While Tropical Storm Isaac forced convention planners for the 2012 Republican National Convention to change plans, most of what you will see this week is highly scripted.
That's because political parties see these events as a way to showcase their candidate for the highest public office in the United States.
"You can't afford people saying stuff that could derail a campaign," Mercer political science professor Chris Grant said. "It's supposed to be about rolling out a message with no distractions."
Grant says political parties are much more in tune to the media's ability to play back soundbites, something Rep. Todd Akin (running for U.S. Senate in Missouri) knows all too well after his remarks about women and rape went viral.
"The conventions are the one moment where parties and candidates should have total control of their message."