Accepting the Nomination

[A. Joseph Ross]

In covering the story about the possibility that John Kerry may delay accepting the 
nomination until several weeks after the convention, I haven't, so far, heard anyone in the 
media mention the fact that the candidate's acceptance speech at a political convention is 
actually a recent innovation, begun by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Before that, the candidates didn't even come to the convention.  The convention would 
appoint a committee to go and inform the candidate of his nomination and ask if he would 
accept.

I once read a story that when the committee found Abraham Lincoln to inform him of his 
nomination, he was playing in a baseball game, and he wouldn't see them until he had 
finished his turn at bat.  I'm not sure I believe this, since he would have been over 50 at the 
time.

I suppose the failure of the media to put this in historical perspective may be partly due to 
the fact that nobody at the media knows their history.  But I would have thought the print 
media, at least, would do some research.

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@attorneyross.com
Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         http://www.attorneyross.com