More info on GOP convention dates

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

From the Hotline On Call:

Party officials have in the past few months quietly reached out to political coverage decision-makers at television networks to test their reaction to those dates.

The networks don't send as much equipment to the conventions as they used to anyway, so it won't be as much of a problem setting up for back-to-back conventions as it would have been 20 years ago.

In '05, DNC Chair Howard Dean announced that the party would hold its convention from 8/25-8/28, effectively boxing GOPers into either holding the convention the same week as the Democrats -- which the RNC rejected -- or holding it the week after.

Dean did not give the GOP much of a choice.

Rules in several states prevent presidential nominees from being added to the general election ballot after a certain point -- usually early September.

I wasn't aware of this, but this could be the main reason the GOP didn't go for the following week. The Hotline notes one other advantage to these later conventions:

If both party nominees decide to accept the federal match for the general, they'll get to spend it over a relatively shorter period of time.

So far, no candidate has turned down matching funds for the general. (Kerry and Bush both turned down matching funds for the primary, and I would expect the major candidates to do this in 2008). But this could become a major money issue for 2008, whether candidates might go without matching funds in the general, which could lead to unlimited amounts of hard, candidate-directed spending.