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Obama's Speech and 2012 Conventions, Revisited
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Obama's Speech and 2012 Conventions, Revisited

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President Obama accepted the nomination of his party last night in Charlotte with a dramatic change in tone from four years ago. Then, he was full of hope and promises. This time, he was running on his record. The president outlined the stark differences between the two parties and the accomplishments of his administration. Did it convince those important undecided voters in swing states to give him four more years? Will he get a bounce out of this convention or will today's jobless figures undermine that? Also, how the Democratic Convention compares to last week's GOP show in Tampa. Who framed the clearest message?  Was the expense worth it? Judy Muller guest hosts.

Banner image: Supporters wave flags as President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina September 6, 2012. Photo by Steve Nesius/Reuters

Making News

Disappointing August Jobs Numbers ()

President Obama would have loved some good economic figures coming out of this convention, but that's not what he got this morning. Job growth slowed substantially in August, with a total of 96, 000 jobs added, far below the 125,000 economists had been expecting. Pedro da Costa is economics correspondent for Reuters News Service.

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Main Topic

President Obama Swings for the Fences and Fence-Straddlers ()

Last night in Charlotte, President Barack Obama made his plea for a second term with a tone of humility. "I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President." The speech lacked the soaring rhetoric of candidate Obama in 2008. Instead, it was grounded in the prose of reality – what's been accomplished, what remains to be done. Nor did Obama match the impassioned, folksy delivery of Bill Clinton from the night before, but he did paint a definitive choice for voters, outlining the stark differences between the Democrats and the Republicans. Did he manage to persuade those important swing voters to give him more time?

 

 

To the Point has been broadcasting live from the Democratic convention all week. You can find extended interviews, pictures and more at KCRW.org/election2012.

 

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Reporter's Notebook

Conventions: Do We Need Them? ()

For some time now, political conventions have been scripted, long-form commercials aimed at selling the candidate to the electorate. This year's Republican and Democratic conventions cost taxpayers about $68 million for each party's gathering. But was anyone watching, outside of Obama or Romney supporters and political pundits?  We hear from a couple of veteran political reporters, including To the Point's own Warren Olney, who's covered conventions for years , dating back to the 60's, when the conventions actually did real work.

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