United Liberty

…or a little of both?

Two weeks of political hype has officially started with the kick-off of the Democrat Party Convention, taking place in Denver this year, and culminating with McCain’s acceptance speech in Minneapolis at the Republican Convention next week.

Looking past the multi-million dollar stages being used at both the Democrat and Republican Conventions, is there really any substance to this year’s presidential coronation ceremonies?

Rumor is that Obama’s acceptance speech, intending to correct Kerry’s 2004 mistake,  will be hard-hitting, highlighting the differences between McCain and himself.  That should take all of two minutes to delineate, giving him plenty of time for his “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for” mantra.  I’m sure everyone will leave feeling warm and fuzzy, not at all concerned that they’re still not sure what their candidate stands for and whether he’s truly ready to lead this country.

Then there’s the drama of Hillary, creating a faux appearance of unity, but knowing her supporters are beneath the fold,  fomenting disunity.  It’s as if she wants Obama to lose so that she can come back in four years and say, “See, I told you so”, cementing her standing in the party and candidacy for 2012.  But with 30% of Hilary’s supporters still reluctant to support Obama this late in the game, one wonders if the divide will narrow fast enough to help ensure Obama’s victory in November.

Clinton advisor, Howard Wolfson, suggests that praising Bill Clinton would be one way of bridging that gap.

“Senator Obama would go a long way towards healing these wounds if he were to specifically praise the accomplishments of the Clinton presidency in a line or two during his speech on Thursday” and “he could thank President Clinton for all of the work he did throughout his life to bridge the divides in our country.” -Political Punch

Still unwilling to accept Obama’s nomination, a group of the former first lady’s supporters are staging a protest and march, voicing their anger over Hilary’s defeat.   Stirring the pot, McCain’s latest ad also highlights Obama’s choice of Biden, questioning why he would pass up a VP who has already garnered millions of votes.  Knowing that a continued rift between Clinton’s and Obama’s supporters will generate votes for him, the last thing that McCain wants is a unified Democratic Party.

So how does this convention drama affect the liberty movement?  One possibility is that a disunified governing Democratic coalition will be less able to force through substantial progressive reforms - thus limiting the potential loss of liberty the American public experiences during an Obama presidency.