All the theatrics, and a ‘killer speech,’ too

Las Vegas Sun - It was a dramatic story with compelling characters who read great dialogue and snapped out their lines on gorgeous sets.

That’s Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University scholar of the history of television, describing last week’s Democratic National Convention.

And Thompson isn’t joking. In the modern era, political conventions must be judged on whether they make for good television, and by most accounts, the Democrats set a new standard last week, using imagery, music and words to great effect.

“Any old vaudevillian would applaud the production,” Thompson said.

First, the scripted story line: The Democrats’ long campaign, as well as the inscrutable personalities of Bill and Hillary Clinton, created dramatic tension, as the pundits wondered whether they would give full-throated endorsements to Sen. Barack Obama….

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