood addressed an empty chair in criticizing Barack Obama’s presidency at the GOP meeting.
2016–Republican delegates repeatedly chanted “Lock her up!” in reference to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
2020-Both conventions were largely virtual, with many recorded segments because of the covid pandemic.
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