Notes from DNC: Takeaways from the conventions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Democratic National Convention has concluded, with President Barack Obama making his case for a second term in office. And while Democrats are praising the president's speech, many say it was not the best speech of the convention. Many saw the speeches of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama as the highlights from this week.

Much of the reason why people love President Obama is his smooth, but authoritive style of speaking. In 2008, a large portion of voters said they voted for him simply because he sounded good. But on Thursday night, President Obama delivered a more subdued speech, which lacked his usual energy. The speech still highlighted his passion and sounded good, but many were left feeling like it could have been better.

Nevertheless, Twitter loves President Obama. During the president's speech, there were more than 54,000 tweets per minute, which shatters the record set by his wife who had more than 24,000 TPM. Obama's statement where he said, "Times have changed, I'm no longer just a candidate, I'm the president," received the most love on Twitter and in the convention hall.

While Democrats spoke about the future occasionally, the focus was mostly on the past and the present. Even many of their speakers were established party leaders who have had their time in the spotlight — President Bill Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Republicans, on the other hand, talked mostly about the future and used many up-and-coming Republicans to move forward. Speakers like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were just two of the many speakers used to speak about the future of their party.

However, to be fair, the Republicans had no choice but look to the future with a Democratic incumbent president seeking reelection. To Republicans, the future is bright only if a Republican is in the White House.

And despite the rhetoric about the various policies both parties hope to establish, the election is about only one thing: the economy. Republicans' rallying cry was that President Obama has failed the American people and that America is no better off than it was four years ago. The Democrats challenged the Republicans' claims, saying the economy was broken and it takes time to fix it — that the growth has appeared small, but has made great strides. "Change takes time," Michelle Obama said.

In the coming days, the economy will likely be the deciding factor in the presidential race. If unemployment numbers remain stagnant and job growth does not improve, Americans will be faced with a difficult choice: vote for four more years of about the same results or elect a candidate who claims his business record shows he can create jobs.

General election begins, race intensifies

Both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions are over with only 60 days until Election Day. The general election is in full swing and things are only going to get more intense.

While the speeches at the conventions were important and helped excite the respective parties, they are essentially preaching to the choir. Undecided voters who watched the conventions may have made up their minds, but most will wait until President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney meet in the debates.

The debates are going to be where the election is likely decided. Both candidates have the skills and abilities to present themselves well in the debates; however, the opposite is true as well. Both candidates are inconsistent debaters, which could hurt either one of them as they go head to head.

Now that both candidates have access to their general election funds, expect the negativity from both parties to intensify. Prior to the Republican National Convention, Romney did little to refute the claims of the Democrats and from President Obama. Romney has out raised President Obama in fundraising the last few months, which gives him a large arsenal against the president.

President Obama, though, is known for skills in fundraising and could easily challenge Romney's already large war chest.

For Romney to win over voters, he has to continue to hit President Obama on the economy and convince voters the president will do little to help in the recovery of the economy. President Obama must continue to cast Romney as an out-of-touch wealthy candidate that doesn't have the middle class's interest at hand, but will look to improve the state of the wealthy.

#poll2

While an October surprise could essentially change the status of the election for either party, it doesn't seem like this will happen. Unless Romney's tax returns are leaked or Obama's "sealed" records reveal something bad, there doesn't appear to be anything that could change the state of the election. However, it's called an October surprise for a reason, it's a surprise.

Obama regrets saying 'You didn't build that'

The Republican Party took President Barack Obama to task last week for a statement — "You didn't build that" — he made at a campaign rally months before. The president said his statement was taken out of context, but meant the government acted as a resource for individuals to create a business.

In an interview with NBC12 in Richmond, Virginia, President Obama was asked if he regrets the way he made the statement. He said, "Obviously, I have regrets for my syntax. But not for the point, because everyone who was there watching knows exactly what I was saying."

President Obama said he stands by what his administration has done to help small businesses, even if the way he said it makes it sound different. President Obama will outline his plan for the next four years in his Thursday night speech. His interview with NBC12 is in the above video player.

Fact checking Dems' jobs numbers

Both the Democratic and Republican Party tout various aspects of their platform that make them the "obvious" choice for the presidency. During the different conventions, the rhetoric is strong, with candidates and their surrogates sometimes stretching the facts to benefit them.

Both parties are guilty of it, and in fact, it's a part of the political process lately. Statements are made that have true aspects, but they require several layers of digging to find the real truth. In an effort to keep politicians accountable, several organizations have fact checkers to help American voters decipher the truth.

Following the speech of San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro Tuesday, where he said Democrats have created 4.5 million jobs since President Barack Obama took office, CNN did some digging.

"The number Castro cites is an accurate description of the growth of private-sector jobs since January 2010, when the long, steep slide in employment finally hit bottom," CNN writes. "But while a total of 4.5 million jobs sounds great, it's not the whole picture."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nonfarm private payrolls were at a low of 106.8 million in January 2010. As of July, the number now sits at 111.3 million, which is only a net gain of 300,000 new jobs. If calculating the total nonfarm payrolls, including government workers, CNN found there has been a net loss of nearly 1 million public-sector jobs since President Obama took office.

And with unemployment numbers expected to be released this week, the numbers could be even more troubling for President Obama.

Obama changes Dems platform to include God

While much of the attention is on the speakers during the two conventions, part of the reason for a convention is to vote on the party's platform. And as the platform was revealed to Democratic Party delegates Tuesday there was no mention of the word God, but only references to faith.

Several delegates were not happy with the changes, forcing Democrats to amend part of the platform Wednesday to include God and to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Republicans, too, criticized the Democratic platform, with Mitt Romney saying an omission of the word God "suggests a party that is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people." Other Republican officials argued the president showed his weak support of Israel by not taking a position on Jerusalem's status in the platform.

Sources close to the Obama campaign told the Associated Press the changes were made because President Barack Obama intervened. Officials said President Obama wanted to know why God was removed from the platform.

Voters say Obama should not be reelected in new poll

As Democrats prepare to reconvene on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, The Hill has released a new poll saying President Barack Obama is not deserving of a second term and that the nation is in a "worse condition" than it was in September 2008.

According to the poll, 52 percent of likely voters say the nation is in "worse condition," while 54 percent say President Obama does not deserve a second term in office because of his job performance. The poll said only 31 percent of voters believe the nation is in "better condition." Only 40 percent of likely voters said President Obama deserves a second term.

The poll highlights the main issue that President Obama and the Democrats have this fall as they try to convince voters: the economy. While Democrats suggest opponent Mitt Romney is unfit for the presidency, many Democrats struggle with the state of the economy and its slow growth.

The subject was briefly addressed on Tuesday night, with First Lady Michelle Obama saying: "(C)hange is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once. But eventually we get there, we always do."

And although Obama's statement is oftentimes accurate, those deeply affected by the troubled economy can't wait for slow-moving change. Many voters — many members of the middle class — want things to turn around quickly. Whether the economy can be quickly fixed or not, voters want to see progress. And with unemployment staying above 8 percent, many voters are not seeing enough progress.

#poll

It is still too early to tell if the public's perception of the economy will have an effect on the election in November. In the meantime, the Democrats and President Obama will do all they can to show they're making progress.

Democrats top Republicans on first night

Michelle Obama's rousing speech helped the Democrats secure an early victory Tuesday night.

Television ratings for the opening night of the respective party's convention were released Wednesday and the Democrats came out with a win. Nielson Co. said about 26.2 million people watched the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.

The Republican National Convention's opening night brought in 22.3 million viewers, where Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivered the final remarks. NBC had the largest viewing audience.

Scott Howell joins DNC Faith Council

United States Senate candidate Scott Howell participated in Tuesday's meeting of LDS Democrats, telling attendees about his experience being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Democrat.

"I have found a place where my value system intersects with public policy," Howell told the group. "My faith and political ideology are intertwined because the principles and values sacred and personal to me are also the values of the party. In essence, I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, not in spite of it."

On Wednesday, Howell will appear as a panelist on a Faith Council at the Charlotte Convention Center. The panel is being put on by the Democratic National Committee, with the meeting discussing "Leading with Values."

Takeaways from Tuesday's convention

The first night of the Democratic National Convention is in the books. And while Michelle Obama was not the keynote speaker Tuesday night, she was easily the biggest draw, with Democrats praising her speech.

On Twitter, Michelle Obama was easily the most talked about speaker, with more than 28,000 tweets per minute sent during her remarks, which is double the more than 14,000 tweets per minute during Mitt Romney's speech.

Obama, much more accustomed to the campaign trail four years later, delivered a rousing speech about her husband's character as a person and as a president. She drew a sharp contrast to opponent Mitt Romney without actually mentioning his name. One of her most poignant statements was: "Being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are."

Ted Kennedy's Senate election against Mitt Romney in 1994 was highlighted Tuesday night in a tribute video to Kennedy. The video showed snippets of a debate between Romney and Kennedy, which brought to light the criticism that Romney is a flip-flopping candidate, willing to bend for political benefit. While the video was edited to help the Democrats state their case, it is something Romney has worked hard to refute and will likely persist until November.

As with the Republicans, the Democrats are looking to gain the Latino vote. Delegates from the many states held up signs that said "opportunity" in both English and spanish. Additionally, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro was asked to be keynote speaker, becoming the first Latino to deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Castro, too, attacked Romney, touting the party platform and praising the efforts of President Barack Obama.

Nearly every speaker at Tuesday' convention addressed the party's platform, which wasn't seen as much during the Republican National Convention. The Democrats talked about women's rights in regard to abortion, gay marriage, education and immigration. Education was talked about as the first step to helping turn the economy around.

GOP sets up anti-Obama headquarters at DNC

In an effort to discredit the statements made during the Democratic National Convention, the Republican Party has set up camp near the security perimeter of the Time Warner Arena. The group of Republicans are setting up the so-called anti-Obama headquarters.

Among those Republicans joining in on the attack in Charlotte is Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz. The headquarters are there to serve as a "rapid-response" team offering a different opinion for the statements made by President Obama and the speakers at the convention.

"Look, we just want to offer a perspective," Rep. Chaffetz told the Associated Press. "The country's off track and the country knows it. (Democrats) can't answer the basic question of, ‘Are we better off than we were four years ago?' So we want to provide a little bit of perspective. There's just over 60 days to go, so it's an important time."

What to expect from Tuesday's convention

The Democratic National Convention is set to begin Tuesday night, and the Obama campaign is hoping to make a strong impression from the beginning.

Last week, the Republicans cast President Barack Obama as a failed president who does not have what it takes to create jobs and improve the economy. And while Democrats disagree with Republican claims, many want an answer from Obama about the economy. Expect many of tonight's speakers to address Obama's first term and his successes with the economy. It's likely much of the blame will be pushed on the previous administration and the policies of Republican detractors.

In 2008, Michelle Obama was not completely fond of the campaign trail. Now, Obama will be thrust into a prime time role, giving the final remarks of tonight's convention. While the speeches will be inherently different, many will be watching to see if Obama will deliver a message similar to Ann Romney. The First Lady is already beloved by many, but tonight's speech could help raise the bar for the Obama campaign as she attempts to draw a contrast between her husband and his Republican challenger.

The Republicans put a lot of emphasis on Latinos and women last week, which typically vote for the Democratic Party. The Democrats will look to keep their strong Latino base with an up-and-coming Democratic star in San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Many see Castro as a viable contender for Texas governor and even president in the future. Castro will be the convention's keynote speaker Tuesday.

Will Castro's remarks speak to Latino voters more than the remarks given by Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio or New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez? How will the Democrats address the attacks made last week by the Republicans?

Democrats voting for Romney?

As President Barack Obama and the Democrats spend the next three days trying to excite the party base and convince undecided voters a second term is in order, some Democrats may be voting for Republican nominee Mitt Romney for strategic purposes.

According to a report by The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza, a top adviser for former President Bill Clinton plans to vote for Romney as a way to help Hillary Clinton become the leader of the party.

"By some measures," Lizza writes, "a defeat for Obama in November would leave Hillary the undisputed leader of her party and propel her toward the Oval Office that much faster. At least one of (Bill) Clinton's closest advisers seems to be backing that strategy. According to two people with direct knowledge, Douglas Band has said that he will vote for Romney. Band declined to comment."

The Clinton's have not always agreed with President Obama on policy issues, and a loss in 2008 for Hillary Clinton has always appeared to be a sore spot with the family. Obama, however, has given the former president a prominent speaking slot on Wednesday — a night traditionally held for the vice president.

If more Democrats agree to support Hillary Clinton and vote for Romney, the Obama campaign may be looking at trouble this fall, especially if prominent Democrats are pulling votes away. However, Democrats agreeing to vote for Romney so the party is in a better position for 2016 is not an easy sell.

Sen. Hatch does "Call Me Maybe" video

While Democrats prepare for the Democratic National Convention to begin this evening, Utah Republicans are trying to remain in the spotlight.

Utah Policy put together a cover video of Carly Rae Jeppsen's "Call Me Maybe." The video features several members of the Utah delegation, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Rob Bishop and Gov. Gary Herbert.

And while there have been several spoof videos of "Call Me Maybe," it's not every day someone like Sen. Orrin Hatch asks viewers to "call me maybe." The video has been picked up by Buzzfeed and several other media outlets.

Democrats going after LDS vote

As the Democratic National Convention gets under way Tuesday, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are looking to share their faith with Democratic friends.

LDS Democrats from Utah will be hosting its first ever event, building on the momentum of the Utah Democratic Party's LDS Democrats Caucus. Members of the caucus say their intent is to show that LDS members are a diverse group of people, with differing political opinions.

Those speaking at the event include U.S. Senate candidate Scott Howell, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, LDS author Greg Prince and Mormons for Obama National Director Rob Taber.

During last week's Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney's service in the LDS Church was highlighted. Tuesday's event will look gain supporters of the LDS faith, which is traditionally characterized as supporting the Republican Party. However, several prominent Democrats are members of the Church and want to show an individual's faith does not automatically decide their political preference.

The event will take place at 4:00 p.m. Sen. Reid will also have a speaking role on the first night of the convention. At 10 p.m. on KSL-TV, John Daley will take a look at the event and what was said.

Related topics