Late this summer, when the Democrats gather in Denver and the Republicans come to St. Paul, both parties' nominations will almost certainly have long been decided, reducing both conventions to the symbolic spectacles they've been for decades.
But some candidates and more than a few political insiders are counting on the possibility, however slim, that at least one of the conventions will actually pick the nominee, as they were originally designed to do.
The reasons: Two crowded fields of candidates where no one has managed to truly break out from the pack, plus a jumbled primary/caucus schedule that could leave each party's frontrunner with too few delegates to clinch the nomination.
It remains unlikely, leaving the conventions to resort to being massive Kabuki performances inside and outside the halls.
Inside, each party will try to wring as much televised coverage as possible from the event (although the broadcast networks' coverage has dwindled, leaving the field to cable news).
Outside, protesters will try to grab their share of TV time through street demonstrations and, well, we'll see.
St. Paul, consider yourself warned.
