Democratic Convention Day Two: All Hail Hillary!

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) addresses the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, August 26, 2008. U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) is expected to accept the Democratic presidential nomination at the convention on August 28.

Published: August 27, 2008 at 11:52 AM GMT
Last Updated: August 27, 2008 at 11:52 AM GMT

By Jerry Weinstein

While the stated theme of the DNCC's second day was Renewing America's Promise, it was Hillary's speech that filled the seats to overflow. But before she took the podium, there were a handful of rabble-rousing addresses, each successfully fusing a critique of the Bush administration with a optimistic way forward. (A common-sense, but new strategy, for the party.)

Long dismissed by his party for his far left-of-center politics, (or perception thereof) Rep. Dennis Kucinich stoked the crowd with a very grounded (no calls for impeachment) speech, ending with a chorus of Wake Up America. There's something to be said about "heightism" in the Democratic party: Both Kucinich and McCain stand 5'7" (according to several sources) but no one on the Republican side seems to ever have derided the latter's short stature. Go figure. Here's Kucinich at full throttle:

Former Gov. Mark Warner (now running for a Virginia Senate seat) did not make history, as Obama did, with his keynote, but he did provide the convention with a few talking points to take home with them: More than a presidential campaign, this is a "Race to the Future." The successful telecom entrepreneur (Nextel) argued for the need to foster bi-partisanship, treating "common ground as sacred ground." Invoking Jefferson: "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past," he persuaded that the way forward wasn't liberal against conservative, left vs. right, but the Future versus the Past. He's not the best orator, but the words were inspiring:

While Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer got even less media attention than even wee Dennis Kucinich, he also fired up the hall. If the ex-farmer's bolo tie caused some latte sippers to gasp at the sartorial transgression, his no-nonsense takedown of McCain rang true. But don't take my word for it:

Setting aside any fears of crashing the party, HRC's remarks were in unequivocal support of Barack Obama. That is, unless you were Team McCain, who wasted no time (kudos to them for speed, if not accuracy or graciousness) on the fact that she didn't literally say that Obama is now ready to be Commander-in-Chief from Day One and can take those pesky 3am calls. Rhetorically it was the best-written speech of her career, basking in the anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote, while exhorting her 18 million-strong followers to recognize that they weren't just voting for her, but for themselves, and to now step up and fully support the Obama/Biden ticket.

Note to McCain campaign: If you keep pushing those Hillary ads, you are playing with fire: No doubt in my mind that at this point, she'll say exactly what is needed to fully neutralize those spots.

As far as how Senator Clinton can best help the ticket? I have yet to see her on the Sunday chat shows. Let's see her go toe-to-toe on behalf of Barack on any or all of these: Meet the Press, Face the Nation, This Week With George, Wolf's Late Edition, or even Fox News Sunday. After Joe Biden, she could be the #1 surrogate of the campaign. But will she chose that path?

In all her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits glory -- the Tangerine Edition -- I present HRC's finest hour:

Day Three: Dems Abroad Wednesday night's theme of Securing America's Future is designed to articulate and shore up any foreign policy fuzziness. Highlights include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Jay Rockefeller, and Bush impeachment-supporter Rep. Rob Wexler. Big Bill Clinton is scheduled for a 9pm prime-time tee-off (if there's a wild card at the convention remaining, look no further) followed by a roster that includes John Kerry (won't someone muzzle this man?) and Gov. Bill Richardson, culminating with VP choice Joe Biden, who will surely stir the pot before the 11pm wrap.

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