Aug 28, 2008 | 12:49 PM
Category:
Political
DENVER -- Drop into the Pepsi Center today and you see nothing but workers... tearing down (over only a couple of days) the Democratic National Convention backdrop, rigging, podium, cameras, lights, stacks of laptops, and thousands of miles of cables that took weeks to put up.
That's because the Democrats' big Denver show rolls about a mile and a half away to Invesco Field (which the locals also call Mile High Stadium) for Barack Obama's big wrapup speech.
Showmanship? Sure. Just check out the Roman column facade. Will this just fan the Republican argument that Obama is nothing much more than a rock star. Sure. But showmanship and celebrity play well. And the Democrats decision to take their big closing night to a 75-thousand seat arena was a smart one. Oh sure, the media is bitching... moving all this stuff just for one night. But this isn't about inconvenience for us.
It's about Barack Obama using the most public of platforms to tell his story... to weave the personal with the political as he tells the football stadium crowd -- and millions more at home -- how as president he would make a difference in their lives.
Aides call his address accepting the Democratic presidential
nomination a "direct conversation" with Americans on what's at stake and the risks of putting another Republican in the White House.
It will be quite a show tonight, almost six hours worth.... entertainment from Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crowe among others... lots of warm up speeches, including one by Al Gore... but the headliner will, of course, be Obama... and his speech begins starts at 8P Denver time... 10P in the east, 7P in the west.
Republican John McCain – whose big show comes next week in Minnesota – says today he's still not ready to name his running mate... although that could happen tomorrow... in an effort to try and blunt the bounce Obama will have coming out of tonight.
Finally just a word about last night. After days of suspense over whether Clinton supporters would fall in line behind Obama when the roll call of the states was called, it all fell into place in the end for Obama. A nicely done piece of cheoreography. Illinois -- Obama's home state -- passing the torch to New York. That's when Hillary Clinton herself stepped forward to propose that Obama be declared the nominee by acclamation. The convention roared its approval.
Bill Clinton spoke... a masterful performance (by far the best speech of this convention so far)... then Obama's VP pick, Joe Biden. The night ended with Obama himself on stage. Republicans watching at home would have been hooting. But in reality it played well. The Democrats had pulled off a flawless day and night.
The GOP just shrugged. Just wait, McCain's people say, for our Democrat-bashing four-day party, starting Monday in St. Paul.
It is interesting to note, however, that the Republicans kick off on Labor Day... burying their unpopular President and Vice President on that first night when few will be watching. They are smart to do that.
Part of the big story next week in Minneapolis-St. Paul will be the demonstrators... left wingers of every stripe will attempt to clog the streets. There were relatively few marches here in Denver, no violence. As someone remarked to me last night, all the Denver demonstrators were all ready inside the hall.
