DNC Day 1

A storyline for a typical viewer of the Democratic National Convention's first day might go like this:

"Alright, lets see what's on? American Idol? No, not today...damn.

Ok, lemme lookie...Hey, the democrats are celebrating something! Oh yeah, they have their convention going.

Honey! Come check out Ted Kennedy, he is still alive and kicking!...Hmm, who is Sen. Mcclaskill...McClaskil? Macasco??...

Booooring....Boooring...Some dudes talking...boooring.

I didn't know Obama was getting Republicans on his side...

Hey honey, its Obama's wife, that mean lady, Michelle...

I didn't know she grew up in Chicago...

Hey, she actually is a pretty good speaker, turn up the volume...

Yeah! We do need someone who doesn't just do what their party does...Shhh, Michelle is talking...

Woohoo!! Michele for president!!!...

Haha! Did you hear that, Barack said "You want a president that is persistent" since he kept asking Michelle out...

Aww, those kids are cute....

Michelle is pretty hot *slap* Ah! I mean in a White House kinda way, I still love you , honey"

Or something like that.

Ted Kennedy's message was pretty much: Look, I am dying here and I got more guts and fire that half of those politicians out there, so what is your excuse to not go all out for Barack?!

He riled the Democrats and showed them how it is done, with passion and confidence that voters will like you even if you have been demonized by the Republicans.

If Ted Kennedy was the fire, then Michelle Obama was the soul of the night. She reintroduced herself as a woman who has had a journey as American and authentic as Hillary's or anyone else. She made herself accessible and likeable as a woman, as a mother, and, most importantly that night, as the wife to a possible president. She also helped make Barack human again, by tying him to her experience.

Tonight might be one of the trickiest nights of the convention. Hillary will speak, and her supporters will roar. If anything goes awry, it is her head and her future at stake. To make tonight a greater success than last night (too many zzzzs in between Kennedy and Obama), the heat needs to be turned up on McCain, Bush, and the message needs to stay clear and direct.

As David Brooks pointed out:

So as I’m trying to measure the effectiveness of this convention, I’ll be jotting down a little minus mark every time I hear a theme that muddies that image. I’ll jot down a minus every time I hear the old class conflict, and the old culture war themes. I’ll jot down a minus when I see the old Bush obsession rearing its head, which is not part of his natural persona. I’ll write a demerit every time I hear the rich played off against the poor, undercutting Obama’s One America dream.

I’ll put a plus down every time a speaker says that McCain is a good man who happens to be out of step with the times. I’ll put a plus down every time a speaker says that a multipolar world demands a softer international touch. I’ll put a plus down when a speaker says the old free market policies worked fine in the 20th century, but no longer seem to be working today. These are arguments that reinforce Obama’s identity as a 21st-century man.

Obama is losing steam, but he can regain it by being unafraid to play up his uniqueness and passion. If they go soft, the Democrats will go home.

lhp