Switching gears

By Jennifer J. Foster

By this time tomorrow, we’ll know who will be running with John McCain.

Late money is on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who canceled the Friday morning appearances he was making in Denver on behalf of the Republican Party. If Pawlenty had any answers, he wasn’t sharing.

Other perceived top No. 2 candidates for McCain include Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

For some reason, the names of Eric Cantor and Rob Portman keep showing up ... and in the mind of this political observer, the selection of either of those men—or either of the oft-mentioned ladies from the business world (Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman)—would leave a lot to be desired on that ticket.

This much we know: It won’t be Mike Huckabee.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s name has come up a bit this week, but most observers seem to think she’s a long shot—or a no-shot—considering her rocky relationship with McCain and her own ambition, which is to run for governor of the Lone Star State in 2010.

Stay tuned!

Barack’s big night

By Jennifer J. Foster

Wow.

I agree with the pundits: If there was any doubt that Barack Obama could get out there and hold his own in a fierce contest with John McCain, Obama dispelled it tonight.

Obama made his entrance after a biographical video (see it here) in which he discussed his life in terms of things that connect him to average Americans: His childhood in a broken home. The difficulty his mother had in providing for him, the jobs she held, the food stamps she was forced to accept at one point, the worries she had about putting him through college. Her losing fight against breast cancer and his experience watching her fight with insurance companies “from her hospital bed,“ he said. The worries his grandparents have about whether they can pay for health care on their fixed income.

Noticeably absent were the soaring, lyrical phrases for which Obama is known. There was no hint of the upper-crust celebrity overtone with which the McCain campaign has consistently hammered him for weeks.

The video was clearly meant to redraw the public’s perception about Obama: The campaign sought to portray him tonight as a guy who grew up in a regular home, met a regular girl, had a regular romance and has a regular family.

Almost.

The one line from the video that stuck with me was when Obama explained how he got involved as a community organizer (4:57 on the tape). It is what distinguishes him and what makes him drive for the presidency:

“You read about some injustice, and you say, ‘That’s not right; somebody should fix that.‘“ Obama said. “You realize, nobody else is going to fix it if you don’t.“

The video set the table nicely for his speech—which, as usual, was widely praised when it was over, but for none of the usual reasons.

The bio piece had been a clue to the address itself: It wasn’t the usual Obama speech, packed with soaring rhetoric and loaded with lofty language. This was the working lunch equivalent of an acceptance speech. I once heard an author-musician say about a song she had written that if she ever penned an autobiography, “It may be longer, but it will say no more.“

Obama’s speech was longer, but it said no more than this: “Let’s get ready to rumble.“

The speech was all about “the change we need” and Obama’s case for making that change. He never said so explicitly, but Obama argued that “the change we need” is modern liberalism.

It’s easy to miss that message. After all, it’s couched in all that talk about bipartisanship, a “new kind of politics” and “finding common ground.“ And there were plenty of times when Obama sounded downright Republican. Listen to these phrases from the speech:

“Each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will;“

“The market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth;“

“Government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves;“

“That’s the promise of America, the idea that we are responsible for ourselves;“

“It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us;“ and

“Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility, that’s the essence of America’s promise.“

These are all tenets of the Republican Party. That third quote is from Abraham Lincoln, for goodness’ sake.

Was I suddenly watching CNN live from Minneapolis?

No, I was watching a brilliant defense of liberal political philosophy, couched in the language of the opposition. As such, Obama was able to make the case in a way that was completely unapologetic. It allowed him to “claim the moral high ground,“ as longtime Clinton strategist Paul Begala noted, on issues—even abortion, guns and gay marriage—that Democrats on the federal level have avoided for so long. Not only did Obama not seek to minimize his differences with McCain on issues both foreign and domestic, he highlighted them and then built a compelling case for why he believes he is right and McCain is wrong.

It was very much a bare-knuckles speech. Here are two examples.

First, on the Republican concept of the “ownership society:“

It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care; it’s because John McCain doesn’t get it. For over two decades—for over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.

In Washington, they call this the “Ownership Society,“ but what it really means is that you’re on your own. Out of work? Tough luck, you’re on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You’re on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don’t have boots. You are on your own.

Well, it’s time for them to own their failure ...

And then on national security, the issue on which McCain will stake his campaign and the issue that most observers believe Republicans have been able to use to defeat and minimize Democrats on the national stage:

If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have. For—for while—while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face. When John McCain said we could just muddle through in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.

You know, John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won’t even follow him to the cave where he lives.

...We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe.

It got even more personal than that at one point when Obama responded to McCain’s slogan, “Country First:“

So I’ve got news for you, John McCain: We all put our country first.

It will be interesting to see whether McCain responds to Obama’s tone in kind next week. No doubt he’ll be tempted to do so, and there will likely be a spirited debate in his inner circle about whether that would be well advised. Doing so would irretrievably and irrevocably elevate the rhetoric of the campaign from now until Election Day, at the risk of alienating independents who are sick of “politics as usual.“ Failing to respond in kind could be interpreted as weakness, or—and this is actually worse—aloofness.

But Barack Obama very clearly called out John McCain on these issues and for the balance of the 10 weeks until Election Day. It’s part of why GOP strategist Alex Castellanos said that “whoever didn’t get picked for McCain’s VP this afternoon is probably a lucky Republican.“

We’ll begin to see tomorrow whether McCain chooses to engage Obama.

I have to admit, there is one part of me that is sincerely hoping that he does. How terrific would it be for these candidates to spend the next 10 weeks defending not only themselves and their campaign promises, but their underlying political philosophies, too? When in recent memory have we been able to have an impassioned, cerebral, non-fearmongering debate about liberalism versus conservatism?

The course of this country for at least the next four years will be determined by whether Americans choose the former or the latter.

[On a personal note, I have to admit that my favorite line of this speech was this one: “And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.“

On behalf of my three young daughters, I really dig that line.]

Obama in advance

By Jennifer J. Foster

Just wanted to let you know quickly while Obama is trying to settle down the crowd that his campaign released an advance copy of his acceptance speech.

WHY????? This is the most anticipated address Obama has given in his lifetime. Why would they spoil it?

Anyway, if you want to read it instead of hearing it live, it’s here.

Thursday night bonanza

By Jennifer J. Foster

For their big finale tonight, delegates to the Democratic National Convention have moved from the Pepsi Center about a mile away to Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos—and they’ve been joined by about 40,000 of their closest friends.

For the first time since 1960 when John Kennedy did it in The Coliseum in Los Angeles, a presidential candidate will accept his party’s nomination at a football field when Barack Obama does it tonight.

Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder kept the crowd entertained between the warmup acts of Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former vice president Al Gore.

SIDEBAR: My major annoyance with CNN’s coverage tonight is that it covered Crow’s entire set but allowed its pundits to chit-chat all over Kaine’s remarks. You know, Kaine was one of the top two or three candidates for Obama’s running mate; it might be a good idea for us to listen to what the guy has to say.

Then again, Kaine’s remarks focused on faith. Maybe CNN didn’t think we needed to hear them. END SIDEBAR

Richardson delivered a memorable line after launching into an attack on John McCain and his “flip-flops” on issues like the Bush tax cuts, interrogation techniques and energy independence:

“America is ready for change, but the only thing Sen. McCain has changed is his mind,“ Richardson said ... “McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we are the ones who will pay for his flip-flops.“

Not surprisingly, that line met with enthusiastic approval.

Gore’s remarks centered on—what else?—the “planetary emergency” of global warming. He, too, took some shots at McCain, saying he’s adopted many of President Bush’s positions on major issues.

“I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous,“ Gore said.

More later ... Obama is taking the stage.

Joe Biden: Take 2

By Jennifer J. Foster

Bill Clinton did his duty in his speech to the Democratic National Convention earlier tonight. His address was underwhelming, in my opinion. I know his role was to bolster Barack Obama’s credentials and his perceived “readiness issue”—hence, Clinton’s statement that “Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States”—but the speech itself had the feel of someone completing his Saturday morning chores. There was nothing objectionable about it; its tone wasn’t suspect, and Clinton said all the right things in all the right ways. But it just felt like something was missing, especially after watching Hillary Clinton last night. She had the X-factor; Bill, not so much.

Fast forward to the outstanding veterans video produced by Steven Spielberg. What a gift to the Democratic Party from one of America’s foremost filmmakers—arguably, its foremost filmmaker when it comes to military pictures. Spielberg’s war films have included “Band of Brothers,“ “Saving Private Ryan,“ “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of our Fathers,“ and he brought the expertise he has developed over the years to this production, a look at America’s willing warriors and the debt the nation owes them.

It set the stage perfectly for Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s son, Delaware’s attorney general and a soon-to-be-deployed-to-Iraq Marine captain.

If anyone stole the show tonight, it was Beau Biden. He is the up and comer of the party. If you missed his introduction of his father, don’t worry; you’ll be seeing Beau Biden a lot in the future.

Joe Biden took the stage after Beau’s introduction, and after sharing an emotional moment with one of the sons he nearly lost in the car accident that did take the lives of his wife and infant daughter, Joe Biden went to work.

It was Take 2 for the newly minted vice presidential candidate. He had a second chance to make that first impression—and he needed it, after his C-minus performance at the ticket rollout event in Springfield, Ill.

Biden didn’t waste the opportunity.

CNN’s pundits were basically split among party lines about the effectiveness of Biden’s speech, but I thought it was everything his speech on Saturday wasn’t. He was engaged and affable; he was commanding without being overbearing. He spoke plainly and personally about his family and his perception of how the Bush Administration’s foreign policy has made the world a more dangerous place for that family. He drew stark contrasts between experience—John McCain’s experience—and judgment, arguing that years in Washington don’t necessarily ensure that someone will make the right decisions or have the right philosophies on foreign and domestic policy.

But what made that section of the speech so effective was that he properly undergirded it before it began. Biden and McCain have served in the Senate together since McCain was elected in 1986. Biden spent nearly a full minute talking about his friendship with and respect for John McCain and his admiration of McCain’s courage and his service to America in the Vietnam War (“It’s a friendship that goes beyond politics,“ Biden said). And that’s what enabled Biden to speak with authority about what he calls missteps in McCain’s foreign policy: Precisely because of his friendship with and respect for John McCain, Biden’s arguments carried more credibility than they would have if they had been couched in strictly partisan terms.

The evening wrapped up with Barack Obama’s appearance with Biden on stage at the Pepsi Center following Biden’s remarks. It was a visual exclamation point to the biggest evening the Democrats have had yet this year: A former president vouching for a would-be president, the nominee’s chief rival in the primaries calling for the nomination to be made by acclimation, resulting a major American political party nominating the first African-American for president of the United States.

The Democrats have had a terrific convention so far. It’s no wonder John McCain’s campaign is set to leak McCain’s VP announcement around midnight tomorrow and introduce the ticket Friday morning: The McCain camp wants to put a damper on Obama’s convention bounce as soon as possible.

After tonight, it’s easy to see why.

See also:

The transcript of Joe Biden’s speech to the Democratic National Conventon