Juan Pablo Rivera Garza
Blogs Editor
On the heels of a successful Republican National Convention, a looming jobs report, and an economy that is still deeply suffering, Democrats were put in the spotlight to throw a convention miracle. The stakes were high: Barack Obama had to convince the American people to give him four more years to put the economy on track. Without a doubt, this convention met and exceeded expectations with its line-up of effective prime-time speakers. Could this be the turning point of the election?
Let’s take a look at the major speakers at the convention (they will be graded for their success in increasing President Obama’s re-election chances).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAOjpWVJ3y8
Mayor Julian Castro
Latino voters have become an extremely important part of the Democratic base, and they are necessary for the President’s chances in multiple swing-states (i.e. Nevada, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida), so it is no secret that Mayor Castro’s selection as the convention key-note was done to appeal to the all-important Latino voter. Mayor Castro’s speech was a fine piece of oratory, but unfortunately he was overshadowed both by comparisons to President Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and the fantastic speeches by the First Lady and President Clinton (see below). He still provided a good start for the convention, and for this Mayor Castro receives a…. B
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STl3u6aGN44&feature=relmfu
First Lady Michelle Obama
Following up Ann Romney’s speech at the Republican National Convention just last week was no easy task, but the First Lady proved to once again be a force to be reckoned with. The Obama campaign has taken advantage of Ms. Obama’s huge popularity, and her speech helped to further humanize President Obama. The First Lady also highlighted her work for families of veterans with Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, which is always a popular subject, especially with Independents. For her great speech and warm demeanor, the First Lady receives an… A
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY4fo-_TRS8
Elizabeth Warren
Ms. Warren has always been one of the heroes of the liberal faction of the party, and her speech specifically targeted them. Her work for financial reform (specifically her work for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) has endeared her to the most ardent left-wingers in the party, but still leaves her less capable of wooing moderate voters. Not to mention, she is still locked in a heated senate race in one of the bluest of states, Massachusetts, with Republican moderate Senator Scott Brown. Her speech was well-delivered and her folksiness was definitely a plus, but she most likely didn’t woo any undecided voters to vote for President Obama. For this she receives a… C-
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDhk3BHi6Q
Former President Bill Clinton
There was much speculation before President Clinton’s speech on whether or not he would be able to deliver the necessary message and support to President Obama’s re-election bid. Whoever doubted the Former President’s oratorical ability was silenced that night, President Clinton arguably gave the best convention speech in recent memory. President Clinton eviscerated Republican claims step by step, and gave the clearest argument to re-elect President Barack Obama. It also didn’t hurt the campaign that the Former President is enjoying his highest favorability ratings in years, and that he has become hugely popular amongst Republicans, especially with Mitt Romney. For his full-throated defense of the Obama administration and Independent appeal, President Clinton receives an…A+
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiGZzNEZmHY
Vice-President Joseph Biden
The Vice-President has been effective in stirring up blue-collar white voters, a voting bloc that President Obama has been less than successful in attracting on his own. However, his favorability rating are underwater right now, and sometimes he seems more toxic than positive to the President’s re-election campaign. His folksy nature and straight-talk speeches are an effective tool of the campaign, but his convention speech was dull and uneventful. For his failure to energize the convention or blue-collar voters, he receives a… C
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rl8Ou84s5U
President Barack Obama
The President is an oratory genius, and his convention speech only 8 years ago propelled him to the Presidency. With a variety of economic and social factors working against him (8.1% unemployment, stagnating GDP growth, and a pessimistic nation), it will be a difficult task to get himself re-elected, but this convention has definitely helped his chances. The President’s speech was not as riveting as the address Former President Clinton gave the night before, but he still achieved in putting a firm divide between himself and Governor Romney while also pointing to the accomplishments of his administration, namely the death of Osama Bin Laden and the revitalization of General Motors. For his successful speech and convention, President Obama receives an… A-
Did you watch the same Obama speech that I did? The only thing that you were right about in your summary was that he separated himself and Mitt Romney. That is, Mitt will talk about the past 4 years and how to fix them but Obama will only talk about how he inherited such a mess. People who voted for Obama didn’t elect him to blame George W Bush, but to save the economy. He’s done quite the opposite, really. And I didn’t hear him talk about the deficit he raised after so willingly calling George Bush’s deficit in office “unpatriotic”. Obama’s speech won’t fool people like it did 4 years ago, at least those who passed the second grade.
@John Smith
The basis of my grades are on whether or not the individual speeches enhances the party’s candidate’s electoral performance. Whether or not you agree with Mr. Obama’s policies is your own choice, I make sure that I do not allow any political views to affect my analysis of the campaign. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, there is no argument that the President’s campaign has received a lift from the convention (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_romney_vs_obama-1171.html). If you take a look at my previous blog post on the RNC (https://nchscourant.comgov/2012/09/rnc-2012/) you can see that Ann Romney received the same grade as the President. Her speech did not use any real specific policy points, but she made Mr. Romney a more accessible Presidential candidate. So, to further iterate the grades for each speech are based on enhancement of the candidate in question’s electoral chances for the Presidency.
These grades are much higher than the Republicans…
@”Chandler Bing”
The average grade for the Republican speaker’s stand at around a B-, while the Democrat’s stand at a B/B+. Once again, as mentioned in my previous comment, these grades are given by whether or not the speaker’s enhanced the electoral prospects of their party’s candidate. Not all convention’s are going to have the same average grade, some are more successful than others. This is evidenced in the current scenario, where Governor Romney received a meek +1% bump after his convention, while President Obama received a +5-6% bump in the polls (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_romney_vs_obama-1171.html). So, in summary, yes, the average grades of the two convention’s speakers differ, much like the relative successes of either convention do.
I understand your point but Ann Romney is not the president of the United States, nor trying to be. Therefore, she is not going to have the same knowledge of politics as Obama. Therefore the standard of her grading should not include specificity. Obama’s grade on the other hand, has to include his addressing of current issues, which of course he stayed away from because they’re his fault.