Comment: since you bring those questions up....

In pretty much every recent election, we have known who the nominee would be long before the convention. This is not a new phenomenon. You don't have to wait until delegates actually vote to know how they will vote if they have already told you what they're going to do. I guess there's always that tiny tiny chance that they suddenly change their minds. But instead of pretending like the convention is just a tossup between several candidates, people start talking about the person who they know will win. This year, it's Mitt Romney. He will win - we already know what the delegates will do.

Candidates also pretty much always pick their running mate before becoming the official nominee. In 2008, Obama picked Biden 4 days before he became the nominee. McCain picked Palin 5 days before. Again, this is not new. I am not sure why you think it is.