Beyond Denver

The streamers and balloons along with the Greek columns have all come down, and the Democrats have wrapped up their show in Denver. They seem to be getting a fairly significant bounce out of the convention. What is memorable, however, and what will continue to matter as the Republicans prepare for their show in the Twin Cities?

Michelle Obama presented herself as a wife and mother in contrast to the caricature of her that had been developed throughout the campaign. It was impoprtant that Michelle soften her image among those who had questions about her, and I believe she did. Hillary Clinton made the case for the Democrats and Barack Obama. Of course we are told that she didn't go far enough, but it's hard to know which part of her endorsement of Senator Obama the media didn't understand. Bill Clinton stated the case as only he can. His ability to frame the issues and make complicated concepts understandable to us simple folk is still second to none. The question remaining about the Clintons is not whether they were effective at the convention, but whether they will continue to be used effectively throughout the coming campaign. We are told that Joe Biden's speech was disjointed and not well delivered, but my impression is that Biden is going to be a strong stump candidate, and is going to be a tough and effective fighter for this ticket in many battleground states.
I think the Obama campaign was effective at this juncture because they were able to get prominent Democrats like the Clintons out there validating this ticket.

Yet, everything rises or falls based on the performance of the candidate himself. He needed to tell us his program for the next four years, and how he was going to deliver a better America. The theater in Denver was hard to beat. The enthusiasm and inspiration among the delegates was palpable. By all accounts Obama went even further than expected in talking tough, showing willingness to go after McCain, and appearing ready to stand and fight toe to toe even in the foreign policy area which is considered McCain's strong suit.

It is difficult to fault the four days in Denver as carefully crafted drama that has achieved the required bounce and moved the campaign forward. I believe Obama did indeed blunt some of the McCain attacks of the past few weeks, and reenergized his base of partisans. The Republicans are likely to gain a few points during their week as well. It is too early to speak intelligently about the Republican Vice-Presidential pick. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is there will still need to be a campaign after the conventions. It looks like it will be a long and difficult campaign for both candidates. The debates are going to be critical. The issues are going to be joined. Unfortunately, it looks like negative adds will also play a major role. When it is all over the American people will make the final judgment as to who will be the next President of the United States.