Denver: What to Expect

In addition to giving voice to the usual parade of speakers and paeans to the presumptive nominee, the goal of the Denver convention is to have America get to know the Obama family better. Starting with Michele Obama's speech to the convention on Monday night, Barack Obama's personal story will unfold, placed squarely in the context of the great American dream. Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings put it well to the New York Times when he described the broad strokes of Mrs. Obama's speech: "We are the American story. Americans say get an education, give every single thing you do your best — we’ve done that, and now we’re ready to be a part of fulfilling Martin Luther King's dream."

The hope is that this strategy will help voters concerned about Obama's "otherness" over the hurdle and into the ballot-box. Senator Obama acknowledges that he has an onerous task. In an interview last month, he noted, “My biography is not typical of a modern American president.” He underscored that getting voters to suspect their disbelief in his difference is "asking a lot of the American people." Many of us who have supported Obama for many months now went past this point a long time ago, but as we switch into general-election mode it is incisive of his campaign staff (and typical of its discipline) to remain focused on this as the most significant challenge facing Senator Obama in November.

The other, more obvious theme we'll see played out in Denver is "change." With an overwhelming majority of Americans claiming that our country is headed in the wrong direction, change is clearly a priority for many of us. The great enthusiasm that registered this spring and the record numbers of ballots cast during the Democratic primaries underscore this thirst for change in no uncertain terms. It will now be up to the Obama campaign and the Democratic party to utilize the party's platform to make specific to American voters what change will look like.