I don’t want to get in the way of reporter colleagues who can’t help getting spun by their Republican sources. But we do all know that virtually every American civic building is based on Greek Revival architecture, right? And that the Obama backdrop actually looks like — whether intended or not, I don’t know — the Lincoln Memorial. (Remember, they’re both Illinoisians.) Perhaps because Obama’s speech is on the 45th anniversary of King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech.
The truth is that when you’re at an event like the Democratic Convention, it’s almost impossible to have a bird’s eye view of everything going on. We recap some of what we saw and heard Tuesday in Denver …
Full-size video at TPMtv.com.
Back in 2004, I sat down for an at-length interview with Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) in his office on Capitol Hill. The context of the time was the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry, and the foreign policy particulars of four years ago. But I think it’s still a very valuable prism to understand how he thinks about foreign policy. Biden is going to do plenty of interviews about foreign policy questions over the next two months. But it will be in the context of his running as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. So obviously he’ll be more careful, more scripted, less willing to think outloud about Iraq, Afghanistan and the differences between Democratic and Republican foreign policy thinking. Take a look.
Wolfson whacks back at Matthews and Olbermann.
One thing I’ve come away from here in Denver, in talking to various people, is the sense that the Obama campaign has become consumed with its brand as an end in itself. They did such a good job of packaging hope, optimism, and change that they are now resistant to any campaign strategies or tactics that might, in the eyes of some people, damage the brand.
They remind me of the classic car aficionado who beautifully and meticulously restores a vintage sports car but can’t bring himself to risk actually driving the thing.
In both cases you can sympathize. A lot of time and energy went into creating this special product. But at some point you have to let go and use the thing for its intended purpose. The sports car is made for driving, tight and fast. The candidate’s positive reputation is intended to further political ends, which in the short term means winning election.
There are signs that the campaign has been slowly coming around in recent weeks to a more aggressive, combative approach to the general election. But I think its ambivalence about doing so is less a result of the Democrats’ historical tendency to fritter away opportunities because of fear and trepidation, and more because the Obama campaign spent tens of millions over a year and a half to build Obama’s sterling reputation and they are afraid of breaking it. It’s different from what hobbled Dukakis and Kerry, but the outcome could be the same.
Rudy: Not time to have a president (like lifelong member of Congress John McCain) without executive experience …
Late Update: Rudy criticized McCain’s lack of executive experience only a few short months ago. —gs
Here’s Mark Blumenthal’s (formerly ‘mystery pollster’ and the guy behind pollster.com) take on an on-the-record briefing top Obama staffers gave on how they see the state of the campaign, the polls, where they’re focusing their attention, etc.
I think I’ll have to pass it on without comment. But you should give it a look.