Morning screen capture of one of the amazing Huffington Post headlines this week.
I know many Americans are still angry and frustrated with the economy. Though employment is growing, banks are beginning to lend and even housing prices are picking up a bit, too many people don’t feel it. … President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. No President – not me or any of my predecessors could have repaired all the damage in just four years. But conditions are improving and if you’ll renew the President’s contract you will feel it. I believe that with all my heart. – President Bill Clinton
FIRST CAME Michelle Obama giving a historic speech on behalf of her president husband that reached down into her private heart to share the political love story that is their life in service.
Then it was The Master, the greatest communicator modern politics has ever heard, seen, exalted, shunned, then drew back on to center stage by the sheer neediness of the cause and the challenge facing President Obama and the Democrats. To reelect their standard bearer, a man whose quiet arrogance and cool exterior, packed beneath great intelligence, heart and patriotism for his country, doesn’t come with the requisite political skills and gift of communication that reaches into people’s hearts to reveal his need for them.
Tonight Pres. Obama must show We the People that part of himself.
However, nothing has been more starkly obvious while watching the Democratic National Convention play out than the force by which the progressive and Democratic activist community has made their point on the ambivalence they feel towards Barack Obama. The establishment speeches reveal this reality. Both Mrs. Obama and President Clinton directly confronted the people inside the Democratic Party, which includes wide swaths of likely voters, who are soft on Pres. Obama and considering another alternative seriously, including staying home. For all the laughter and open mocking of the President’s base from the Democratic establishment, the time came when they had to admit beyond closed doors that they need the base, you. It was the foundation of the First Lady’s speech, and woven throughout Bill Clinton’s, with direct acknowledgement from the most powerful Democratic message keeper in our lifetime.
For all the progressives, voters and activists, as well as independents who voted for Obama before, with a few Republicans thrown in, because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan continue to prove their unworthiness, tonight’s speech is it, the closer.
There will still be disagreements.
The establishment and the elites who prop it up aren’t going anywhere.
I appreciate, respect and support the continued challenges to the big two parties. These confrontations will make our political system stronger. The first place to begin is abolishing the Electoral College. But that’s not the subject or the most important issue at hand right now and in the coming weeks.
To vote or not to vote to reelect Barack Obama is the only question that matters now.
Some still aren’t decided, but lean toward people like Jill Stein, Green Party, and Gary Johnson, if you’re a conservative. Ron Paul is singing his praises, with rumors flying he will declare for Johnson before November. The Paulites are royally pissed at how Republicans treated them, but perhaps they should consider the lack of any conflict at the Democratic convention, which was a locked down affair, until all hell broke loose creating a worse situation than if open debate was respected. That’s not going to happen.
But these issues don’t change the question for the vast majority of likely voters who still don’t see outside the two party system, because it’s set up that way. What Mitt Romney would do has got to be a truly frightening prospect if you’re a progressive. It’s an inconvenient fact if you’re lukewarm on Pres. Obama.
But again, that’s not what this election is about.
It’s about looking at Mitt Romney as commander in chief and picturing that outcome. A lot depends on what and how Barack Obama makes his pitch tonight, which will be set in an evening of national security and foreign policy prowess the Democratic Party has not enjoy since I began voting.
When Barack Obama was a candidate he made a startling statement on Pakistan. I wrote about it 5 years ago last month.
“I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges,” Obama will say, according to speech excerpts provided to ABC News by his campaign, “but let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”
It’s this very vision as commander in chief that led to President Obama’s decision to give the order to SEAL Team Six.
There isn’t a chance in 10 that Mitt Romney has one-tenth of this steel, as Joe Biden said we’d one day see in President Obama.
The case has been made for President Obama’s reelection this week. There was a time when I didn’t think that was possible.
I think the case has been made for Obama too. I just wish he had a backbone. Tonight we’ll see just how much backbone he has and I will say one thing – if he starts talking about working with the Republicans you can forget it. He’s tried that for 4 years and it hasn’t worked out.
Interesting take, JA.
Appreciate it… though I don’t see anything wrong with “working with Republicans.” It depends on how the deal lays out & what Obama gets in return for honest compromises.
Progressives and activist Dems, including those in Congress, will have to make the same types of decisions if Obama wins. The “grand bargain” is coming, as are other things.
Politics at its best is not a zero sum game.
Taylor – I don’t see anything wrong with working with Repubs either, but this crop of Repubs want it their way or the highway. There is no room for compromise with this bunch and I thought that’s what politics was all about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KrC2pFaaR70
Someone sent me this. It’s not just the candidates. If the last frame doesn’t shake you, nothing will. I’ll see you at the polls.
The video is called “These Guys” on YouTube. Google it.
I hadn’t seen that… You have to stay with it, but it’s got a great ending!
The President was on top of his game tonight. He really laid out the difference between his vision and Romneys. The choices are really stark between the two visions for this country.
I thought the speech was very good – Obama laid out his case well with some detail in his plan. He seemed more somber and less “hopey-changy” while standing strong on certain core Democratic issues. It was a more humble and less exciting speech than the grand, rhetorical ones he gave 4 years ago I thought. Perhaps this is due to his having a record to critique and governing in challenging times. I loved the part where he talked about the concept of citizenship regarding the big corporations, wealthy, elite, etc. and also the Lincoln quote about the seriousness of making decisions, looking to your own failings, etc. I really thought that was special. I have to admit, I enjoyed Michelle Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s speeches more than this one though – I was riveted to those two. I think Bill Clinton helped Obama enormously. I also noticed that Hillary’s theme of her primary campaign, “change that affects people’s daily lives” was very prevalent throughout the convention speeches.
lynnette…I agree with you. I liked Michelle and Clinton speeches. Obama made his case now, next up is the debates.