Editorial - Pay attention to convention

The Republican National Convention has come to a close and its Democratic counterpart is well underway. Things are really heating up in the political spectrum as November approaches.

Aren’t they?

As reports circulate from both sides of the aisle, hot-button issues are becoming abundantly clear – what music is best paired with a more liberal cocktail, whether it is sound political strategy to hold a conversation with a chair and the ever-pressing question: Obama or sequins?

While it’s usually beneficial to devote some level of attention to political discourse, conventions can feel like one huge gaffe dressed to party. Reporters seemingly morph into hard-hitting Joan Rivers wannabes, cataloguing every hors d’oeuvre and political misstep with the same level of intrigue afforded to sequestration or the health care mandate.

So why watch?

Because for every "speech" Clint Eastwood makes, Paul Ryan makes one, too. Because the people eating shrimp balls in Charlotte – or sipping champagne in Tampa – are also the ones who might decide the trajectory of our country for the next four years.

That doesn’t mean we, the people, need to analyze every offhand comment or mismatched bowtie the media proffers to us. In fact, being selective in what we choose to take from the conventions may be the best way to approach them. But we need to approach them – because we need to choose.

In the simplest terms: Don’t pay attention to what Ann Romney is wearing, pay attention to what her husband is saying. Invisible Obama is nothing – literally – next to the president.

The conventions mark the end of the formal primary period and signal the start of the horse race. They’re a useful tool for gauging the tone of the general election, and they can serve to elevate or harm the viability of a candidate for the top office. The conventions are important, minus the pomp and circumstance.

So tune in, tune out – but remember to stay tuned.