Democrats began to notice during the last presidential campaign that the Republicans were better at such things as stagecraft than they were, although the knack for cleverly framing their leader backfired on the GOP with its infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner high above the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln when Dubya prematurely proclaimed victory in Iraq.
This time around the Repubs have struggled to compete with the Dems in staging events and theatrical performances. From Berlin’s Victory Column to Denver’s Invesco Field, Obama has proven his rock star status before hundreds of thousands of adoring fans.
In today’s Boston Globe, Joan Vennochi reaches back to the Reagan years to find a comparable political phenomenon:
“DENVER MORNING IN America. Destiny in Denver.
"The high point for Democrats was Reaganesque, as Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination to run for president. An inspirational video. American flags. Fireworks. Red, white, and blue glitter cascading through Denver's thin air. Obama, Joe Biden, and their families, audaciously framed against a set designed to look like the White House.
“Obama spoke about the promise of the future and wrapped up with the history that makes his quest so poignant. Referring to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered 45 years ago, Obama noted that King's listeners did not hear anger; instead, they heard "the preacher " say that "in America, our destiny is inextricably linked."
“It was a powerful message. Ronald Reagan would approve.”
Vennochi summed up Obama’s acceptance speech and predicted the Republican counter attack:
“Obama made many promises in his speech, including pledges to launch new programs to solve complex problems, as well as cut taxes for the middle class. Republicans will do their own math. They will conclude the Obama platform doesn't add up and write it off as more of the same expensive, foolish, and failed liberal idealism. Their problem will be voters who want to believe in it, because it feels so good, especially in tough economic times.
“But, how does McCain reclaim the all-important feel-good mantle the Obama campaign stole from Reagan?”
Vennochi concluded:
"He {McCain] can try to unwrap the gauzy story spun by Obama at Invesco Field. But if all McCain does is attack, he becomes the candidate of gloom and doom, a fateful designation Republicans pin on losing opponents.
“In Denver, the Democrats wrapped themselves in flags and admirals, and Obama delivered the poetry that got him to this improbable point.
‘"We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy,’he said.
"But Obama also flaunted an impressive understanding of the party of Reagan.
“The picture counts. The staging matters. Pretty words seduce.”
(What Vennochi failed to mention in this op-ed piece was McCain’s game-changing pick of Alaska Gov. Sara Palin as his running mate announced the morning after Obama’s performance in Denver.)
To read Vennochi’s op-ed column in its entirety, go here.
Welcome to Katalusis for progressive views on politics, religion, environmental issues, and popular culture. (Photo of the Mississippi River from the University Club in St. Paul, MN.)
Showing posts with label Invesco Field. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invesco Field. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Obama’s Chief Vulnerability: It’s All About Him
Photo credits: APTom Edsall, political editor of the Huffington Post, offers a sober assessment of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech from that fake “Greek temple” at Invesco Field Thursday night.
Edsall writes:
“There was mile-high Democratic euphoria in Denver last night as Barack Obama promised to restore the prosperity and national honor which have so gravely diminished during the past eight years.
“Still, along with the very real possibility of a new dynamism in the Democratic party that could motivate the grassroots, fuel voter registration, turbocharge turnout, and capture the White House, signs of possible political vulnerability could be seen in the leading sentences of Obama's speech tonight before 80,000-plus people gathered at Invesco Field:
‘“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.’
“This theme is profoundly appealing to his supporters, who see in Obama's personal story the embodiment of change, diversity, and a nation moving past racial and cultural conflict. But, at the same time, it plays directly into the Republican theme that the Obama campaign is more a celebration of Obama himself and of his own life story than a commitment to the interests of the American electorate. Obama's approach, according to this perspective, may serve to exacerbate what Pew Center pollster Andy Kohut has described as
‘“Receiving far more media coverage than John McCain "has proved a problem, not a blessing" for Obama, says Kohut. At the beginning of this month, a Pew poll “found 48 percent of respondents saying they had heard 'too much' about Barack Obama” compared to just 26 percent who said the same.”’
Read more.
Edsall writes:
“There was mile-high Democratic euphoria in Denver last night as Barack Obama promised to restore the prosperity and national honor which have so gravely diminished during the past eight years.
“Still, along with the very real possibility of a new dynamism in the Democratic party that could motivate the grassroots, fuel voter registration, turbocharge turnout, and capture the White House, signs of possible political vulnerability could be seen in the leading sentences of Obama's speech tonight before 80,000-plus people gathered at Invesco Field:
‘“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that has always set this country apart -- that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.’
“This theme is profoundly appealing to his supporters, who see in Obama's personal story the embodiment of change, diversity, and a nation moving past racial and cultural conflict. But, at the same time, it plays directly into the Republican theme that the Obama campaign is more a celebration of Obama himself and of his own life story than a commitment to the interests of the American electorate. Obama's approach, according to this perspective, may serve to exacerbate what Pew Center pollster Andy Kohut has described as
‘“Receiving far more media coverage than John McCain "has proved a problem, not a blessing" for Obama, says Kohut. At the beginning of this month, a Pew poll “found 48 percent of respondents saying they had heard 'too much' about Barack Obama” compared to just 26 percent who said the same.”’
Read more.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Obama’s Speech
It’s been a long week, and the fireworks after Barack Obama’s speech at Invesco Field brought a welcome sense of closure.
I’m one of those people who need time to process a major speech before responding to it, so I’ll turn the task over for now to Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny of the NY Times:
“DENVER — Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party presidential nomination tonight, declaring that the “American promise has been threatened” by eight years under President Bush and that John McCain represented a continuation of policies that undermined the nation’s economy and imperiled its standing around the world.
“The speech by Senator Obama of Illinois — in front of an audience of nearly 80,000 people on a warm night in a football stadium refashioned into a vast political stage for television viewers — left little doubt of how he intended to press his campaign against Mr. McCain this fall. And he linked Mr. McCain to what he described as the “failed presidency of George W. Bush” in cutting language that seemed intended to reassure nervous Democrats that he had the spine to take on what has proven this summer to be a scrappy Republican opponent.”
Read more:
I’m one of those people who need time to process a major speech before responding to it, so I’ll turn the task over for now to Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny of the NY Times:
“DENVER — Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party presidential nomination tonight, declaring that the “American promise has been threatened” by eight years under President Bush and that John McCain represented a continuation of policies that undermined the nation’s economy and imperiled its standing around the world.
“The speech by Senator Obama of Illinois — in front of an audience of nearly 80,000 people on a warm night in a football stadium refashioned into a vast political stage for television viewers — left little doubt of how he intended to press his campaign against Mr. McCain this fall. And he linked Mr. McCain to what he described as the “failed presidency of George W. Bush” in cutting language that seemed intended to reassure nervous Democrats that he had the spine to take on what has proven this summer to be a scrappy Republican opponent.”
Read more:
See Obama's Greek Column Backdrop at Invesco Field
Obama's Greek column backdrop at Invesco Field, courtesy of the Moderate VoiceDr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a columnist at The Moderate Voice, has an interesting post on those faux columns in place for Obama’s appearance at Invesco Field this evening.
Well, the Greek column stage-set for Senator Obama’s 20 minute film, speech, followed by fireworks and music after, is seen by some as a bizarre backdrop.
But, perhaps the only odd thing is that many Denverites associate such columns with three notable places in Denver, each one ‘columnized’ out the kazoo, and also very well known for one odd thing or another
Read More.
McCain’s Veep – a Mysterious TV Ad Announcement?
Political Intelligence has updated its post today on McCain’s Veep Pick with a hint of a mystery that might be revealed during Obama’s speech this evening.
‘“UPDATE: The McCain campaign is hyping a mysterious TV ad – ‘exciting and unprecedented,’ it says -- that is to air tonight around the time Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination. So there's speculation that McCain might even use that venue to announce his pick.
‘“Senator McCain is going to speak direct to camera to Barack Obama. I’m not going to give away many more details than that. But suffice to say it’s going to be a very exciting ad, and I think it’s going to get a lot of attention,’ communications director Jill Hazelbaker said on MSNBC today.
‘“Pressed for more details, Hazelbaker responded, ‘Well, I'm going to keep a lid on it. But I think it's newsworthy to note that Senator McCain is going to have an ad that's going to air in battleground states around the time that Senator Obama is speaking tonight. And he’s going to be talking directly to his opponent. So, I'm going to leave it there, but it's going be very exciting and a lot of people are going to focus on it.”’
‘“UPDATE: The McCain campaign is hyping a mysterious TV ad – ‘exciting and unprecedented,’ it says -- that is to air tonight around the time Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination. So there's speculation that McCain might even use that venue to announce his pick.
‘“Senator McCain is going to speak direct to camera to Barack Obama. I’m not going to give away many more details than that. But suffice to say it’s going to be a very exciting ad, and I think it’s going to get a lot of attention,’ communications director Jill Hazelbaker said on MSNBC today.
‘“Pressed for more details, Hazelbaker responded, ‘Well, I'm going to keep a lid on it. But I think it's newsworthy to note that Senator McCain is going to have an ad that's going to air in battleground states around the time that Senator Obama is speaking tonight. And he’s going to be talking directly to his opponent. So, I'm going to leave it there, but it's going be very exciting and a lot of people are going to focus on it.”’
Stage Set for Barack Obama, Greek Columns and All
Denver's Invesco Field: Courtesy of Premiere Sports Travel
Charles Krauthammer at Wapo provides a detailed description of the stage on which Obama is expected to appear this evening:
“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple.
The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos' National Football League team plays.
Some 80,000 supporters will see Obama appear from between plywood columns painted off-white, reminiscent of Washington's Capitol building or even the White House, to accept the party's nomination for president.
He will stride out to a raised platform to a podium that can be raised from beneath the floor.”
“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple.
The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos' National Football League team plays.
Some 80,000 supporters will see Obama appear from between plywood columns painted off-white, reminiscent of Washington's Capitol building or even the White House, to accept the party's nomination for president.
He will stride out to a raised platform to a podium that can be raised from beneath the floor.”
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