Yes yes, I read 750 Volts. It’s a guilty pleasure, mostly because the stuff written is so well thought out you can’t help but notice. Kenton Ngo’s opinion is worth considering, no matter the disagreements on politics.
His post on the 2008 DNC Convention mirrors my own feeling about the RNC Conventions, and my reasons for not going to another one (unless my name is on the ballot or something):
Finally, it bears no relation to any reality whatever: it is its own pure simulacrum. Floor fights and 1968 became distant memories as the confetti rained down. The convention itself made no pretensions otherwise–it was a four-day romp, but more importantly, a four-day infomercial.
Simularcum and infomercial are two good words for the spectacle. Roman triumph is the phrase I prefer, only with no one is whipering “memento mori” to the triumphator.