If there were any element of public service in the media's coverage it might be different. But no, this is straight-up corporate welfare.

The whole fucking pre-scripted overmanaged event could be run from a studio in NY or LA, or any other major production facility. This faux image of democracy, of political process, is total bullshit.

I understand the need for the government to support political parties to some degree, since they are crucial to our democracy. But when there are only two parties with any chance to win the election and they are both extremely wealthy...

I think they can support themselves. Use that money to give support to parties that actually need it.

Wait, they've created a 7.4 mile gun free zone around the convention? Aren't these the same fuckers who kept telling us that bringing assault rifles to Obama rallies was a legitimate expression of free speech? That open carrying around the president is a constitutional right that must not be infringed? That carrying semi-automatic weapons to an Obama speech along with a sign saying "it's time to water the tree of liberty" can't be portrayed as a threat against the president? Aren't they also the same ones that say if you want a place to be safe you must make sure everyone is carrying a gun?

Are these the same hypocritical fuckers who are now saying that you can't bring a gun within 7.4 miles of them?

Paul, will you have the thoughts when you get to Charlotte NC, or do you only have these epiphanies when elephants are around?

@4:

Yes. Yes, they are.

@4: I'm pretty sure that it's the Secret Service setting those rules, and not the party bosses.

@5

Again, you are missing the point of the post, which just further reinforces it (the point). That point being that Republicans' brains function in a zombie-like way, repeating ad nauseum their political mantras without ever living up to the ideals they espouse.

Here they are spending millions in tax-payers' dollars (a term I despise, they are not the tax-payers' dollars, they are the government's, tax-payers' dollars are the ones they keep AFTER they've paid taxes); sure Dems will spend tax-dollars, but they won't spend the money to simultaneously argue that the government is evil, taxes are evil, etc.

Republican shills like you reduce any attempt at discourse to infantile "I know you are but what am I?" derailments.

@5 Complaining about gov't money being spent on things is not part of the DNC platform.

Republicans piss and moan about government spending, while pocketing government money every chance they get.

Your willful ignorance astounds.