First Read: If you're a Democrat, you couldn't have scripted Day 1 of the convention any better
from First Read at MSNBC: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/05/13679766-first-thoughts-checking-all-the-boxes?lite
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If you’re a Democrat believing the recipe for the president’s re-election is coalition politics, you couldn’t have scripted the opening night of the Democratic convention here any better. You had your nods to Latinos, young voters, and women -- precisely the groups the Obama campaign wants to turn out in November. There was the message (epitomized by Julian Castro’s keynote) that the election is a choice between two very economic visions. There also was the message (relayed by Martin O’Malley) that the choice is “forward” vs. “backward.” You had plenty of red meat and tough critiques of Mitt Romney (see Ted Strickland). But the evening also was capped off by a personal speech by First Lady Michelle Obama, designed to re-inspire the disillusioned faithful and defend her husband’s record and character. Yet perhaps more than anything else, last night conveyed real passion that we mostly didn’t see in Tampa. Don’t get us wrong, Republicans were fired up last week. But their passion was directed more at the president than Mitt Romney. Last night, however, the Democrats’ passion was focused squarely on their candidate. Elections aren’t decided by conventions, but the Democrats know how to produce a compelling -- and on-message -- night of TV. In short, on Day 1, Democrats proved they are better at producing a convention.
*** Replaying the greatest hits on Romney: Here’s another broad observation about last night: Every speech -- with the exception of Michelle Obama’s -- was equal part an affirmation of Obama and a takedown of Romney. And sometimes, those takedowns were raw and tough. An example was Tammy Duckworth, who touted the president’s national security record but who also pointed out that Romney never mentioned the word “Afghanistan” once in his acceptance speech last week. While the 10:00 pm ET hour in primetime was soft (with the Michelle Obama and Julian Castro speeches), the rest of the evening -- taken as a whole -- was a pounding of Romney. And it was the greatest hits, some of which Republicans will claim were below the belt: Swiss bank account, tax returns, pioneers in outsourcing, references to Bain layoffs. Even the video tribute to Ted Kennedy was an uppercut to Romney, which led to RNC Chair Reince Priebus to express his disgust for using Kennedy from the grave in an attack.
*** Two different versions of the American Dream: Also last night, almost speech tried to capture the American Dream. The same was true in Tampa, but the message there was focused on an American Dream to become an entrepreneur or businessman. Here was Romney’s acceptance speech: “Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. It is about dreams. Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. Steve Jobs was fired at Apple. He came back and changed the world.” But compare that with the version of the American Dream we heard last night, which was focused more on giving the next generation a better chance. “Barack and I were both raised by families who didn’t have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable -- their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves.” This was a pure “values” play.
*** Breaking down Michelle Obama’s speech: As for the first lady’s speech, she tried to accomplish three things. First, she implicitly contrasted the Obamas’ beginnings with the Romneys’. “Even though back then Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate, to me he was still the guy who’d picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door.” Second, she made a direct appeal to women. “President Obama believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care. That’s what my husband stands for.” And third, she vouched for her husband’s character. “So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.” As NBC’s Carrie Dann points out, the first’s lady task last night was to have the American public fall back in love with him, too. What the Obama campaign did last night was what the Romney camp probably wishes it did its first night: put your show-stopper last in the primetime.
read more: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/05/13679766-first-thoughts-checking-all-the-boxes?lite
Mark Murray ?@mmurraypolitics
First Read: If you're a Democrat, you couldn't have scripted Day 1 of convention any better
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