Once upon a time, the two parties' national conventions chose presidential nominees. Now, they are television shows that try to establish a narrative — one that links the long-since-determined nominee's life story with the ongoing history of the nation, one that shows how this one man is perfectly positioned to lead America to a better future. The hope is that the nominee will get a bounce in the polls.

And they usually do. Gallup poll data shows that nominees got a 5 percent or ...

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