Why I Wasn't Watching the DNC Until Now

In all honesty, I haven't been watching the Democratic National Convention. I really haven't been following the race as closely as I should have. I'm here right now out of peer pressure if anything.

I recall an episode of Aaron Sorkin's brilliant series, The West Wing, in which Communications Director Toby Ziegler is meeting with the various network heads. They're all meeting with him to tell him they are significantly paring back their coverage to just one hour out of all four days. They would show the candidates speech and the balloons (people like balloons). I'm like those network heads.

While I like to think of myself as an informed person, I could be doing significantly better. I could be reading more front page stories from various periodicals of the day. I could spend more time watching CNN. I could even be watching The Daily Show more often than I do. I'm a mix between those clueless masses and those truly tuned in, many of those who blog along with me here with more care and knowledge about the issues.

But even though I wish I were more informed, I still don't think it would make that big of a difference in relation to the Democratic National Convention. The DNC is a pep rally. It is four days of energizing the base. It's four days of bashing the opponent. It's four days spending money and partying hard. And it's four days in which everyone tries to find a new way to cover the same thing.

The DNC doesn't talk about policy in a way that motivates undecideds. It doesn't speak all that substantively about any issues in general. It's a cavalcade of who's who in the party with the 24 hour networks talking over them. Frankly, I have a short attention span and hearing different faces say the same thing just isn't all that interesting to me.

So yes, I'll read the occasional story online. Yes, I'll go back and watch the YouTube clips of the major speeches. Yes, I'll watch Sens. Obama and Biden make their speeches. Yes, I'll watch the balloons (people like balloons). But I won't hear people say what I've heard all year long. I don't care if I agree with most of what they have to say. When you hear things ad nauseum, you tend to lose a taste for things.

America is action, not rhetoric. America is what happens in November when the people pick the next President of the United States. America is what happens in January when we install that man in office (hopefully with a gigantic music festival which current Opinions Editor Alexander Brown and I call "Obama City Limits" or "Obamella" or "Obamapalooza"). America is that man following through with the promise to make this a better nation. But it's not me wasting more electricity leaving my television on to hear everyone talk so much.