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Democrats in Denver

THE OVERVIEW

1. Off To The Races

As Dems opened their convo in Denver 8/25 "with an air of expectation and a sense of uncertainty," speakers "began the job of filling out" Barack Obama's "profile for skeptical voters," in an effort that nevertheless "lacked" any attempt "to frame for the electorate the choices in November or the case against" John McCain.

The convo's opening events "highlighted the degree to which Obama's advisers know they have work to do this week, from binding together" a divided party following the "hard-fought" primary contest between Obama and Hillary Clinton, to "providing assurance" that Obama "shares the values of Middle America" and has the "toughness and judgment" to be president. While 8/25 "left much to do in the days ahead," speakers such as "Obama's half-sister," teacher Maya Soetoro-Ng, gave validation to Obama's "American story" (Balz, Washington Post, 8/26).

The convo comes "at a time when the heady optimism that Obama would transform the electoral map has given way to the gimlet-eyed realism about the difficulty of getting to 270 electoral votes," and as stalwart supporters like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) conceded 8/25 McCain "has had a 12-and-0 run" 8/08 (Shapiro, Salon.com, 8/25).

It also comes as the "economy's woes" are "muscling to the top of political concerns," and as the Obama camp is already "debating which economic policy to push first" after a victory (Davis/Farnam, Wall Street Journal, 8/26). It also comes as "leading Democrats" have come to believe the selection of Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) for VP, "coupled with McCain's inability to recall how many homes he owns," has "already changed the tempo of the game" (Salon.com, 8/25).

In that vein, the "agenda" for 8/25 "was clear and two-pronged: Build an image of Obama as an everyman and start ripping McCain apart," as "several branches of Obama's family tree" led with "testimonials" to Obama as "a husband, father, brother and, above all, a leader" (Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 8/26). As for Obama himself, 8/25 p.m, "he was a nervous wreck" as he watched the proceedings in the Kansas City, MO home of Jim and Alicia Girardeau. "Watching passively the opening night of the convention that will make history," Obama's "nervousness showed," as he "barely moved" and "hardly brandished emotion" (Kraske, "Prime Buzz," Kansas City Star, 8/26).

CNN's Borger: "The way they planned it was tonight was supposed to be sort of the personal, the biographical. Michelle Obama will talk about Barack Obama personally. Ted Kennedy was a very personal, emotional speech. But I guarantee you, on night of the Republican Convention, you're going to hear talk about Barack Obama, commander in chief, tax cuts, et cetera, et cetera" ("Election Center," CNN, 8/25).

The Big Bounce

But while the Dems "picked warmth and good feeling over political combat" 8/25 p.m, as the Obama camp "still feels the need to introduce Obama to the voters," away "from prime-time, other pummeled McCain," an indication McCain "will not get the kid-glove treatment this week that the Democrats gave President Bush four years ago in Boston." It is also a signal of the "perception" among Dems that "McCain has seized the momentum in the past month." Pollster Celinda Lake: "The central challenge is for Obama to start defining the choices in this race on his terms, and putting McCain on defense" (Parnell, Denver Post, 8/26).

Though, given the tightness of the race, it is certain both campaigns "will seize on every poll in search of clues about how much lift" Obama and McCain "will derive" from their convos and VP picks, "it's hard to recall" a race where the "search for the bounce" is "likely to prove more elusive." With "major political events piling up on the calendar with little time to catch a breath," the "hunger" of campaign-watchers "is running up against the realities of polling." This "is a matter of frustration" to some Dems. OH Dem chair Chris Redfern: "It's going to be really difficult to say there is a bounce in those three days, because there might not be. I think it's unfortunate, because we're viewed as the challenger" (Nagourney, New York Times, 8/25).

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): "I found it interesting that there are some that were completely panning the night and then others that were talking about the energy that was there. Probably the truth is somewhere a little bit in the middle" ("LKL," CNN, 8/25).

That's The Chicago Way

Among those who featured in the "getting-to-know-you phase" 8/25 were "several longtime friends and associates from" IL, among them IL AG Lisa Madigan (D), the daughter of IL House Speaker Michael Madigan (D), IL Comptroller Dan Hynes (D), "who lost to Obama" in their '04 Senate primary, IL Treas. Alexi Giannoulias (D), an early Obama fundraiser, and IL Senate Pres. Emil Jones (D) (Washington Post, 8/26). While Madigan "sought to attract women supporters," Hynes, "among the first to back Obama for the presidency," stressed his "right kind of politics." Giannoulias, a "banking heir who helped raise seed money" from Chicago's Greek community for Obama's "Senate campaign," called him "my friend, my mentor, my inspiration," and called his the "American story."

All three are "potential rivals" to "embattled" Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), "who was not invited to speak" and did not attend the convo. Jones, "a political mentor to Obama and veteran of Chicago ward politics, "spoke from the podium despite a controversy" in which HRC delegate Delmarie Cobb claimed Jones "called her an 'Uncle Tom.'" Jones maintained that Cobb "misunderstood a comment" in which he urged HRC supporters to "stop being 'Doubting Thomases' and rally around Obama." Jones: "She just caught the last word of what I said. People make mistakes." Cobb "and at least two Chicago alderman" told associates Jones "made the 'Uncle Tom' reference after a 'back-and-forth'" that "started lightheartedly."

Obama, asked for comment said the he "didn't know the details of the Jones controversy," but that "we don't have time for that kind of stuff" (Pearson, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 8/25).

On Her Majesty's Convo Service

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), "gaveled the gathering to order" as convo chair, before later, "in her first convention speech as" speaker, singing "the praises of Obama, who she said would bring the kind of change the country needs," while "leading a verbal assault" on McCain, who she said "has the experience of being wrong." Pelosi "also worked to unify the party" by saluting HRC for her "excellent campaign," while also leading "a chant in the hall that on the economy, minimum wage, healthcare, energy and Iraq, 'Barack Obama is right and John McCain is wrong" (Soraghan, The Hill, 8/25). Pelosi: "Our journey to take our nation in a new direction cannot be complete without new leadership in the White House" (Dilanian, USA Today, 8/26).

Plains Spoken

While '08 "marks the seventh" Dem convo of Jimmy Carter's "decorated post-presidency, he wasn't exactly shown a great deal of respect" by "this year's planners," with a "pre-taped video message that aired well before prime-time" and "after a speech by a New Orleans jazz singer." In an "awkward acknowledgment," Carter and wife Rosalyn "walked onto the stage and waved to the crowd," greeting Pelosi, "who very publicly threw Carter under the bus two years ago" (Kornacki, New York Observer, 8/26).

Carter "was an announced speaker in the run-up to" the convo, but as late as 8/25, "the podium schedule seemed to exclude the former president." Dems "initially declined to say whether Carter would speak or not, deferring to the published podium schedule," spokesperson Natlie Wyeth later said Dems wanted to "acknowledge his tremendous efforts to help the [Katrina] hurricane recovery" with a video on it (Youngman, The Hill, 8/26).

Carter, who "seems genuinely fond of Obama," has grappled with criticism of his "outspoken support for Palestinian aspirations," and Obama "is particularly sensitive to being compared with Carter. Carter had "used his speech" in '04 "to offer perhaps the most blistering criticism" of Pres. Bush that night, though "in hindsight," he "probably had the right idea" (New York Observer, 8/26).

GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, on whether 8/25's speakers sent out too liberal a message: "If you asked the American people if they were going to vote today for John McCain or Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter probably wouldn't do so well. And that's the same thing with, I think, you know, John McCain versus Nancy Pelosi, or even Ted Kennedy, as much respect as I think we all have for him. You know, this is a very liberal evening for the Democrats. And I think that's not necessarily the message, I think, that the convention wants to put out."

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen, on whether it's a mistake: "Yes. And I think for a couple of things. First of all, Jimmy Carter has won a Nobel Peace Prize here recently. He's one of the two Democrats speaking at this convention -- Al Gore being the other -- who won Nobel Peace Prizes. That must be a first in history. And I think he should have been given the stage. ... We've had very little that's been compelling this far. I'm sure this is working well in the hall and the excitement in the hall is palpable in the coverage. But for the large television audience that's watching and waiting to hear what the message is, to get two hours into a convention, it is really stunning to me" ("Election Center," CNN, 8/25).

Family Affair

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) spoke 8/25 p.m, arguing, in a common theme, that Obama's "'story is an American story' that will resonate with voters" in states like MO. McCaskill, who endorsed Obama after his 1/8 NH primary loss, "did so at the urging" of her three teenage children, Maddie, Austin and Lily, who "introduced their mother" 8/25 (Schouten, USA Today, 8/26).

The "blunt-speaking" McCaskill "appeared to pull some punches" against McCain as she "focused on a different goal," her "chief task" being "to present Obama as one of them, rather than the GOp protrait as a man apart." McCaskill: "He knows our stories because he has lived the American Dream. And from where I sit in the middle of America, I see a leader who knows that the American Dream is not for a special few - it is for all of us."

McCaskill nevertheless "got in a few digs" at McCain, contending he "was the one really out of step with average Americans," running with a "party of privilege (Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/26).

Shuck You

For ex-Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA), the decision to speak at the convo "was far more complicated," while though he "will not be the only Republican to address the delegates this week," his speech was "one of the most prominent speaking roles" 8/25" (Falcone, "The Caucus," New York Times, 8/25). While Leach "did not deliver much red meat to the crowd, as some party defectors have done," he "turned his fire" on the GOP "as a whole," arguing it had "turned its back on its own conservative principles." Introduced by "fellow Iowan" Sen. Tom Harkin (D), Leach was "generally greeted" with "mild applause." harkin: "Jim is here today because he knows red and blue is not as important as red, white and blue" (Bogardus, The Hill, 8/25).

New York Post's Buckman writes: "Only four speakers made any kind of impact" 8/25, but "only two of them weew seen and heard in the crucial 10-11 p.m. hour when all the networks were covering the" convo. CNN's David Gergen "said it best" when he "stated flat out that" Dems "'frittered away' a huge opportunity at 10 p.m.," when ABC, CBS and NBC "came on board to join" cable news coverage. At the time they did, Leach, "one of the dullest speakers," was on, rather than the Kennedys (8/26).

That Would Have Helped Her Image, For Sure

On Michelle Obama's keynote speech 8/25, Dem strategist James Carville: "There's a little bit of an addendum here. The Michelle Obama speech was really quite good in prime time. ... The [Ted Kennedy speech] was a great moment, absolutely. But other stuff was wasted. There was no message that came out of here. Look, this is the fifth night in a row that we've had a Democratic convention since George W. Bush, the most disastrous, incompetent and corrupt administration we've had in modern American history, and we haven't put it front and center. ... They should have had speakers up there saying, excuse me, but there's a sense of urgency in the country" ("American Morning," CNN, 8/26).

Ex-Clinton comm. dir. Howard Wolfson: "I disagree with James. I think that there was a lot of business that needed to be accomplished here. And I think that humanizing the Obamas, that showing [Michelle's] patriotism, pushing back on this attack on her that she's not patriotic, and rooting them in America's middle class, that was all important pieces of business that the Obama campaign had to get done, and they did do it" (FNC, 8/25).

Carville, on the first night of the convo: "If this party has a message, it's done a hell of a job hiding it tonight."

More Carville: "Let's be fair, because I think we're going to have some fireworks. And when we go to the stadium, I'm sure that Senator Obama is going to have much to say. I'm just saying, you have got four nights. Right now, the Kennedy thing is the most emotional thing I have ever seen. You couldn't be a human being -- I don't care if you're a Democrat or Republican, or you're watching us anywhere in the world. You're going to be moved by that. But that's something separate and apart. There's no message coming out of here. There's no sense that the party has a sense of urgency or any of that. And this is only four nights. This is 25 percent of the whole thing" ("Election Center," CNN, 8/25).

Carville, explaining his frustration with the first night of the convo: "It was primetime, which of course, you had to have Ms. Obama speaking, [and] you had the very emotional moment with Senator Kennedy. But the other stuff was completely void of any message. And I think ... if you have a convention, you should be driving a message home at every chance that you get."

ABC's Sawyer: "So you think the Obama campaign blew the first night of the convention?"

Carville: "I think the non-primetime part was not particularly impressive. I thought Mrs. Obama did a sterling job, and obviously, the Senator Kennedy thing was one of the most dramatic things I've ever seen. This is the fifth night of a Democratic convention that we've had where we've barely mentioned what is the most corrupt, incompetent administration in modern American history. I think it's time to just talk about Bush and McCain and the housing crisis and health care and the deficit" ("GMA," ABC, 8/26).

Responding to Carville on SC's "The Big Picture on the Radio" 8/26, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC): "Well, I think James Carville could very well be right, and what would be wrong with the person he supported so ardently in this campaign (Hillary Clinton) doing that tonight?... The fact of the matter is, you don't expect for a future, potential first lady to get into that kind of a discussion. If she had gotten into that kind of a discussion, I would see people right now wanting to know who are we going to be electing to run the country, Barack Obama, or his wife?...I think that's very, very unfair, and that's the kind of stuff that causes us problems, for you to expect the spouse to draw those kinds of distinctions" (release, 8/26).

Tempest In An Echo Chamber

Speaking to any emerging schisms involving HRC supporters, NBC pol. dir. Chuck Todd: "I kind of think we're hyping it up a little bit. It's getting a little overheated. And I wonder if in three days we look back and say, why did we waste all of our time with that? ... They're becoming like Ron Paul supporters were back in the Republican primaries. I think they're a much smaller group than we make them out to be, frankly" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 8/25).

Working In Mysterious Ways

As Dems are "seeking to show the country that they are a party of faith," they are running into some snags in Denver regarding abortion, "one of the biggest divides within both parties." Pro-life protestors interrupted the Derm "Interfaith Gathering" 8/24, while Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO), a former Catholic missionary, continued to "walk a tightrope (Soraghan, The Hill, 8/25).

Relevant magazine ed. Cameron Strang, an evangelical indie, appeared on "Hannity & Colmes" last night to talk about why he backed out of delivering the benediction at the Dem convo.

Strang: "Over the last couple of months the Obama campaign has very proactively reached out to young Christian voters, talking about areas of common ground and also acknowledging areas of disagreement. And they wanted to continue a dialogue. They said that our voice would be a priority in the campaign. I publish a magazine that reaches the college to 30's Christian audience. And so through that dialogue, they asked me if I'd be interested in possibly appearing at the DNC. As a goodwill gesture, as a bridge-building effort, not drawing battle lines but to build on common goals, I accepted. A few days later I found out it was tonight, opening night, main stage, and that gave me hesitation, simply for the fact that I have significant areas of agreement and disagreement with both parties, and I don't feel comfortable being perceived as endorsing a candidate" (FNC, 8/25).

 

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