I’ve never fully understood what makes a convention “good” by the standards of conventional wisdom. Journalists bemoan scripted and overly-choreographed events that seem more like infomercials than political gatherings, and yet, these same journalists praise conventions that put on a good show, hit the right scripted notes, present a united front for the cameras, and run on time.
So, with one night to go, is this year’s Democratic National Convention a success? With John Kerry’s speech still on tap it may be premature to even ask, but it seems to me the show in Boston is going pretty darn well.
If speeches are the mark of success, this year’s DNC has to be the best since the Dems’ 1984 gathering. Bill Clinton solidified his reputation as the best of the best on Monday night, John Edwards showed last night that he’ll soon be giving the Big Dog a run for his money, while Barack Obama delivered one for the ages on Tuesday, with one of the best speeches I’ve heard since Mario Cuomo’s “Tale of Two Cities” speech 20 years ago.
Want to know how good Obama was on Tuesday? Consider that every possible faction claimed the speech as their own. The Dems’ liberal base quickly embraced Obama as a hero and adopted his “Audacity of Hope” speech as a rallying cry. Centrists saw the speech as an ideal, Clinton-like appeal to DLC-style values, including an emphasis on personal responsibility and using the power of the state to strengthen families’ ability to take care of themselves. Conservatives, meanwhile, said Obama was actually articulating a right-of-center philosophy.
When the left, right, and center all want to claim ownership of one man’s words, you know it was one hell of a speech. And if Obama’s remarks set the tone for this convention, it will be viewed as a highly successful event.
But putting the speeches aside, another point leads me to believe this year’s convention will be viewed as a triumph — the GOP hasn’t figured out how to attack it.
Republicans really wanted to label the whole convention a “hate-fest.” The Dems took a gamble and turned it into a positive message with minimal Bush bashing. The GOP set up a rapid-fire response team, who has been left with very little to do.
The mild tone of the convention has left the Republicans with precious little to rage about. One Republican opposition researcher told the Boston Globe that the GOP was disappointed by the lack of ammunition coming out of Boston — particularly by the calm performance that Al Gore turned in Monday night. “I was hoping he’d show a little more anger,” RNC research director Tim Griffin told the Globe.
Ed Gillespie has been roaming the floor in Boston, waiting to pounce on some controversial nugget, but he’s been left wanting. Indeed, he seems like the only one in the building who isn’t having any fun.
It’s gotten so bad for the Republicans that GOP spinmeisters, in their desperation, are left to make off-message charges that don’t make any sense. For example, The Gadflyer’s Tom Schaller received a Bush-Cheney email yesterday under Jeb Bush’s signature that argued:
The extreme makeover of John Kerry continued last night in Boston. Centrist Democrats paraded across your television screen to praise the most liberal Senator in Washington and his running mate — the 4th most liberal member of the Senate.
Putting aside the ridiculous myth about Edwards’ liberal ranking, this GOP attack makes even less sense than the usual GOP attack. This message was sent to reporters on Wednesday referring to Tuesday’s line-up. When Bush’s surrogates complain about “centrist Democrats” on TV, they’re apparently referring to Dem speakers from Tuesday night — Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, and Teresa Heinz Kerry.
So, Republicans, which is it? Are the Dems parading far-left liberals onto the stage, as the GOP has argued, or are they creating a Potemkin village of moderates, as the GOP has also argued? Dean and Kennedy have been called many things by the Republicans, but you know the GOP has a message problem when the party forgets its talking points and calls these two “centrists.”
Good speeches? Check. United party? Check. Confused opposition? Check. I’d say things are going pretty well so far.