Democrats Launch Convention with Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama
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The Democratic National Convention kicked off last night in Denver, Colorado, with the expected lavishing of praise on candidate Barack Obama. But delegates were roused emotionally, as was VP candidate Joe Biden, when a moving tribute to Democratic “lion of the Senate” Teddy Kennedy was followed by Pres. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline introducing the Massachusetts senator himself, who fought through cancer treatment to address the convention and call for Obama’s election. Michelle Obama, the candidate’s wife, gave her first national address, talking of family, and the candidate’s love for the nation and devotion to public service.
The opening night was designed to touch the overarching chords of historical significance, and to create a feeling of family and warmth. By most accounts, it was a success. Michelle Obama had been painted as being distant, enigmatic, and even her love of country was called into question. The Republican party had attempted to treat her as a dangerous radical, a woman too professional to be family oriented, and a citizen who doesn’t believe in her country, and she reversed all of those impressions with a warm, personal speech and by simply engaging with her family in an unscripted way.
She was revealed to be what many close to the Obamas say she is: a woman of considerable intelligence and talent who has devoted herself to improving the lives of others and on whom candidate Obama can depend for a deep reserve of energy, commitment and wisdom. It was said that in the course of the evening, the two words that may most help Obama win undecided voters were uttered, but that they were neither Kennedy’s nor Michelle Robinson Obama’s, but the two words uttered by their daughter, who interrupted her father’s video call, unabashedly shouting “Hi, Daddy!”
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The tribute to Kennedy allowed the Democrats to demonstrate the link between historical achievements, long-standing but unrealized goals, and the belief party leaders like the Massachusetts senator have in the ability of Sen. Obama to help realize or move the country closer to those goals, that “more perfect union” so often cited in the course of this “change” campaign. We could see the beginning of the fall campaign emerging in the form of these reference to great historical struggles for the advance of democracy, a concept the Democrats believe they can reclaim from “neoconservatives” and re-fashion into the work of strengthening civil society and protecting basic rights.
The sentimental energy of Kennedy’s reminding Democrats of their common values, their shared aim for a just society, their commitment to the nation’s founding ideals, sets the stage for what will come later in the week, as they seek to consolidate party unity for the fall campaign. Tonight, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who lost the arduous primary contest to Obama, will devote her energy to persuading all her supporters to back the party’s candidate and to understand the significance of the election, from the viewpoint of Democratic party politics.
Sen. John McCain has wasted no time in launching a new round of attacks. Even as the Democrats work to toughen the public image of the idealistic Obama, the McCain campaign has aired an ad using Sen. Clinton’s “It’s 3am” ad in order to contrast the experience of Senators McCain and Obama on dealing with security issues in the US Senate. Neither has any such experience in the executive capacity, just as neither then Gov. Bush, then Gov. Clinton, then fmr. Gov. Reagan did when taking office. And the Obama campaign seeks to use this convention to change the issue from experience to judgment, vision and depth of intellect.
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