Julia Reed | 08/27/2008 10:45 am

Julia Reed Asks: Where's Obama in This Convention?

My overarching thought last night watching the convention was this: By the time Obama speaks on Thursday, people will have all but forgotten he is the candidate. Yes, Michelle had her moment on Monday (and she did a good job), but so did Teddy Kennedy. Now it is Clinton time. Last night, watching the Hillary video, even I almost teared up, which given my seriously mixed feelings about her, is saying something. The best she could do in her speech was to say, essentially, "Vote for Obama because he’s a Democrat," and the rest of the time it was all about her — her personal history, why she ran, what she has done for women, etc. And then there was the attendant soap opera — what Bill meant earlier in the day with his "hypothetical," his tears in the stands, Chelsea’s support of Mom, the Hillary supporters outside with their "18 million votes" placards.

Tonight, it will be worse, with Bill the Bloviator taking the stage. He fills up a stadium, he will be the only subject of the talking heads. If the Obama people had any sense, they would have offered to pay her debt with his many millions and cut a deal — put them both on Monday night, dispense with the roll-call vote, anything to relegate the Clintons to a smaller spotlight, as hard as that is. (McCain is fortunate that he does not have remotely the same problems — when Romney speaks, it will not end up being all about him to say the least.)

Hillary was saying, "This ain’t over, not by a long shot." She’s right. Last night, at least, I thought, "McCain can win this." I have never lived through a Democratic convention week when there was so much talk of the Republican candidate — and not just from the podium where he is the subject of attacks. McCain’s ads are breaking through, The Clintons are introducing him into the conversation. It is uncanny. On the second night of the Democratic Convention, a Gallup tracking poll had the Republican candidate two points ahead for the first time since Obama sealed the nomination in June. Obama is going to have to be the biggest guy in the room on Thursday, an effort made harder by his campaign’s now possibly dubious decision to have him speak not in a room at all, but in a huge open-air stadium. In the meantime, it is still the Clintons’ show.

Read more about: Barack Obama, DNC, Election, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, News, Politics

397 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Joan…how come Peggy Noonan, who was at the convention speaking on NBC, etc., didn’t blog on wowOwow.com or file an Internet report, or a cell-phone report/interview? It seems like several of the “stars” at WoW really don’t contribute much of anything to the website.

By James the Game on 08/27/2008 12:13 pm

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Oh man. She can’t win with certain people. They want her to roll over and endorse Obama. So she does, quite forcefully. Then they look for holes in her speech, then ultimately criticize her for even appearing, then begin the march anew to ruin her future chances. That was undoubted a presidential level speech. The true elephant in the room is that she’s good and has been ignored.

By Buh- Bye on 08/27/2008 12:21 pm

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Who are the “certain people?” Are you protecting them? Please give names, and tell us when these “certain people” criticized HRC for “even appearing.” It isn’t the Obama people, I assure you. And she hasn’t been ignored — what is your definition of ignored??? Everybody talking about how great you were???? When did I land on the Planet Bizarro????

By Linda Mason on 08/28/2008 1:39 am

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Linda, et al, I am going to request that wOw conduct an analysis of the posts related to the primary and the convention posts to determine who in fact has been the most frequently snide and mean-spirited. I feel sure the conclusion will be the Obama supporters who have attcked Senator Hillary Clinton, President William Jefferson Clinton and Chelsea Clinton as well as their supporters unmercifully since the primary season began. As a Clinton supporter who transitioned to support Obama in June, I have viewed the action with a sincere desire to see unity brought to the Democratic Party. I do not mean to address my comments directly to you, Linda, but to all the Obama supporters who attack the Clintons and continue to be divisive…who say they love the Clintons but they are sabotaging the convention, that they are sucking the air out of the room. Oh, for heaven’s sake, can’t we all just get along? Peace and grace

By beth willis on 08/28/2008 7:57 am

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Hi Beth — Several of my posts have expressed concern that a small, vocal minority of HRC supporters who want to keep their anger and resentment against Obama at the forefront, receive too much attention at this site, and overshadow the majority of HRC supporters such as yourself. Did you check out the comments on the interactive list for Tuesday at the convention? It was a pretty unanimous chorus of cheers for Hillary! I am an Obama supporter, but I felt the need to log on early to acknowledge that the night belonged to HRC and her supporters, and to add my own glowing review of her speech (totally deserved) later. In my view, a few posters have a hugely disproportionate impact on the dynamic of the Obama/Clinton dialogue, and not for the better!

By Linda Mason on 08/28/2008 4:02 pm

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Hello, Linda. Thank you for your response. I have been reading Thoreau, who has always led my thinking onto higher ground when I seem to be stuck. I saw your response and wanted to share a few new ideas I’ve had. First, I think that the much talked-about ‘set’ at the stadium for tonight’s speech is actually the same set which has been in the convention hall all week. Second, I did read Tuesday’s thread and was impressed with the shared enthusiasm and respect for Senator Clinton’s speech. Unfortunately, Julia Reed’s post did not appeal to “the better angels of our nature.” Her comments were provocative and honestly, rightly hers, but so many of us then provoked one another. I know I personally regret a few of my comments. The participation of the founders made the discourse even more exciting. Unlike you, I saw perhaps an equal number of antagonists, which brings me to another observation: if those who oppose Obama continue to more clearly define their objections, the Obama/Biden campaign and those who support it can begin to bring answers to those questions; Barack and Joe are not the total package…….they have Senator Clinton, military experts in and out of the present administration, leaders in every area of American life dedicated to open government. That is the huge difference between the Democrats and the republicans. Obama/Biden will shine a beacon to their vision while McCain will govern behind closed doors. The answer is not for anyone to turn to McCain; the solution is to allay the fears and skepticism of those who aren’t yet ready to invest in Obama/Biden……….not until their questions are answered. And the people who say that they are not opposed to the Clintons and then list 5 references………the rest of the page is the Clinton bashers. Needs to stop. I respect you, Linda; enjoy your posts and, hopefully, do not sound ‘preachy’. Let me leave you with this quote from Thoreau:”The fate of the country…does not depend on what kind of paper you drop into the ballot box once ‘every four years’, but on what kind of ‘self’ you drop from your chamber into the street every morning.” Peace and grace

By beth willis on 08/28/2008 6:20 pm

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Ah, you’re both nuts. Without the Clintons on board, there’s no way Sen. Obama could carry this. Since he couldn’t bring himself to choose Sen. Clinton as his running mate, he had to give up the spotlight for a time at the convention to even begin to bring her support on board. I’m not talking about votes. Anyone can see for the Clinton supporters it would have to be “hold you nose and vote” for even for Mortimer Snerd, if that’s who ran as a Democrat, over McCain. But who walks the precincts, answers the phones, does the scut work of the DNC. Women. As usual. Women. And are Sen. Clinton’s corps coming out if the Clintons got slighted in Denver. Um, no. They’ve said so. Those ladies in the silly hats with the Hillary signs? The doorhangers at your house in the morning? Um. We love the Clintons. If Sen. Obama wants any of our money, time and energy, he’d better show some respect.

By Mugsy Peabody on 08/27/2008 2:50 pm

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After seeing Bill, do you still agree ?

By EKA - on 08/27/2008 9:16 pm

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Tonight was a great night for the Democrats and the last two were just leading up to it. As I look back at the three nights in progression, it is going just right.

By DeBúrca obj on 08/28/2008 12:31 am

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First of all, just like you can’t have 2 rock stars in a marriage you can’t have 2 rock stars on a presidential ticket, and since both Obama AND Hillary now, have been called “rock stars”, though apparently it’s a good label for Hillary and bad for Obama, we can see why Obama could not choose her as his running mate. Also, as for the Democrats “having a talent for committing suicide, after watching the 3rd night of the Convention with the history making roll call, the absolutely flawless speeches by Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Joe Biden, and the entrance by Barack Obama it was quite clear in retrospect how the Convention had been organized to build up to the electrifying day yesterday which brings us to today’s climax. Michelle Obama got to introduce her husband and even more importantly, herself on the first day and give people the feel for him as a family man. Hillary and her supporters got some room to celebrate her, and heal from the loss on the 2nd day, and the fact that the Democrats were wise enough to allow that time says great things about the party, not bad. Without the first two days being what they were, the 3rd day never would have happened and it was a great day. I am looking forward to Barack Obama’s speech tonight with little doubt that he will rise to the task.

By DeBúrca obj on 08/28/2008 3:25 pm

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I second Joan Cooney. I third Julia. As a democrat, I am trying not to watch. Anyone read Dowd today? She nailed it as well.

By Joan Juliet Buck on 08/27/2008 12:52 pm

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The one thing that could save the day for the Democrats is if Obama announces in his Thursday-night speech that he plans to appoint Hillary his new Health Czar, or at least say that she’ll have a prominent role within his administration. Short of that, it is quite possible he will lose this election. So powerful was Hillary’s speech last night - truly, one for the ages. An African-American delegate was interviewed last night after Hillary’s speech, and this lady told the reporter, teeth gritted, tears rolling down her face: “You saw it. You know that was a presidential speech. You know it.” Asked whether she would now vote for McCain, she said “no”. Then the reporter asked whether she’d vote for Obama. The reply: “I’ve been telling people for years to vote. Now, someone may have to convince me to.”

By James the Game on 08/27/2008 12:05 pm

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If I were Hillary, no czar jobs—those are just sop jobs no one else wants to do or get the blame for when they fail. And Sen Obama would need to be elected first, remember.

By Star Lawrence on 08/27/2008 5:15 pm

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I read Dowd. She is saying what all the pundits have been saying. But what if they didn’t give into the Clintons? The only thing I hope is that Hillary got her base to support the Dem ticket even if they hate Obama. And for those here who still don’t think Obama is C in Chief material, do they think GW ever was?????? I said this a few months ago and I said it again here, the Dems don’t know how to throw a party like the Repubs!!! Obama needs to change his game plan after the Repub convention. He has to give better Q&As because he tends to think through and expand on his answers. Joan, There were some wonderful speeches last night, but they weren’t aired. One guy had everyone standing and cheering including Bill. Those are the speeches that need to be aired. Damned the Dems for not learning their lesson 4 years ago. But then again, is Obama the type of guy you’d want to party with??? I tend the think the only shots he ever took were at the doctor’s office.

By Brooklyn Gal on 08/27/2008 12:17 pm