The 2004 Democratic Convention made everyone in the hall feel good. It focused on John Kerry's life story, telling the nation of his war heroism and positioning him as a true patriot. Speaker after speaker spoke movingly of the Kerry they knew and loved, and about the policies he would introduce as president.
A couple of weeks' later it was the Republicans' turn. They didn't spend much time talking about George Bush or his vision for a second term. They just turned their guns on Kerry and the Democrats and blasted away. Zell Miller, the keynote speaker, embodied this approach. He tore into Kerry's judgment and patriotism, suggesting that he'd have to ask France before taking any military action. A week of solid firing later, and Kerry was already slipping behind Bush in the polls.
The 2004 Convention is now regarded as a massive missed opportunity. It was too much about Kerry's biography, and not enough about why Bush was a bad president. That's why some Democrats are already worried, after one night, that this year's convention will repeat the mistake. Michelle Obama gave a terrific, moving speech, and nobody expected attack politics from her. But none of the other speakers ripped into Bush either. It was great to see Kennedy, and everyone at the convention will be feeling warm and cuddly. But the biggest task of this year's convention isn't to reassure everyone that Obama is nice or that Democrats are warm-hearted folks. It's to tie John McCain to the failed policies of George Bush.
Many Democrats will be hoping that Hillary Clinton leads the charge this evening.
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