Asian Window

In The Indian Express, journalist, author and academic Amitava Kumar reports from the Democratic National Convention, Denver:

And today, in the afternoon, when the roll call started inside Pepsi Center, the tension was palpable. It dissipated amidst cheers when the delegates from Arkansas, in a spirit of unity, cast all their Clinton votes in favour of Obama. Later, New Mexico yielded their votes to Illinois, and Illinois yielded, in turn, to the state of New York. And amidst the mystery of this procedure, Hillary Clinton appeared, electrifying the crowd. Or perhaps more than her, it was her act, asserting unity, soothing fears and jangled nerves.

Any event that catches the imagination of the audience is as welcome as a drink during a dry month. But such moments are rare. The floor of the convention is always chaotic, full of people talking to each other or posing for pictures.

The speakers that the viewers at home see on their television are usually addressing only the camera. The viewer at home is saved from the tedium of dead speeches and a circus of self-commemoration – a delegate having a photograph taken with a celebrity like Charles Barkley, or dancing in the aisle with an outrageous hat on the head till the cameraman from NBC looks her way.

But why do I mock? Maybe this is the essence of democracy: every person’s shot at fame comes from the fair opportunity to appear on television.

More:

Click here for his earlier report: Keep going, Hillary said. To the nominee or to her loyal cadre?

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