Republicans party down in Tampa

Welcome to our RNC delegates who are blogging here this week. Looking forward to their insider accounts of the show in Tampa. And by show I mean, these conventions have long become little more than elaborately staged productions designed to seize free television coverage for the political parties as we enter into the final stretch of the election season. And of course, a great excuse for the many and sundry stakeholders to throw extravagant parties.

And even though the “business” portion of the convention was cancelled through today, the parties must go on. For instance this gala affair held on Sunday sounds like it was quite a rousing success, complete with photo ops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders.

Crowds of reveling Republicans partied to a fantasy theme at their GOP convention host party, where harem belly dancers, live flamingos, Scottish nobles in tartans, Roman soldiers, pirates and clowns on stilts cavorted with the crowd of thousands. [...]

And then there was the menu. GOP faithful dined on paella, chicken and mango salad, whole roast pig with a variety of barbecue sauces, and sandwiches. [...]

Republicans also crowded what seemed like hundreds of open bars pouring rivers of wine, beer, and Bacardi rum drinks in red, white and blue.

That’s just part of the entertainment at this party. After all that, there were the after-parties at the hotels. It seems the Connecticut delegation was having a luau. And to pre-answer my critics, yes, I expect the Democratic convention will be exactly the same. Party politics in the present day is as much, or more, about the parties as it about the politics.

Which also no doubt explains why some 15,000 media correspondents fight to go cover these conventions even though there is little actual news to report. The linked article tells me the media got a private room and much better food at that big party. Willing to bet they also got a better selection of free booze.