Today’s reviews pretty much agree that Michelle Obama was the star of Day One of the Democratic Convention. After a long series of often-savage speeches (probably the best being from Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick) ripping Mitt Romney and the GOP, the First Lady never mentioned Romney, Ryan or their party, but instead made an emotional case for Democratic-leaning voters to show up at the polls on November 6. Nearly her entire speech was devoted to combatting the image of her husband as a distant and disengaged elitist. And it capped a day in which Democratic delegates and convention managers alike seem to be determined to prove they are not afraid to defend the president’s record–including, and perhaps especially, the supposedly toxic Affordable Care Act–and are at least as “enthusiastic” as the Republicans who gathered in Tampa.
My live-blog from last night is here and here, and my brief summary of the evening is here.
Tonight’s anticipated big star will be former president Bill Clinton, who will formally place Obama’s name in nomination, but more importantly, will be expected to defend 44’s economic record and go after Republicans for accusing him of abandoning Clinton’s policies. We probably won’t begin to see any public opinion feedback from the convention until tomorrow or Friday, but so far, the Democrats appear to be making a pretty good impression.
