It's show time. When Barack Obama takes to the podium tonight at the 75,000-seat Invesco Field in Denver to address the Democratic National Convention – and millions of viewers all over the world – it will be the most important speech of his life.
Obama is certain to rise to the occasion. If there's one thing he knows how to do, it's give a speech. And it's a great night for speaking, since today marks the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have A Dream” speech.
That address in August 1963 changed the world. The best Obama can hope to do is change minds. Tonight, Obama has to unify the Democratic base, show uncommitted voters that he is up to task of being president, convince the country as a whole that he can do what he intends to do, and clarify the differences between himself and John McCain.
It seems that among those whom Obama needs to convince is former president Bill Clinton, who is not expected to attend the speech tonight.
Hillary Clinton, however, performed much better. She fulfilled her role as the Clinton grown-up with a convention speech night that was effective, gracious and forward-looking. The only question is: How far forward. Viewers were left wondering if this was the last speech of this campaign or the first speech of the next one.
Whatever else is being accomplished in Denver, we are witnessing a changing of the guard. And to the degree that it's also a change from the narcissistic Clintons, it's a change for the good.
By nominating Barack Obama yesterday by acclamation, the Democrats are repackaging themselves. But what exactly is in the package? The point of tonight's speech is to find out. Obama is good with words. But when it comes to policies and specifics, he sometimes gets into trouble. Not surprisingly, he has tended to stick to generalities. That is safer territory.
That act is wearing thin. Tonight, Obama will have to be more specific about how he intends to bring about the change he has been talking about for the last 19 months. He is expected to focus most of his speech on economic issues and what he described in an interview with The Wall Street Journal as “the choice we have in November between the same failed policy of the last eight years for the middle class and the new agenda to boost income for Americans and help families who are struggling.”
If that's the case, it would be helpful to Obama for him to avoid the same failed liberal, tax-and-spend policies that have been repeatedly discredited by economists and rejected by voters. To do so, he'll have to remember that the president by himself cannot “boost income for Americans.”
Rather, it's the job of Americans who would like their income boosted to work hard, make sacrifices, and make the right personal choices. We're not likely to hear that message tonight, but that doesn't mean Americans wouldn't benefit from taking it to heart.
