Thursday, August 28, 2008
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Upstaging the VEEP
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Posted by:
Michael Medved at
12:00 AM
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It looks like the Democrats made a serious mistake with Barack Obama's "surprise appearance" at the conclusion of Joe Biden's Wednesday night speech at the Denver Convention. Unlike the video hook-up that connected Obama with his own wife (and children) on Monday night, there was no interaction between the Presidential nominee and the speaker he had just upstaged.... just a hug before Senator Obama grabbed the microphone and took personal command of his own convention, greeting the delegates and explaining why they were moving the proceedings to a football stadium the next night.
This little tradition-breaking stunt looked both contrived and awkward. While Obama delivered his brief remarks, Biden (who had just concluded the most important speech of his life) stood to his side, grinning like an idiot, and applauding madly. The scene raised many questions.
Through what weird alchemy had Biden, a Senator for 36 years and technically old enough to be Obama's father, been reduced to the status of goofy, adoring sidekick?
Since the purpose of the evening was to introduce Biden and his family to the public at large, why would Obama suddenly and unexpectedly stride into his new partner's spotlight? (The VEEP candidate looked sincerely surprised).
It's possible that this represents a response to the polling that showed little or no "bump" for Obama from the convention so far. The surveys all show that the Democratic Party remains more popular than its standard bearer. By substantial margins, respondents say they prefer Dems to Republicans, but Obama and McCain remain deadlocked. By putting Obama in the convention hall following well-known Democrats (Bill Clinton, an uncharasterically impassioned John Kerry, Joe Biden) maybe his handlers hoped for a reverse coat-tails effect -- believing the Barack might become more popular by association with the party.
Obviously, separating the acceptance speech from the rest of the convention by placing at INVESCO field only serves to break that association. Obama may also be conscious of the ridicule surround his "Greek Temple" set design for tomorrow night -- I wouldn't be surprised if the Democrats drop it, and substitue a plain bank of American flags or something of that nature. In any event, the whole idea of his dramatic arrival amidst fireworks and confetti and screaming multitudes will only play into Republican jibes about his "celebrity" and "rock star" status. By contrast, this low-key, anti-climactic, scene-stealing appearance at the convention hall makes him look like a more regular politician and, maybe, a regular guy -- Joe Biden's pal from the parish hall, and a colleague of Bill and Hillary (he graciously praised them).
In other words, the appearance tonight defused the haloed, walk-on-water image of the larger-than-life Obamessiah, as the candidate patiently shook hands with the admiring Democrats who rushed up to greet him while the band played and delegates applauded.
But the applause and cheers for the nominee in no way equaled the hysteria that greeted Bill Clinton earlier in the evening, let alone the weepy ecstasy surrounding Hillary the night before. If Obama meant to make himself look more ordinary, smaller -- than he succeeded.
But in the process, he also made his running mate seem smaller and clumsily intruded on the biggest moment of Biden's life.
I've written before about Barack's apparent insecurity -- for all his celebrated cool. It's possible -- even likely -- that he simply became uncomfortable at the idea that for two nights in a row, at HIS convention, non-Obamas had become the center of attention: Hillary on Tuesday, the B & B (Bill and Biden) show on Wednesday.
Of course, true believers (like the besotted members of the commentariat) will see the unconventional convention epilogue as charming, touching, ingenious, humanizing, masterful, and so forth.
But I would imagine that most people watching at home got a real sense of the odd and uncomfortable aspects of the moment. As the confused monarch famously declares in The King and I: "Is a Puzzlement!"
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