Ready to party hearty

The Democratic and Republican national conventions will culminate in made-for-prime-time (and online streaming video) performances designed to shape the images of the parties and their nominees for president.

But the calendars of events posted by both parties show that there's more to a convention than the really big show on nomination night.

At the Democrats' convention, which begins Monday in Denver, there will be daily caucuses and council meetings where party leaders and their surrogates debate the finer points of politics and platforms. Then there will be a "delegate service" day and a "community open house" -- all, no doubt, intended to connect Democrats with the concerns and issues facing Americans.

The Republicans' convention begins Sept. 1 in Minneapolis-St. Paul and, while the names and platform positions will be different, the GOP plans to follow a similar outline of events, including an American Neighborhood project aimed at "giving back" to the host cities.

Both parties are taking steps, well publicized on their Web sites, to open the conventions to electronic communications -- from party members at home to partisan commentators at the scene. The parties have also created Web pages that recognize the official "providers" of goods and services for the convention -- a list that includes some of the biggest names in corporate America.

The real parties aren't found in prominent places on the convention schedules, however.

If not for an article Saturday in The Wall Street Journal, we wouldn't know that:

The Recording Industry Association of America will present a concert by Kanye West, a Grammy-winning rapper, during the Democratic convention -- free of charge to special guests (including members of Congress ) on the list of invitees.

For the Peabodies of the party, the Black Eyed Peas, an American hip hop group, will be presented in concert by The Creative Coalition, a "social and political advocacy organization for the entertainment industry."

(Hedging its bets, the coalition will put the Charlie Daniels Band on stage for a gig during the GOP convention.)

Speaking of bets, the Poker Players Alliance will have actor Ben Affleck on hand to host a poker tournament for big-time political players in Denver.

Former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, who left Congress under the dark cloud of an indictment alleging that he violated campaign-finance laws, plans to host Smash Mouth, a pop rock band, at a nightclub in Minneapolis. The stated purpose of the event is to raise funds for DeLay's current cause, the Coalition for a Conservative Majority -- "a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and advocacy organization."

Drinking, eating and who knows what else -- well, we have an idea of what else -- have long been part of conventions, whether they are for political, business or fraternal organizations.

But the extravagance of the unofficial events is giving the conventions the aura of the ultimate experience in American success -- the Super Bowl and the preceding week of elaborate events.

It's one thing for the NFL, corporations and celebrities to make a spectacle out of a football game -- and out of themselves -- in order to generate support from fans and advertisers. However, politics is, we're told by the parties and their candidates, supposed to be more than a game or a series of overhyped events.

Yes, we're naive for believing that their view is even partially true. But at least the conventioneers -- especially members of Congress and other elected officials -- and their off-site sponsors could quit working so hard to stage and attend events that carefully avoid ethics rules. The Journal reported that lobbyists, corporations and members of Congress have repeatedly sought advice from House and Senate committees to determine whether the convention events violate the letter of ethics reforms enacted just a year ago.

Sadly, there is too little concern about the spirit of ethics laws and the fact that millions of Americans are struggling to overcome foreclosures, layoffs, diminished purchasing power and other challenges while the conventioneers party on.