The theme of the Democratic National Convention opened and closed on the idea of moving the United States forward. Julian Castro moved the convention in his role as mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Mayor Castro emphasized the great importance of opportunity as a condition precedent to prosperity. He spoke of decent jobs, building infrastructure and the idea that education is actually pro-business.
Mayor Castro explained how President Obama saved the auto industry, expanded Pell Grants and created Obamacare. It is to be noted that former
President Bush signed into law a $700 billion dollar bailout in early October '08. The bailout was signed in order to prevent the Wall Street crisis from igniting across communities in America.
Later, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the convention. Her speech
emphasized the personal side of President Obama as a family man who reads moving letters from ordinary people well into the night. His conclusion from reading these letters is that the problems described to him have to be fixed.
Mrs. Obama related how some teachers in this country work without pay in a bankrupt school district The speech extolled the idea of pay equity in addition to creating new jobs. The First Lady indicated that health care is not an easy issue to address but it is the right thing to do. Another important theme is to give everyone an equal chance at achieving the ideal of the American dream.
Her speech contained numerous references to hardships in her life, as well as President Obama's. Mrs. Obama is a graduate of both Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Clearly, historians will view her as one of the most highly educated first ladies to serve in the White House.
Minority leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi reignited the idea of the American dream for all. She spoke of the need to strengthen the middle class, promote equality, make college more affordable and establish health care as a basic right and not a privilege.
Ms. Pelosi explained how the Obama administration brought the country back from the brink of a financial depression while still preserving the social safety net. Ms. Pelosi reminded the audience that rebuilding the middle class starts with the middle class and not the upper class. Former President Carter made a similar statement to the convention when he said that President Obama would always place the middle class first in the process of making hard decisions.
Sister Simone Campbell addressed the convention to explain how Rep. Ryan's proposed budget would harm the poor. She asked that Medicare be expanded to help the poor while providing heart rendering examples of people hurt by not having the requisite health care coverage. Sister Simone spoke of faith, family and fairness.
Article comments
1 - Baronius
You're describing a very different convention than I saw. The things that struck me the most:
- The delegates rejected the President's platform planks on God and Israel, and were then ignored by Mayor Villaraigosa. That's an ugly clip.
- The VP was bumped from prime-time. (Personally, I think he's a very good speaker, but let's face it, they were afraid of a gaffe.)
- Prime-time slots were instead given to NARAL President Nancy Keenan, Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, and contraception activist Sandra Fluke. An odd move.
- Precious little talk about what the President actually wants to do in the next four years, other than moving "forward".
2 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
The delegates' omission of G-d from the Convention is expected. The agnostic and atheistic
clearly have sway at both conventions but more influence with the Democrats. President Obama
supported Israel during his speech. The President really doesn't have full control over what
the delegates do individually or even collectively. Bumping VP Joe Biden from prime time was a mistake.
His presentation clearly added to the Convention in a significant way.
President Obama made clear what he would do within the next four years. He'll pursue manufacturing and
engineering to put the economy on a firmer foundation. His Administration will cut the spiraling growth
of tuition for students by half within a decade. He vowed never to let Medicare become a voucher based
program. In addition, he promised to restore the middle class. The President indicated that the gas
mileage requirements would be doubled within the next decade. He complemented the work of charitable
organizations and churches in this country. President Obama didn't have to say much more because the
speakers who preceeded him said a lot.
3 - Baronius
I think you're underestimating the uniqueness of that platform vote. The Dems were getting slammed in the conservative media, so they decided to change their platform, apparently at the President's request. What followed was not, but looked like, the delegates booing G-d and Jerusalem. Add to that the fact that the chair ignored the delegates and passed the thing anyway, and the whole thing was an unforced error.
The swing voter doesn't like extremism. They don't trust people who cheer G-d or boo G-d. They avoid anyone who talks about abortion, on either side. The DNC emphasis on the "war on women" may well have backfired for that reason. When Caroline Kennedy said that as a Catholic she's concerned about reproductive health, I think a lot of viewers sensed that there was something weird going on.
The bumping of Biden was a bad move, we agree. Any gaffe would have gotten exposure no matter when the speech took place, but most of the benefit of an effective speech was negated. Just as noticable as Biden's bump was Mrs. Clinton's absence. AFAIK, Al Gore wasn't there either. The funny thing is, I think they were both avoiding someone who's poison for their reputation, but it wasn't the current president.
I thought it was hilarious that ABC had objective journalist George Stephanopoulos in the booth.
4 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
The important thing to notice is whether or not President Obama affirms the platform both in the campaign
and in the debates because I'm sure he'll be asked the same questions you are posing right now.
Mitt Romney has affirmed Jerusalem squarely within the domain of the State of Israel. I'm sure that these issues will surface in the formal debates. Right now, it's important for journalists to formulate pertinent questions for these debates.