Ok, I wasn't as crazy about Bill Clinton's speech as the rest of you. I thought it was too detailed and number driven. It was a recitation of statistics. And there were too many lecture-like "listen now" and "this is important" refrains. Sure, it was forceful but it was not inspirational. He sounded like a politician and a party-line guy. (Which of course he is.) It wasn't very personal.
It's Republicans who are throwing out the idea that Obama will have a tough time tomorrow night following Clinton. Obama will have no trouble. Obama will do tomorrow what he did at the DNC in Boston in 2004 and Denver in 2008 -- his speech will be inspirational and emotional. When he came out to greet Clinton after Clinton's speech, it was a demonstrative reminder that Clinton's era has passed-- Obama is the present. All Obama needs to be is authentic, not get bogged down too many policy details, and convey the impression that the country is safe in his hands.
I think Rahm Emanuel, Lilly Ledbetter, Julian Castro -- even Kathleen Sebelius did a better job of promoting Obama and his record than Clinton did. They spoke with emotion, confidence but not bravado, and with feeling. Clinton spoke with force, but from the head. And there was too much bluster.
So Obama will do more than hold his own tomorrow in comparison. He will inspire. That's always been his principal strength. Tonight, I think the Georgia delegation, in casting its votes for Obama, captured how most people view him: "He has earned people's trust and he has served with dignity." He just needs for that image to come across tomorrow. He doesn't need more because the same can't be said of his opponent. I think he'll deliver.
Mitt Romney hasn't earned any trust yet. He's a question mark to too many people. People are not going to buy a pig in a poke this year, times are too dicey. They want safe and steady. Sure, they wish they were better off, but no way will they risk things getting worse. It's not a good time to shake the boat.
Of course, Medicare alone may defeat Romney/Ryan. Anyone over 40 isn't going to chance risking Medicare. Their parents need it now, and they want it there for them. At 40, they already have 20 years of taxes invested in it. As for those 55 and over, not a chance -- people don't open Pandora's Box when their future is on the line.
When Obama says he won't mess with Medicare, people believe him. When Romney says he won't, no one knows. That's the trust and character issue, and it will put Obama over the top in November. He didn't have that 4 years ago, he was a Newbie, but he has banked enough now. He got health care through, put some diversity in the Supreme Court by nominating two women, helped the auto industry and their jobs survive, pushed the envelope with his executive order granting relief for children of immigrants, the troops left Iraq and he set a date for their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Some promises he didn't keep, like closing Gitmo and trying the 911 defendants in federal court, were blocked by Congress. Sure, he's still wrong on the war on drugs and in his support for more intrusions into our privacy. But this election isn't about what people like me think. Most voters don't care about those issues, and those of us who do know Romney would be worse.
For all the money Romney had in the bank, he has a trust deficit. He also doesn't connect on a personal level. While his wife is more personable than he is, no one identifies with Donna Reed or June Cleaver any more-- especially not women. There are too many Lily Lidbetters out there.
I expect Obama's speech tomorrow night will showcase the personal, authentic side of Obama, interspersed with inspirational references and moments of passion and quips of humor. That's all he needs. Bill Clinton won't be a factor. Put another way, in November, the Obama-Romney contest will come down to people asking themselves the equivalent of "Who'd you rather?" The answer is going to be Obama, having nothing to do with Bill Clinton.
