A Memory of a Political Convention long ago and far away In the opinion of H. L. Mencken, who didn’t equivocate, “ There is something about a national convention that makes it as fascinating as a revival or a hanging.” I wouldn’t go that far. In my political career, I attended conventions where serious business was done and history was made. The conventions, after all, have a lot to say about the leadership and the direction of the country in the four years after all the balloons have been popped and all the banners have gone into the garbage. There is much about this year’s conventions that is out of the ordinary. But, then, these are not ordinary times. For a long time now, there has been no mystery about the nominees, for President and Vice-President, of both parties. In the absence of suspense, one watches for what the mood of the conventions tell us about each party. With no real drama to absorb my attention, I found myself remembering my first experien