I've been a political dork all of my life. When other kids were outside riding bikes, shooting marbles and playing dodgeball I was watching political conventions. And in all these years (since 1972), I don't think I've seen a more one-sided domination by one party over the other in their national conventions than the Democrats enjoyed this year.
If the purpose of these conventions is to fire up the prospective bases and to inspire undecided voters to come over to your side, I can't see how too many undecided voters -- having seen the exclusive, mean-spirited GOP witchhunt inTampa -- were inspired to vote for a party hellbent on taking America back to 1925. They came across as a bunch of privileged, white people driven by hatred of President Obama, women's rights, healthcare, gays, Muslims and immigrants. The only things of color in the GOP convention hall seemed to be the balloons that fell closing out the last night of what many said may have well been the KKK National Convention.
On the other hand, the Dems' convention provided an optic of inclusion. There were people of every persuasion well-represented on the stage and in the audience. There was certainly no white male domination. Nothing against white males, but really, it was refreshing to see so much diversity. It was a beautiful thing...a cavalcade of color. It was clearly more positive and yes, more HOPEFUL. It's my experience that people are more attracted to hope than to hate...and more attracted to looking FORWARD to the future, rather than backward to the past.
Time will tell, and I guess people are waiting to see what type of bounce President Obama gets from the Democratic Convention, but after watching such an impressive array of diversity and speakers in Charlotte this week I and millions of other Dems across America are already walking with a lot more bounce in our steps.
Mitt Romney and his Republicans look much smaller and much less relevant than they did even a week ago.