It should be obvious at this point that the Democrats are having a much better convention than the Republicans. We won't know for a little bit what kind of bounce Hillary will get from it, but it's safe to assume her numbers will probably go up a few points, if her speech achieves adequacy.
This was the best night of either convention so far. After two days of getting the base in line and reintroducing Hillary Clinton to impressionable and nostalgia-prone millennials, Wednesday night was all about swing voters, the suburban moms and dads of places like Philadelphia's own Main Line. And it likely succeeded.
Mike Bloomberg ably made the technocratic case for Hillary and against Trump. And unlike the latter, Mayor Mike really did come from humble beginnings to make billions, which made the burns sting that much more: "Trump says he wants to run the nation like he's run his business? God help us."
The message was great - Hillary is "sane" and "competent," unlike that other fella - even if the messenger wasn't. Bloomberg is beloved by New York City Republicans, but by and large conservatives see him as a soda-banning Stalinist dwarf. Still, it hit all the right notes for Republicans who are creeped out by the GOP spectacle this year.
Better yet on this score, surprisingly enough, was President Obama. Eight years in and he's lost the ability to mesmerize, if only because we now know him well, but he'll be remembered as the best orator of his generation for a reason.
Obama aimed for those disaffected Republicans. "We don't look to be ruled," he said, a killer line, one with a lot of conservative appeal, that cuts to the heart of why Trump makes so many nervous. With a few tweaks, this could have been the showstopper at any GOP convention this century.
Plus, he embraced Hillary in a way that didn't seem at all forced. The point he made is that she's fundamentally qualified, and up to the job, and will continue what he's started. Perhaps most importantly, she's no "homegrown demagogue" like you-know-who. (Another small shout-out to conservatives from that section was Obama's grouping together of fascists, communists, and "jihadists," a word he's not in the habit of using.)
But let's not forget about Old Uncle Joe. Should Clinton manage to lose in November, future historians are going to wonder why the Democratic Party was so hell bent on making her their nominee. Biden would have been a fine choice, and in many ways a better choice from a purely political standpoint.
Biden, who lacks the self-conscious affectations of so many politicians, is the perfect person to note that a guy who relishes firing people is no friend of the middle class. His argument tonight was a moral one, and one informed by his own personal suffering. Regardless of what you think of the man or his policies, tonight he delivered a take-down made perfect by its sincerity.
"We are America, second to none, and we own the finish line." In some alternate universe, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is beating Trump by 20 points.
Commentary: The Democrats take their case to the moderates
By Will Rahn
/ CBS News
It should be obvious at this point that the Democrats are having a much better convention than the Republicans. We won't know for a little bit what kind of bounce Hillary will get from it, but it's safe to assume her numbers will probably go up a few points, if her speech achieves adequacy.
This was the best night of either convention so far. After two days of getting the base in line and reintroducing Hillary Clinton to impressionable and nostalgia-prone millennials, Wednesday night was all about swing voters, the suburban moms and dads of places like Philadelphia's own Main Line. And it likely succeeded.
Mike Bloomberg ably made the technocratic case for Hillary and against Trump. And unlike the latter, Mayor Mike really did come from humble beginnings to make billions, which made the burns sting that much more: "Trump says he wants to run the nation like he's run his business? God help us."
The message was great - Hillary is "sane" and "competent," unlike that other fella - even if the messenger wasn't. Bloomberg is beloved by New York City Republicans, but by and large conservatives see him as a soda-banning Stalinist dwarf. Still, it hit all the right notes for Republicans who are creeped out by the GOP spectacle this year.
Better yet on this score, surprisingly enough, was President Obama. Eight years in and he's lost the ability to mesmerize, if only because we now know him well, but he'll be remembered as the best orator of his generation for a reason.
Obama aimed for those disaffected Republicans. "We don't look to be ruled," he said, a killer line, one with a lot of conservative appeal, that cuts to the heart of why Trump makes so many nervous. With a few tweaks, this could have been the showstopper at any GOP convention this century.
Plus, he embraced Hillary in a way that didn't seem at all forced. The point he made is that she's fundamentally qualified, and up to the job, and will continue what he's started. Perhaps most importantly, she's no "homegrown demagogue" like you-know-who. (Another small shout-out to conservatives from that section was Obama's grouping together of fascists, communists, and "jihadists," a word he's not in the habit of using.)
But let's not forget about Old Uncle Joe. Should Clinton manage to lose in November, future historians are going to wonder why the Democratic Party was so hell bent on making her their nominee. Biden would have been a fine choice, and in many ways a better choice from a purely political standpoint.
Biden, who lacks the self-conscious affectations of so many politicians, is the perfect person to note that a guy who relishes firing people is no friend of the middle class. His argument tonight was a moral one, and one informed by his own personal suffering. Regardless of what you think of the man or his policies, tonight he delivered a take-down made perfect by its sincerity.
"We are America, second to none, and we own the finish line." In some alternate universe, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is beating Trump by 20 points.
In:- Hillary Clinton
- Joe Biden
- Donald Trump
Will Rahn is a political correspondent and managing director, politics, for CBS News Digital.
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