There were two main keynotes tonight, Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. Both of their speeches were fine in and of themselves. However, what is becoming very clear with this year's DNC is that the Democrats have no solutions to really offer.
The DNC is spending almost all of its time trying to paint Obama as the 'right man' for the job and someone of moral conviction who you can trust and who will do the right thing. Their speeches are really harping on ideological concepts such as right and wrong - and how they are guided by what is right and Romney is guided by what suits him (even if its wrong).
The only problem is, like I said yesterday, they are selling milk to the cow. Everything they are saying today people heard four years ago and it's the reason they voted for Obama.
What people really care about NOW is who will create jobs and prosperity and raise the standard of living.
So far the Democrats have offered nothing with regards to jobs and prosperity. It's simply not part of their messaging. I'm quite stunned that they are not addressing the one thing that the Republicans are going to beat them over the head with from now until November. It's a really bad strategy to go with a character theme over an issue theme, when the issue (unemployment/economy) is what people care about right now.
We'll have to see if Obama can pull this mess from the fire. Romney pulled the GOP convention from the fire (just barely mind you). Obama is going to have to do the same.
I'll also say this (and its the reason, from a PR perspective, I'm giving the convention a D+ so far, despite ranking each night as both being C's). The DNC convention seems way too upbeat and happy. Normally that's what you want at a convention to be, but something just feels off, as though the Democrats don't really understand how bad things are out there.
Instead of talking about how they are going to fix the problem, they are rambling on and on about how great Obama is. The only problem is do they really think that is going to hook undecided voters who are seriously ticked off about the economy? I think the almost euphoric state of the crowd at times, when viewed against the backdrop of the current economic troubles in the US, creates the impression that the Democrats truly are out of touch with reality (although highly in touch with their principles).
The problem is the 2012 election is going to be more about who will do something as opposed to simply believing in something. It's great that Democrats are upbeat, well intentioned, good-hearted folks, but that doesn't put food on the table, low the national debt or raise GDP.
Bill Clinton Keynote: B
(only part one available on YouTube at this time. Will add part 2 when available).
Clinton did Clinton. He's a great public speaker and knows how to fire up a crowd. The only problem is that it's all puffery. There's no concrete reason to vote for Obama based on the things Clinton has said other than Clinton says you should.
That's great in that it may increase turn out among Democratic voters, but realistically it's mostly preaching to the choir. What Clinton says is simply not enough to sway anyone who is sitting on the fence post over Obama versus Romney.
But like I say, Clinton is a top-notch public speaker, so he sure didn't hurt the convention in any way, but how much he helped sway people Obama's way is debatable.
Elizabeth Warren: B
Good speech, but here's the problem, it's all stuff Obama said back in 2008.
To be honest, about half way through she started talking about the financial crisis and saying how it was caused by corrupt corporations and banks, at that point I basically rolled my eyes. Of course it was - DUH!
Yet what has Obama done about any of it? Was anyone been put in jail? Was anyone fined? Hell no. In fact the opposite! He took tax payer money and gave it to the crooks who were going bankrupt because of their debt-based ponzi schemes.
So I don't see how Warren can say Obama will resolve these things in the next four years, when the time to resolve them was back in 2008!
I actually like Warren. I think she's the type of person who would have actually gone after people and corporations who broke the law. But Obama clearly does not share her same passion for justice being served.
So great 'how dare they' type speech from Warren, but I don't know how much of that passion will carry over to goodwill towards Obama (given he has done next to nothing about the items that spark such outrage in Warren).
On a side note, to see how independents think, check out the clip from Breakout over at Yahoo Finance. Jeff Mackie represents how independents view Obama and you can see by his reactions, he's reacting the way I think most independents will react, with skepticism over the fact that Obama's actions do not align with his rhetoric.
So while the DNC is hands down turning in to a spectacle of Democrats patting Democrats on the back, I don't think its going to be effective in generating any mindshare with independents (who they need to win the election).
We'll have to wait until tomorrow night to come to a final analysis, but I suspect nothing much will change.
In the end, I think this election is ultimately going to come down to the debates between Romney and Obama. That is where one will fall and one will rise, because neither the RNC nor the DNC have helped either candidate solidify any substantial momentum or lead.
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