Was this best political convention of my lifetime? Almost certainly; not only was the roster of spectacular speakers unbelievably rich, bu whoever assembled the order respected the themes of the speech with a subtle and almost literary elegance.
Invoking Ted Kennedy near the beginning of the proceedings Tuesday was a brilliant stroke. Summoning the ancients is always a powerful move, but in this case, Kennedy’s appearance resonated with particular strength. The fact that his loss was recent delivered poignancy; his oratory from 1980 was inspirational; and his role in Obama’s ascendency in 2008 was palpable. But most important, the story of Teddy’s life is the answer to the pressing question of this election: do we stay the course or change? Teddy’s life was all about staying the course, and like Moses, he never reached the Holy Land, which would have been the enactment of national health care insurance, during his lifetime. But it happened, in part because Kennedy anointed Barack Obama to carry on; by implication, we have not attained economic recovery yet, but if we stick with Obama, we will. This theme was reprised by Julian Castro, conjuring the struggles of his grandmother and mother that resulted in his present stature, and Michelle Obama, with her stories of her family and marriage. All of these speeches were cashed in on Wednesday, when Bill Clinton not only defended the administration, but exposed the poverty of the Republicans, in a brilliant speech that at once skewered the Republicans while investing the entire campaign with a previously elusive optimism: not only are we going to get out of this predicament, not only do we have a plan, but we are going to be better equipped for the economy of tomorrow, and we will be a more inclusive, more prosperous, more equal nation, a more perfect union, than ever before.
Along the way there were revelations. Tammy Duckworth delivered a no-nonsense speech, and the image of her artificial legs beneath her skirt tells me that no one on the room is tougher. Deval Patrick delivered a stemwinder, Jennifer Granholm tore down the house, John Kerry joyfully and hilariously ripped the opposition, Elizabeth Warren showed her clear-eyed grit, and the gallant Gabby Giffords showed that the convention planners were ruthless in their refusal to leave any emotional stone unturned. It’s true that the last night of the convention didn’t live up to the previous two. Joe Biden‘s talk was rich with emotion, but it seemed that he went on too long, and by the time the president spoke, everyone was suffering speech fatigue. By the time he talked, we were stuffed. Oh, no thanks, I could not possibly have not another plate of auto rescue! But the president is never bad, and while he wasn’t brilliant last night, he wasn’t bad. He was strong, he was hopeful, and he was humble; his use of Lincoln’s quote was highly effective. The Republicans should take little solace in Obama’s failure to deliver a coup de grace. Obama will get a small bounce from the convention, but my guess is that he will get separation in the swing states, and Romney with dimming hope.