Tensions mount as Democratic Convention draws near

The Olympiad is not the only big game that rolls around every four summers. As August draws to a close, America’s two major political parties prepare to host their annual conventions, during which presidential candidates Senator John McCain (Rep.) and Senator Barack Obama (Dem.) will formally accept their party’s nomination. One might expect such an affair to be an instant ratings hit.Not so, according to The Boston Globe’s Rick Klein, who reported on the Democrats’ attempts to improve sagging ratings for their 2004 convention. One of the chief reasons behind low viewership for both parties’ conventions is the modern primary system, which secures the nominee months in advance, thus killing all suspense. “I’m not sure anymore that we really make news, because you know who the nominee’s going to be,” explained Ricky Kishner, who produced the Democrat’s convention in 2004. However, this year’s Democratic National Convention has generated controversy because Senator Hillary Clinton will be nominated along with Obama. The move came after weeks of reportedly terse negotiations between representatives of the Obama and Clinton camps. A symbolic gesture, it will placate Clinton’s 18 million supporters who want both the party and Obama to recognize their candidate and their support for her. “I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton’s historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” said Obama in a joint statement with Clinton. Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer believes the gesture indicates a wide chasm within the party which the Obama campaign is desperate to cover up.”On the part of Obama, [this is] a surrender of Georgian proportions,” said Krauthammer, comparing the political deal to Russia’s recent invasion of Georgia. “Hillary has her tanks there in Denver and can refuse to withdraw until peacekeepers arrive. The way you read that, there was a phrase in a joint statement that implies that it was Obama’s idea to have a roll call. Now, that is slightly humiliating because it was obviously Clinton’s idea…It is a convention split in half.”The announcement of the roll call comes after weeks of political grapevine chatter over whether or not the Clintons sincerely support Sen. Obama. Former President Bill Clinton raised suspicions when he was asked by ABC News whether he believed Barack Obama is qualified to be the president.”You can argue no one is ready to be president,” said Clinton. The media responded with headlines like “Bill Clinton, given golden opportunity, fails to endorse Barack Obama.”Days after the comment, the Obama campaign offered Bill Clinton a prime-time speaking spot, right before Obama’s Vice Presidential candidate. While Bill Clinton will give his address on Aug. 27, Hillary Clinton is set to headline on Aug. 26. Aside from the Obama/Clinton friction, there is discussion over who will not attend the convention.For the first time in over twenty years, Rev. Jesse Jackson will most likely not speak at this year’s convention. Earlier this summer, Fox News caught Jackson, who ran for president in 1984 and 1988, on a “hot mike” saying he’d like to castrate Obama, whom he felt was “talking down to black people.”Obama and his supporters haven’t officially uninvited Jackson; however, they have released a statement regarding legally-embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The campaign’s Michigan spokesperson said Kilpatrick, who faces eight felony charges in a perjury case and two felony charges for assault, would be a “distraction.” Even if he were allowed to attend, Kilpatrick has been ordered by a judge to wear a monitoring device around his ankle and cannot travel outside the Detroit Metropolitan area. Meanwhile, Bill Kristol of the conservative Weekly Standard reported this week that former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a long-time Republican, is expected to endorse Obama.”He may well give a speech at the Democratic convention explaining his endorsement of Obama,” Kristol informed Fox News. Once touted by conservatives as the first possible black president, Powell quickly refuted Kristol’s claims. “I do not have time to waste on Bill Kristol’s musings,” said Powell. “I am not going to the convention. I have made this clear.”The Democratic convention begins Aug. 25. The major networks are expected to cover at least one hour a night while the twenty-four-seven cable channels should provide days’ worth of coverage and analysis.