Miami and the Sige of Chicago

"Your seat was very important.
It was also important because the microphones for the delegates were varied in their volme. The Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Ohio and other Humphrey microphones were very clear. The New York, Wisconsin and California microphones were weak in volume." (115)

I was shocked to see exacly how political and fierce a brokered convention could be. Today, presidential nomination convention is merely for show, and shown widely in primetime. In 1968 and i'm sure prior elections, the party "bosses" who set up the structure of the convention obviously placed poor mics in front of NY WI and CA but gave strong mics to powerful Humphrey states. It was a different world in '68, full of turmiol and uncertainty, especially after a higly regarded candidate had been killed. Although the party was utterly chaotic in 1969, part of me wanted to see a brokered convention in 2008. The drama of not knowing a candidate until delagates come to a concensus is incredible and clearly shows a republic in action. It would have also destroyed the democratic party, possibly leaving a silent majority by the wayside.