This tells you a lot about the state of political parties today. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have been weakened by a parallel universe of groups such as MoveOn.org, the Tea Party and so-called 527 organizations. Never close to perfect, the parties in healthier times nonetheless provided basic governance, platforms and rules. They held conventions that actually chose nominees, kept the grassroots connected and provided a ladder for aspiring politicians to climb.

A lot of those functions are so yesterday. Around the country in 2010, Republicans nominated virtual strangers: wrestling impresario Linda McMahon in Connecticut, Carl Paladino in New York, Meg Whitman in California, Christine O’Donnell in Delaware. See how many of the 168 RNC committeemen and committeewomen could identify these candidates’

Could the oft-repeated prediction that the parties are dead finally be coming true?