Editor-in-Chief
For a few days every four years,
the center of politics moves from Washington, D.C., to a city in the United
States for the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Four years ago,
then-Senator Barack Obama was in Denver, Colorado, trying to convince Americans
he should be elected over Senator John McCain. From September 4 to September 6,
the President and his party were in Charlotte, North Carolina, arguing why
Americans should trust him as their leader for another four years.
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| NC native James Taylor performs at DNC. Photo provided by Matt Burns/WRAL News. |
Michelle Obama also addressed the convention crowd on the first night of the event. Her job was to portray her husband as not only a father, but a family man as well, just as Ann Romney had done at the Republican National Convention a week earlier in Tampa, Florida. “When people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago,” the first lady said.
While the candidate’s speech on the final night of the convention is what usually draws the most viewers, President Bill Clinton’s speech on the second night may have been the highlight for some. His role was to defend Obama and to convince the American people to reelect Obama. Much of the speech referenced the economy, and one of Clinton’s main points was patience. “President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did. No President – not me or any of my predecessors could have repaired all the damage in just four years. But conditions are improving and if you’ll renew the President’s contract you will feel it,” he said.
On the final night of the
convention, Obama accepted the nomination from the Democratic Party. In his speech, Obama outlined his goals for
the next four years. “I’m asking you to rally around a set of goals for your
country, goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the
deficit; real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity
and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation,” he said. In a speech that
kept the sold out Time Warner Cable Arena cheering, Obama didn’t forget to
mention his achievements from the previous four years, discussing the auto
industry, the war in Iraq, as well as his healthcare reform, among others. To
end his speech, Obama reiterated to his audience that fixing the economy needs
to be a group effort. “We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each
other up. We draw strength from our victories,” he said.
A political convention doesn’t
come without controversy, however. Obama’s acceptance speech was moved from
Bank of America Stadium, which would have seated about 65,000 people, to the smaller,
indoor Time Warner Cable Arena, which only seats around 20,000, because of the
threat of thunderstorms. Republicans used this fact as fuel for their fight to
win the White House, saying that Democrats moved the speech indoors because
they couldn’t sell out the stadium and didn’t want empty seats to embarrass the
party.
A new survey released September
10 by CNN shows that Obama moved up four percentage points in the polls
following the convention, now owning a six point lead over Romney. Fifty-two
percent of those polled said they would back Obama, compared to 46 percent for
Romney. Before the convention, Obama and Romney were tied at 48 percent each.
Information in this report was compiled from CNN, Desert News, International Business News, NPR, and The Huffington Post.
