To the Point
Obama's Speech and 2012 Conventions, Revisited
President Obama traded the dramatic "hope and promises" of four years ago for running on his record as he accepted his party's nomination last night in Charlotte.
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
In this episode
3 storiesDisappointing 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 .
Read the story8 minPresident 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.
Read the story23 minConventions: 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.
Read the story21 min