What Is a Political Convention?

The 21st-century political convention is an ongoing anachronism, a smokeless smoke-filled room in technological drag. (Hell, in 2020, amid the pandemic, we proved we could have conventions at which nobody convened.) Spectacle seemed to overwhelm the original purpose until 2016, when an exception to this rule proved it at the GOP convention in Cleveland. The surface atmosphere was bizarre and brutal. The crowd jostled Ted Cruz’s wife. Rudy Giuliani went bananas from the podium. And the nominee delivered an acceptance speech that found its culmination in one line: “I alone can fix it.” But seen from the vantage point of 2024, the most important event of the convention occurred long before the lights came on in the arena. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The Second Coming of the Political Convention]( [The Second Coming of the Political Convention]( The 21st-century political convention is an ongoing anachronism, a smokeless smoke-filled room in technological drag. (Hell, in 2020, amid the pandemic, we proved we could have conventions at which nobody convened.) Spectacle seemed to overwhelm the original purpose until 2016, when an exception to this rule proved it at the GOP convention in Cleveland. The surface atmosphere was bizarre and brutal. The crowd jostled Ted Cruz’s wife. Rudy Giuliani went bananas from the podium. And the nominee delivered an acceptance speech that found its culmination in one line: “I alone can fix it.” But seen from the vantage point of 2024, the most important event of the convention occurred long before the lights came on in the arena. [Read More](   [The 10 Best Skincare Brands for Men]( [The 10 Best Skincare Brands for Men]( Feeling overwhelmed? Turn to one of these top options to improve your skin without smoke and mirrors. [Read More]( [The New Arc'teryx 'Walk Gently' Collection Is a Celebration of Indigenous Community]( [The New Arc'teryx 'Walk Gently' Collection Is a Celebration of Indigenous Community]( Cole Sparrow-Crawford, the young designer behind the new collaboration, explains how he created something "that pays homage to my people." [Read More](     [Yes, Carmy Berzatto Is a Ralph Lauren Guy]( [Yes, Carmy Berzatto Is a Ralph Lauren Guy]( Naturally, with the third season of The Bear comes new menswear grails that we see on Carmy Berzatto and immediately take to the Internet to find. I mean, the guy might need some work in the areas of communication and coming to terms with some serious generational trauma, but if he’s got one thing down pat, it’s his style. [Read More](   [The 72 Best Pre-Prime Day Home Deals to Level Up Your Space]( [The 72 Best Pre-Prime Day Home Deals to Level Up Your Space]( These steals on furniture, appliances, and more are the best we've seen in months. [Read More]( [The 50 Best Saturday Night Live! Sketches of All Time]( [The 50 Best Saturday Night Live! Sketches of All Time]( Papyrus! Cowbell! Head Wound Harry! They're all here—plus quite a few that you wouldn't expect. [Read More](     [Is AI the Bitter End—or the Lucrative Future—of Book Publishing?]( [Is AI the Bitter End—or the Lucrative Future—of Book Publishing?]( Throughout its history, the publishing industry has always needed a boogeyman to represent new developments threatening the good old way of doing things. “Barnes & Noble was that for a while because it was a chain and because they had centralized bookselling,” says Boris Kachka, author of Hothouse: The Art of Survival and the Survival of Art at America’s Most Celebrated Publishing House. “Then Amazon became the big bad guy, and Barnes & Noble looked old-school all of a sudden.” Now generative AI is the monster under the bed. [Read More](   [ESQ 1933 Jewelry]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( [How satisfied are you with the content of this newsletter?]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779