Few Attacks, Many Choices

“Fired Up” was the watchword on the many placards distributed to the audience just prior to Obama’s appearance in the arena. The crowd waved them overhead: “Fired Up” alongside placards reading “Four More Years.”

The Democrats organized the crescendo for three days in Charlotte, presenting itself as a party united behind its candidate. On Thursday — at the close of a day with the highest goose-bump factor — the president accepted his party’s nomination, explaining that he needed more time to finish the job. In so doing, he offered voters a clear alternative to his Republican challenger.

Two frameworks formed the basis for his speech: social equality for the middle class and national security. To American women, he repeated his commitment to equal pay for equal work and self-determination over their own bodies. He also brought up a thus-far neglected subject during his campaign: Climate change, he said, was not a hoax.

Emotions in the Charlotte Arena had already reached fever pitch hours before Obama made his appearance. At the mid-point, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — who had suffered serious wounds in an attempted assassination in Phoenix in January 2011 and has been in rehab since then — limped onstage. She didn’t give a speech; instead she led the crowd in reciting the pledge to the flag. The people jumped up from their seats and chanted “Gabby, Gabby” for several minutes.

Military Veterans in Featured Roles

The principle political roles of the evening belonged to war veterans. Many of the speakers paid them tribute in their addresses, talking of their sacrifices and the debt owed to them by the American people. Dozens of veterans made personal appearances onstage. President Obama talked of his role in ending the Iraq war and mentioned that the Afghanistan war would be ending in 2014.

He recounted visits he had made to the parents of fallen soldiers, told the stories of wounded soldiers and assured them they could count on their nation’s support in the future. He made no mention of the Guantanamo prison camp and the fact that he had not kept his promise to close the facility.

Obama’s offensive against Mitt Romney focused on the environment and especially on war veterans. One week earlier at the Republican convention in Tampa, Romney managed to ignore the war in Afghanistan, never acknowledging the sacrifices made by the veterans. This drew heavy criticism from Democrats who said it was scandalous that a presidential candidate and potential Commander in Chief of the armed forces would avoid addressing a war in which his nation was currently engaged.

The death of Osama bin Laden as well as the death of Anwar al-Awlaki by unmanned drone were also put forth as election arguments in Charlotte, these celebrated assassinations serving as examples of Obama’s active role in national security and against al-Qaida. These were also cited as examples of the president’s courage and determination in keeping his word and that he did, indeed, possess leadership qualities.

Obama Remained Above the Fray

The money the United States will save by ending the wars, according to Obama, will be reprogrammed toward reduction of the nation’s budget deficit. Beyond that, Obama wants the nation’s schools to add 100,000 more mathematics teachers but stopped short of detailing his planned economic, employment or energy policies. He also left the direct attacks against Mitt Romney to his surrogate speakers. This night in Charlotte he stayed above the fray.

“The times have changed – and so have I,” Obama told his audience. “I’m no longer just a candidate. I’m the president.” The president also ignored the numerous personal attacks Romney has made against him — among them Romney’s repeated expressions of doubt that Obama is even a U.S. citizen.

The Democrats styled their convention to be the exact opposite of the one held by the Republicans. Whereas in Tampa there was scarcely any mention of the entire George W. Bush generation, Democrats put their entire history on display and positioned their party further to the left – as least for the duration of the election.

Ex-President Bill Clinton gave the speech most laudatory of Barack Obama, recounting his every domestic policy success. Ex-presidential candidate John Kerry also spoke of Obama’s foreign policy record in positive terms. Michelle Obama, meanwhile, got the Democratic base in the right mood while dozens of young people appealed to two voter groups that will be key in the November election: women and Latinos. One speaker linked slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to the Latino farm workers activist César Chávez and ultimately to President Barack Obama. Gay and lesbian activists praised Obama for his support. Vice President Joe Biden assured the audience that Obama has always stood up for them.

The event, originally scheduled to be held outdoors in the Charlotte Arena had to be moved to a much smaller venue indoors due to threatening weather conditions. Several thousand attendees already with stadium entrance tickets were either turned away or relocated to places where they could view the proceedings on television screens. Even the usual balloon shower was abandoned, but that didn’t matter to the crowd. The people still returned home all fired up.