Random Thoughts on The DNC

Yesterday, I started to write a post about my thoughts on the Democratic convention, but as I was reading some of my favorite pundits last night, I came across a column which pretty much summed up my feelings on the convention so far…

The first two days of the convention were wasted, or seemed so from my vantage point. Tonight, Joe Biden will rip into McCain. And tomorrow, Obama will do whatever he does. Then on Friday, at noon, John McCain will announce his vice presidential nominee, strangling any convention bounce in the crib. Then the Republican Convention will begin, and you can be assured that they will remember Barack Obama’s name. They will remember how to make fun of him, how to mock his celebrity and inexperience. And the media will not cover Ron Paul’s protesters with the vigor or attention they gave to Hillary Clinton’s diehards. Instead, they will cover four days of straight attacks on Barack Obama, culminating with a grave address about sacrifice and service from John McCain. And unless Obama’s convention makes a sharp turn tonight and tomorrow, they will have done nothing to soften the impact of these attacks and themes or create a counternarrative for the media to cover.

Once I read his column, I decided to wait until today to write another post in order to see if the convention took a turn for the better.  I’ll admit that I was allowing the cable network pundits to set my expectations for “red meat” and attacks on Bush and McCain rather than allowing Obama to define himself and unite the party.

It occurred to me that this is now Obama’s Democratic party and this convention reflects who he is as a candidate.  Red meat and attack politics is Clinton era and the pundits need it to feed the 24/7 beast.  Obama’s convention is about unifying the party after a rancorous primary, it’s about setting goals and defining the ideals of Democratic politics.  To that end, the evening was kicked off with an emotional and classy move by Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Her gesture kicked off what was a great night for Democrats as they carefully defined what being a Democrat is all about in this new era.  Sure, they got their digs in at Bush, McCain, and the Rove politics of the last eight years, but it was a night in which we saw the party start to awaken.

John Kerry took the floor and gave what could be called the best speech of his entire career.  As is usual, once freed from the constraints of endless campaign consultants and the scrutiny of the media machine a former candidate finds his voice.  He laid out a critical analysis of the last eight years of Republican policies and did so in a passionate and stirring manner.  He drew upon the anger and frustration that so many of us feel when looking back on the Bush administration.  He also tore John McCain a new asshole.  Of course, unless you were watching C-SPAN, you were stuck listening to the cable news talking heads demand more red meat and asking Hillary dead-enders if they would get behind Obama.

When Bill Clinton took the stage, I expected a 10-15 minute speech in which he defended his politics and accomplishments after a primary season where he was accused of being a racist and Machiavellian party manipulator.  Instead, he delivered a wonderful and personal endorsement of Obama and outlined why the Democrats have the right plan for America with Obama as President.  The money quote:

People around the world have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.

Damn straight, Bill.  Thanks for stopping by.

Finally, Joe Biden took the stage to re-introduce himself to the American people.  He showed why he is the perfect running mate for Obama.  He is a man of ideas with a deep understanding of diplomacy and foreign relations as well as a penchant to speak truth to power.  He will provide the counsel that any President needs during difficult times because he’s pretty much seen it all.  On top of all that, he’s a working class kind of guy with a grounded sense of morals and the ability to connect with those voters Hillary once counted amongst her most strident supporters in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Tonight, Obama takes the stage at Invesco Field and we’ll see if he can deliver a speech that fits with his early campaign themes that spoke to so many and justify the selection of a football stadium for the speech.  My money is on a speech for the ages and one that will remind America why this man represents our future.