All modern political conventions are stupid. As I've said every time there is one, nothing actually happens in them except a pro forma vote to make the party's "presumptive nominee" the "nominee" months after it was really decided. And this year's conventions-by-Zoom strike me as even less interesting than the usual overproduced vapid exercise in pretend democracy.
But a lot of people seem to have watched night 1 of the DNC-by-Zoom and that strikes me as a good thing. Party excitement is important. If pre-canned speeches inspire people, go ahead and get inspired! Plus, it doesn't hurt that the camera focused on Trump's critics drives Trump bonkers. That also doesn't really matter (he's already pretty bonkers), but I think it is fun to watch him fume.
In addition, there is no way the GOP is going to be able to make a show like that that is watchable to anyone other than their core base. The Trump Republican party doesn't know how to do anything but stir up resentment. They simply lack the ability to appeal to anyone but those who are already in their camp. The post-convention news stories are sure to be contrasts between the optimism and universal values expressed by the Democrats as opposed to the dark paranoia of the Republicans. Those storylines may be silly and detached from what I generally think politics is, but it seems to make a difference in people who pay less attention to policy. Cementing the public's impression that Republicans are a bunch of rich racist paranoid freaks can only help in November. I mean, you can't get any more on-brand than this.
