In Charlotte, N.C., this week, President Obama faces the challenge of re-energizing the supporters who carried him to victory in 2008 under the banner of “Hope and Change.” It is no small task, after the recession that ate up the first five months of his administration and more than three wearying years of a painfully slow recovery. Obama will call on his supporters to think back to the enthusiasm they had for him four years ago. And in that way, he is as different from his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, as any man could be.

The Republicans’ theme in Tampa. Fla., last week was “We Built It.” But if Romney had had a personal theme at the convention, it might have been: “It’s not about me.”