  Sources in the Kerry campaign and the Democratic Party confirmed that they are considered urlLink delaying Senator Kerry's acceptance of the nomination until several weeks after the convention . The reason behind this move is to delay the federal spending limits for a general campaign for as long as possible. The Republican Convention is occurring five weeks later than the Democratic Covention, and far later than any convention in the history of national nominating conventions, allowing Bush/Cheney to continue to spend their campaign booty for that much longer. The fundraising aspect makes sense, I'll agree. And the insistence of Gillespie and Racicot that the Republican convention had to be so late so as not to interfere with the Olympics is a ridiculous excuse for what is an obvious bid to avoid spending limits for five weeks while Democrats adhere to them.
So, why should Kerry still accept the nomination? For one thing, it's just plain silly not to. Bush campaign people are already getting a field day from this one. "Only John Kerry would be for the nominating convention but against the nomination. " What is the point of a convention that doesn't even nominate anyone? The convention is the last remaining legacy of once powerful political parties, and Kerry's move will only underscore the weakened status of the party in modern politics. It's bad for Kerry's image. Although the conventions are mostly a sham anyway, it will only underscore criticisms that the nominee is an elitist who thinks he can write the rules without regard to tradition. Although this is on a smaller scale, it reminds me of one of the few major political blunders FDR committed, when he tried to rigged the Supreme Court by encouraging Congress to add 6 new seats to the court that he'd be able to fill. The cynicism behind it is so obvious that even many within the Party won't be able to be comfortable with it. Kerry is not a snobbish elitist (at least he is less of one than the President, who is never accused of this), but this won't help that all important fiction he must build called image.
Furthermore, no one will watch a convention that won't feature a nomination. Kerry will not receive the historically typical 5-10 point boost the convention brings. Five weeks later, Bush will receive his own boost that will likely wipe away what Kerry gained in Boston. If Kerry gains nothing in Boston .
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.well, you get the idea. It allows Bush to run way ahead at the end of August, and even Kerry's strong-finish style might not pull him over the top.
Therefore, Kerry should accept the nomination, and present a vice presidential candidate in Boston, without delay. The spending limits are a nasty thing to deal with, and something should be done to make sure that the limits apply more fairly to candidates from both parties, but money is not the most important thing. Image and approval matter too, and money can't necessarily buy either. 
