The President’s convention speech is his one real chance to tell the American people what they are voting for, not just what they are voting against. And the stage is the one he prefers
2012 Election
What You Missed While Not Watching the Second Night of the Democratic Convention
5 p.m. The first night was mystical, magical, all “Kumbaya,” cheers and tears. The second night begins with chaos and discord. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tries to amend the platform to deal with GOP criticism, adding …
Bill Clinton and the Charlotte Home-Run Derby
With two nights of the Democratic National Convention down, it’s safe to draw a clear comparison between Charlotte and Tampa. At last week’s Republican affair, you had the sense of fingers crossed in the hope that the big …
The Clinton Speech
Bill Clinton talks about policy — about the substance of governing — better than any other politician I’ve ever heard. He keeps it simple and he keeps it accurate. He can make Medicare as dramatic as warfare. He did a major demolition job on the Republican Party’s economic policy on Wednesday night. He held it to the light of the …
The Jerusalem Controversy
Whoever took the usual language about Jerusalem being the capital of Israel out of the Democratic platform is an idiot. This is a long-time silliness that can’t really be resolved until a Middle East peace is achieved, but lip service must be paid. For what it’s worth, Jerusalem really is, most definitely, the capital of Israel. It is …
Hickenlooper: Romney ‘Still Somewhat of a Mystery’
Shortly before he was set to speak in Charlotte on Wednesday night, I sat down with Colorado’s Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper. A rumored 2016 White House hopeful (though he demurs), Hickenlooper plans to emphasize bipartisan accomplishments in his state, with the message that “the bickering’s gotta come to an end” in …
Watch: A Small Group of Mormons Rally for Obama
It is not every day that you run into a liberal Mormon. But on Tuesday, for the first time in history, Democratic members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a meeting at their party’s Convention. “We are here. We are Mormons and we support Democrats for Obama,” said Robert Taber, who leads the group Mormons for …
The Iconography of Obama
Long before the President arrived in Charlotte, his image was everywhere at the Democratic National Convention.
Gay Activists at the DNC: Happy With Obama, Anxious About Romney
As the first battalion of speakers readied for the convention spotlight on Tuesday night, a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender delegates, politicians and activists mingled in a dark restaurant a few blocks away. The …
Michelle Obama’s Fashion: On Message
Throughout Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, Democrats have framed the contest as a choice between a wealthy businessman who would fight for the 1%, and an incumbent president who cares about the middle class. At the …
About Last Night: Wow
The streets and hotel corridors of Charlotte are still vibrating this morning after Michelle Obama‘s remarkable effort, the Democratic Party’s remarkable opening convention night. There was just a quantum leap of energy from the …
A Different Kind of Hope: San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro Addresses the DNC
Stop me if this sounds familiar: a talented young Democratic politician, a Harvard Law grad raised by a single mother, said to be the future of his party, gets the keynote address at the Democratic convention. In 2004, this story …
Obama’s Stadium Speech Rained Out
Citing safety concerns, Democratic organizers announced Wednesday morning that President Obama’s nomination acceptance speech in Charlotte will be moved indoors from Bank of America Stadium to the Time Warner Cable Arena. The venue change, prompted by forecasts of thunderstorms, leaves some 40,000 Democrats who had planned to attend …