I watched a fair amount of yesterday's convention proceedings, and I've got to say that I agree with the assessments of both James Carville and David Gergen.
First, Carville:
Speaking on CNN, Carville said the party was too soft in its attacks on John McCain Monday night - the same mistake, Carville says, Democrats made at the 2004 convention."The way they planned it tonight was supposed to be sort of the personal - Michelle Obama will talk about Barack Obama personally, Ted Kennedy was a very personal, emotional speech," Carville said. "But I guarantee on the first night of the Republican Convention, you're going to hear talk about Barack Obama, commander-in-chief, tax cuts, et cetera, et cetera."
"You haven't heard about Iraq or John McCain or George W. Bush - I haven't heard any of this. We are a country that is in a borderline recession, we are an 80 percent wrong-track country. Health care, energy - I haven't heard anything about gas prices," Carville also says. "Maybe we are going to look better Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. But right now, we're playing hide the message."
Exactly right, the Republicans have a HORRIBLE record - disastrous on just about all fronts - the past 8 years, and it's time to let the American people know about that in no uncertain terms. You tell 'em, James!
Now, here's David Gergen:
The Democrats should be enormously grateful to Michelle Obama: after a very slow start to the convention, punctuated by a moving tribute to Teddy Kennedy and his own rousing speech, the first evening was in danger of becoming an entirely lost opportunity. But Michelle rescued it.She was extraordinary, talking in ways that were both conversational - always welcome in people's living room - but also inspiring. She spoke in ways that reached out to people of all backgrounds. Democrats should be both proud and grateful.
I am. Extremely grateful. Also to Michelle's brother, who did a wonderful job as well, and Ted Kennedy for his courage and inspiration. Besides that, Day #1 would have been a snoozefest. Of course, a snoozefest is better than a disaster, and Day #1 certainly was NOT a disaster (despite the idiotic corporate media coverage which kept exaggerating the "disunity" among Democrats), but all I can say is that we'd better start hearing some serious critiques of Republican misrule, how John McCain=George W. Bush, etc. If this is all bipartisanship -- how we should get along with these radical right wingers who hijacked the Party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Gerald Ford (or even Barry Goldwater for that matter) -- then this convention will have been a failure. Last night, we were saved from complete failure by Michelle Obama, her brother, and Ted Kennedy. Let's hope we don't need saving tonight as well.
Fox's viewers weren't allowed to judge for themselves. Same thing for CNN at the time, where Wolf Blitzer was holding court as Pelosi talked. Among the cable news networks, only MSNBC gave Pelosi's speech any real attention.Three hours later, as CNN analysts were wrapping up the night, several talked about the absence of "red meat" attacks on the Republicans. But Democratic activist Hillary Rosen noted that Pelosi was doing some of that - only CNN wasn't really listening.
Pelosi was on early. The focus of the evening was Kennedy and Michelle Obama, and a prime spot was given (erroneously, IMHO) to Leach (who came on at 10, just at network coverage was beginning).
Also, I have heard (I didn't watch it) that Pelosi's speech was weak tea anyway.
Anyway, given all those qualities, the cable stations quickly tired of the speech and went back to their inane chatter.
In nights 2 and 3 my expectation is that we'll hear a clearer "statement of the problem". Then in night 4 we'll have a tone that brings it back home with a message that contains a few jabs, but which reiterates the positive message from night one.
You don't want to spend the entire time attacking the Republicans. It makes more sense to build up to it.