Democratic Convention Update

Day One: A Missed Opportunity

DENVER — With the exception of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) moving appearance and a well-played video and speech by Michelle Obama, last night was forgettable. For the most part, Democrats were able to succeed with their primary mission on Night No. 1 — humanizing the man they want as president. In that regard, they scored Olympic gold. Obama’s appearance on screen just before his wife’s remarks was a nice production that would have made Hollywood jealous.

But the rest of Monday’s program was lackluster at best. It started before Howard Dean even kicked off the proceedings. Republicans have done a nice job out here causing the Democrats fits. If you scored success simply on the number of GOP surrogates appearing on cable dayside shows, the Dems lost miserably. If I were Jim Axelrod, I’d demote my communications director for letting a McCain spokesman come on air and discuss the Arizona senator’s veep pick — while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was speaking! Perhaps that says more about the quality of her remarks …

And why were Democrats leaving their stars in the locker rooms while untrained “regular Joes” were on screen? That may be smart for a local mayoral race, but when primetime networks drop millions for production and send their own anchors and stars to Denver, they’re thinking one thing — talent! As much as they eschew the “infomercial” quality of these grand events, they do want someone who has stage presence to share the latest talkers.

First days are usually disappointments at most conventions, but I’m betting the Republicans in St. Paul, Minn., are watching closely and learning from the mistakes made yesterday here in Denver. The show must go on, however! And somehow I sense the buildup to Thursday’s speech will be momentous. Now if they could just get those pesky Clintons out of the picture …