U.S. presidential nominating convention
A U.S. presidential nominating convention is held every four years in the United States by the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The two major conventions are the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention, though minor parties such as the United States Green Party and Reform Party USA also hold conventions. The delegates cast votes in favor of their preferred candidate from the primary season, who then goes on to the general election.The conventions also produce a political platform, made up of goals and proposals called "planks". This platform is often used as a sop to extremists within the party, who are unhappy with the moderate nature of the candidate himself; for instance, the 1996 Republican platform called for the abolition of the Department of Education.
In previous years, the conventions were often heated affairs, playing a vital role in deciding who would be the nominee. However, in the election of 1968, this system broke down, producing widespread unhappiness with the nominee (Hubert Humphrey) and rioting at the convention, which was held in Chicago. The media images of the event--angry mobs facing down police--would stick in the public's mind, and do great damage to the image of the Democratic party. It was decided that a new, less controversial method of choosing nominees was necessary, and a commission, headed by George McGovern, settled on the primary election. Since then, nearly all delegates to the Democratic convention have been chosen through the primary method (the Republicans followed suit).
Due to this, the convention has lost almost all of its old drama. In the past, people often did not know who would be the nominee until the convention itself, often taking multiple ballots at the convention to determine the final winner. However, in the 2004 election, the Democratic nomination was unofficially "decided" (that is, all major competitors had dropped out) by early March, when the convention was to be held in late August.