Before I even begin breaking apart last night’s speeches, I think it’s safe to say anyone who yearned for more attacks got what they wanted yesterday. From Kucinich and Casey to Warner and Clinton, the speeches were as a whole a lot more negative and in my opinion way more effective than Monday night’s selections. I’m sure James Carville was happy, at least.

It wasn’t widely televised (as is custom early in the day) but Dennis Kucinich gave everyone an early taste of negativity. Sparing no expense and criticizing the Bush/McCain policies on everything from Iraq to the economy to healthcare and workers’ rights, the Ohio Congressman bounced around the stage like a caffeine overdose victim. But his speech nonetheless energized the crowd and got them ready for what was to come.

While I don’t agree with him on everything, Bob Casey also delivered a great speech, especially considering how short it was. By pointing out his pro-life persuasion, he simultaneously showcased the party’s openness to dissent and Barack Obama’s ability to attract diverse support. Casey had some great stories to tell of when he campaigned in Pennsylvania for Obama and got to see locals bond with the supposedly aloof candidate. By extolling Obama as “one of us”, the credible Casey undoubtedly scored some points for Obama in the Keystone State. But what made his speech great were his many shots at McCain. Using language made for attack ads, Casey derided McCain as “not a maverick, but a sidekick” and inextricably linked him to Bush. As this was the first speech of the prime 9:00pm ET block, television audiences got to witness all of this. With the crowds echoing his chant of “four more months!”, Casey demonstrated his rising star status and gave the convention some much-appreciated red meat. Were it not for his abortion stance, I could see him as a plausible Presidential candidate.

The keynote address by Mark Warner was ultimately a little unfulfilling, given Warner’s hesitance to go on the offensive against McCain. Now, I understand he’s from a red state and needs to be mindful of what he says, but if that’s the case he shouldn’t have been the keynote. While his overarching “race for the future” theme was a pretty strong one, I think people wanted more red meat from the keynote speaker. To be fair, Warner had a few good hits, like when he accused Bush of underestimating Americans’ abilities to rise to a challenge or when he derided McCain as stuck in the past and unable to appreciate the demands and challenges ahead. Overall I’d say the speech was average, but Warner can make up for it by campaigning for Obama in Virginia.

All of these speeches paled in comparison to Hillary Clinton’s address. It’s hard for me to put in words how good I thought this speech was. After a nice tribute video and an introduction by daughter Chelsea, the New York Senator strode to the podium amid a sea of white Hillary signs and cheering supporters. All of that could have gone to her head and she could have given a self-exalting and useless speech, but she definitely didn’t. Entrusted by Obama to rally her backers to his side, Clinton delivered marvelously, reminding everyone that we are “a single party with a single purpose”. Brilliantly employing lines like “no way, no how, no McCain” to unite the crowd in applause, Clinton reminded her supporters of what she’s always known: this is bigger than Clinton or Obama, this is about our country’s ability to rise to the challenges ahead. In her strongest endorsement yet, Clinton compared her husband to a hypothetical President Obama, reminding everyone that Democrats have turned around recessions before and we’ll do it again if given the chance. Concluding her speech with a beautifully delivered plea for unity and perseverance in the face of adversity, Clinton accomplished way more than anyone expected, and even had Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann eating out of her hand. I can’t overstate this speech’s greatness; with skills like that it’s unfortunate she might never be president. At the same time, I think she just won the election for Obama. Seriously.

Tonight, expect a phenomenal red meat assault on John McCain from our attack dog Joe Biden. I honestly don’t know which way President Clinton’s speech is going to go; I have a feeling he’ll probably stick to attacking McCain since it will seem more sincere than a speech praising Obama. We shall see.

Tags: Conventions

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