Campaign finance doesn't lend itself to television scrutiny. Compare the reemergence of the Yellow Peril in our lives to the white-bread quality of television coverage of the conventions. The networks were offended by the effrontery of the Republican and Democratic parties each deciding to control what Americans saw coming out of San Diego and Chicago on their television screens. One network luminary decided that his valuable time was being wasted in San Diego because there was, according to him, no story. The Republican Party decided it would not self-destruct on television in San Diego as it had four years earlier in Houston.
Television likes to pride itself on bringing reality to television viewers.
That is why I think there was so much emphasis on political advertising this year. The campaigns didn't trust television networks or local stations to get their messages across. Dear hearts, that is what American politics has always been about. So don't do very much at all. Now that is a story.