The imperatives of television have turned party conventions into scripted, meaningless events. With some reinvention, they could be a useful and important part of the political process.
Summon to mind the most memorable moments in television convention coverage:
George McGovern’s late-night speech to the nation in 1972 from a platform filled with his scowling party rivals.
Police clubbing   more

An American presidential candidate travels to the very center of Europe and draws a huge cheering crowd. George W. Bush obviously could never do that. Nor could John McCain.
For the many Americans sick to death of eight years of confrontation and quarrelling with friends and allies, Barack Obama’s visit to Berlin presented an exciting and   more

It’s the first rule of Canadian economics: When the U.S. catches cold, Canada gets pneumonia. What if, this time, the rule does not apply?
Economists such as BMO’s Douglas Porter have been raising this question for a year. Very soon we should know the answer.
The U. S. economy has been battered by unceasing bad news. Even   more

The shapers of the U. S. mortgage finance system hoped to achieve the security of government ownership, the integrity of local banking and the ingenuity of Wall Street. Instead, they got the ingenuity of government, the security of local banking and the integrity of Wall Street.
Yesterday, shares of the two U. S.   more

The shapers of the U. S. mortgage finance system hoped to achieve the security of government ownership, the integrity of local banking and the ingenuity of Wall Street. Instead, they got the ingenuity of government, the security of local banking and the integrity of Wall Street.

Yesterday, shares of the two U. S. mortgage companies   more

Americans yesterday passed the gloomiest Fourth of July in years, if not decades. More than four out of five Americans describe the country as “on the wrong track,” the worst score since polling on this question began in the 1960s. Consumer confidence is reaching historic lows. Only one out of three Americans expects a   more