Quote:
Originally posted by ktsnake
I haven't said there's anything wrong with him. Please don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to see what makes him so special that he's the Democratic keynote speaker. He's a relatively new face to the party. I thought his speach was relatively entertaining, but so what?
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As I am sure you know, control of the Senate is important for either party. Osoma gained 54% of the vote in a 6 person field during the Democratic primary. No one expected him to do that, especially when one of his opponents, according to an interview with him on PBS, spent 30M of his own money on the campaign. Pundits have also stated that his campaign crossed many historical boundaries in Illinois like "down state" vs. "upstate" (I have no idea what that means), racial (he carried many majority white districts) and urban vs. suburban. Evidently, because of his style and substance (after however many years in the State Senate) Dems think he a face to watch, so they put him out front. Plus, since he was practically given a gift by freaky deaky Ryan he will probably be the next Senator from the great state of Illinois.
Let's be honest, how much real substance do you see at political conventions anyway? They are now more coronations than anything else and a televised opportunity to excite the faithful and hopefully sway those on the fence. Plus, conventions are about trotting out different looks/backgrounds to say "see how we cover the REAL America!" Note the Islamic Iman that gave the benediction last night, the Muslim woman who lost her daughter (I think) in 9/11 from the other night, the guy in the wheelchair (sorry I don't remember his name). I expect the Republicans to do the same thing. As I recall, they had several no-name African Americans speak at the last convention to highlight their inclusiveness.
Finally, let's not dismiss the power of articulating a compelling message. Ronald Regan was called the Great Communicator after all and I dare say he was as popular as he was because he was able to make many people feel good about being Americans.