Why Michelle Obama’s Speech Was Good For the DNC

The mainstream media as well as internet pundit sites were abuzz with speculation as to why the headline speakers of the Democratic National Convention's first night, Senator Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama, didn't go for the jugular. Why did they choose to let their opponents off so easily?

From a political strategy perspective, the more pertinent question is not "why were they singing kumbaya instead of going for blood?" but rather, did the strategy work?

You’re not going to see a poll bump after day one of the convention (notice it didn’t happen after the VP announcement either), but the first night of the DNC convention was a healthy start to the final 70 days of a campaign season in which the vast majority of Americans were finally starting to pay attention.

If you’re a political junkie then you’ve heard all the rhetoric, and could probably give the speeches on behalf of the candidates and argue the merits of each candidate's proposals (or lack thereof) until you’re blue in the face.

The simple fact is, the vast majority of American voters are not political junkies.

Voters who are only now starting to pay attention don’t want to see Ted Kennedy bashing President Bush or Senator McCain even if they aren't particularly fond of them. People who are tuning in for the first time want to know what the Democratic candidate is all about. They want to hear Michelle Obama describe her family and give insight into what makes her husband tick, not crowing about defeating Hillary Clinton.

More than likely, people watched the Democrat Convention because they were curious about the the candidate. Consider that Obama gave his first interview after announcing his vice presidential pick to that stern political tome, People Magazine. That was a shrewd move not because of the softball questions the magazine lobbed his way (let's be honest, he's not getting harder stuff from the rest of the mainstream media either) but because more people are likely to get interested in a political article sandwiched between celebrity relationship news and ads for miracle diets than one in a strictly political journal.

The decision to skip the tough talk in favor of highlighting Obama's hardknocks upbringing and cute family was a smart way to define his campaign right out of the gates. Having established who the candidate is, the party was then freed up to define their opponent later in the convention lineup.

(Cross posted to Hoosier Access)