Whippersnappers, did you know that in olden days, we didn't know who'd be the Democratic/Republican

[raccoon]

presidential nominee UNTIL THE PARTY'S CONVENTION?

Can you believe it? That says something about our electoral system...but I don't know what it is.

[brooklynite]

1. Wanna know what happened? We let people vote.

Imagine! letting the ordinary unwashed voters have a say in who the Presidential candidates would be, instead of leaving the choice to seasoned political party bosses. What could they have been thinking?

[n2doc]

7. You should read up on your history

For most of US history, nominees were set at the conventions, usually by deals with party bosses. Voting by ordinary citizens was not the primary factor.

on edit, here's a link
http://history1800s.about.com/od/presidentialcampaigns/a/politconvent01.htm

For the first 50 years or so, nominees were anointed by members of congress....

[Renew Deal]

2. Yes, it all started to change after WW2

The Dema kept the legacy of the old system with the super-delegates.

[Atman]

3. It wasn't WWII

I remember getting to stay up late to watch the conventions, when I was just 12 or 13. It was like sports. You had no idea who was going to win until the end. Now you're told who the winner is before the game even starts.

[global1]

9. That's When National Conventions Used To Be Exciting To Watch.....

I remember those days well. I used to sit in front of a small DuMont Black and White TV and watch all the proceedings. My parents let me stay of late to watch.

"Mr. Chairman - From the great state of Illinois - Hog Butcher Of The World - Our (X number of votes) go to our favorite son - Adlai Stevenson/"

Those were the days my friend.

[old guy]

11. Oh, how I remember those days of conventions.

Would that we could see them again.

[madokie]

4. We have a money driven system now

back then not so much. Oh sure money was still in the equation but most politicians kept it suppressed for fear of breaking laws etc. Today politicians have passed laws that pretty much lets them do any and everything s/he/they want to do lawfully. Right not necessarily the case but lawfully yes. Check out the monetary worth of the garden variety of politicians today and you can see they're in it for the money.

[NuclearDem]

5. Damn nominees, get off my lawn!

[vi5]

6. Bush/Clinton dynasties

Silly old dude. Get on board the American Monarchy train!

[Orsino]

8. Sure, you know what it is.

Money now has its own primaries, and is often able to anoint candidates before voters get to participate.

[MineralMan]

10. As a youngster, I always watched the convention coverage.

That's where I learned about the walking caucus system, in which I now participate in Minnesota's conventions. It's a fascinating survivor of the past, and extremely interesting if you're at a convention that uses that method.

Today's system is driven by the 24-hour news cycle, which didn't exist back then. We read the newspaper, watched the evening network news, and that was it. Today, we watch "news" channels that are almost 100% commentary, instead of news. Me? I'm still watching the evening news on CBS, along with my local news, and reading the newspaper. I don't watch any cable "news" networks. I try to think for myself, and do whatever research I need on my own.