Dems, Still Bruised, Open Convention

Hardcore base won't support Obama

(NEWSER) - Many Hillary Clinton supporters still won't vote for Obama despite her calls for unity last night at the Democratic Convention, the Washington Post reports. "Even if she can move on easily, that's not as easy for everybody else," said one Clinton supporter. Dissatisfied loyalists set up a Clinton campaign museum, led a parade, and lit thousands of candles in a park. More»

Dems risk rubbing out the candidate's authenticity: Brooks

(NEWSER) - As Barack Obama arrives in Denver, the once-buoyant candidate is being assailed with bad advice from all sides, writes David Brooks. From a Dukakis-style policy blitz to Michael Moore-ish pugilism, the suggestions for Obama's team are a "Greatest Misses compilation" of past failures. Obama knows what he should do, says the New York Times columnist: push on, stay authentic, and tune out "the phantasmagorical vapors of his own party." More»

Watch for Clinton supporters, Jesse Jackson

(NEWSER) - Here's what to watch at the Democratic National Convention tonight, Politico reports:

1. Ted Kennedy, still recovering from surgery, "is definitely speaking tonight," one Dem said, and plans a memorable torch-passing to Barack Obama.
2. Michelle Obama will try to sell herself as a strong but inoffensive first lady; whether America buys it may determine how she is used on the trail.

Convention will seek to define candidate and attack McCain

(NEWSER) - The Democratic convention opens tonight, not quite the coronation envisioned only a month ago as twitchy party grandees push Barack Obama to make his case forcefully to a still-skeptical electorate—using the spotlight to draw the strongest possible distinctions between himself and John McCain. "The stakes of this election will be made very clear," chief strategist David Axelrod promised the New York Times. More»

Obama, McCain both aim to redirect parties

(NEWSER) - The presidential nominees are already decided—so why have conventions? “Money and publicity," Bill Schneider writes on CNN. Gala events are prime opportunities to milk donors, and high visibility has led “both parties try to control every minute of the convention as if it were a television show—because it is a television show.” But this year, writes Schneider, the convention hoopla hides two major shifts. More»