Let’s face it, the Democrats nailed the last night of the convention. Though they didn’t quite return to Tuesday’s high, they definitely brought it home. Whether you’re a righty, a leftie or a middle-y, you have to admit this week’s show had it all over last week’s. I heard a few sour-grapes from pundits on the right, of course, but I listen to conservatives even less since they’ve turned to creating their own reality out of air. Supply-side economics, climate change, Paul Ryan’s marathon time. At some point they’re going to have to learn the lesson of the boy who cried wolf.
My favorite criticism was that Mr. Obama was just repeating old promises and platitudes. Pretty rich considering the Republicans spent their entire convention trying (unsuccessfully) to find new ways to say they were going to do exactly the same things they’ve done since the Reagan era. “Doubling down on trickle down,” as Bill Clinton put it on Wednesday. They often laugh at the “Forward” theme of the Obama campaign, yet their speeches were all filled with how great things used to be. To me progressing to the past is far more ridiculous than leading from behind.
I can’t go further without saying two important words about last night: Gabby Giffords. I don’t know that I’ve ever been as moved by the Pledge of Allegiance as I was listening to the congresswoman recite it. I wish the significance of her struggle would have any effect on the NRA and the representatives they strong-arm. Sadly, I doubt it will.
After the Pledge, and maybe using it as inspiration, the program took off. Jennifer Granholm schooled Romney on the auto bailout, Michigander to Michigander, pointing out how the theories of a pure free-market system don’t always work in the real world and the difference between the objectives of the free market and any good government. Romney’s opinions that we should have let Detroit go bankrupt and that we should have let the housing market hit bottom make perfect sense if you’re not one of the millions who would be crushed by those decisions. In government, those people are your responsibility, too.
Now I have one question: Who set the fire under John Kerry? I expected Joe Biden to get worked up and passionate – and he did. But for weeks I’ve been seeing old video of a staid, kind of uptight guy who I supported in 2004 without ever being inspired. Last night someone who looked like him came on stage and took the place over.
President Obama closed the night strong. He didn’t try to sugar coat things or try to make the road ahead look like it’s paved with gold – a good choice in light of today’s jobs numbers. He said it would be hard, but we would get to a better place. At the same time, he managed to strike on Romney weaknesses from his economic philosophies to the small matter of acknowledging and thanking our troops. It was exciting to finally see a Democratic president make the strong statement that we can support and appreciate the men and women who go across the world to fight for us without eagerly searching for new reasons to deploy them.
The important thing for the President and his surrogates to do from here is to hammer on the fact that though things aren’t getting better as fast as we’d like, they are getting better and that a return to Bush-era policies will never get us to where we want to be. They did, after all, get us to the horrors of 2008/2009.
Two moments stand out most for me in the Obama speech. One was his encapsulation of the Republican model of governance:
“Have a surplus? Try a tax cut.”
“Deficit too high? Try another.”
“Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!”
The other was when, in a Sorkin-esque moment, he simply said, “I am the President.”
Yes he is. And with luck he still will be on January 21st.