Setting: Invesco Field. Attendence: 75,000. Attraction: The junior senator from Illinois. Obamamania is in full tilt. Of course, the party faithful love this spectacle. Obama might not be the second coming of the messiah, but he could be the second coming of JFK or, at least, Bill Clinton circa ’92, right? What strikes me most about the decision to accept the nomination in such an ostentatious manner is that it plays right in to John McCain’s strategy of using Obama’s celebrity status against him. Packing football stadiums with screaming fans seems more like U2’s or Madonna’s modus operandi. Undoubtedly, support for Obama will surge after his acceptance speech, but I’ll wager McCain will get his own convention bounce and keep the race close up until election day — as long as neither candidate manages to wind up with his own foot in his mouth. My hope, although I’m not optimistic it will happen, is that these two candidates will shun the negativity that permeated the 2004 election and that has crept into this contest ahead of the conventions.
Show of hands: Did Obama’s speech change your vote or move you more toward one candidate or the other?
