Grading the First Night of the Democratic National Convention

After a tumultuous start to the Democratic National Convention things seemed to settle down for primetime. The party delivered a safe night, which is a good result under the circumstances. They may have missed an opportunity though to deliver something fresh and different.

Execution felt somewhat disjointed. Primetime speeches are the heart of a convention, and having introductions for the main speakers that seemed to be anti-Trump infomercials took away from the grandeur of the evening. There were also protest chants that were disruptive during the speeches. It wasn't a perfect night, but I'm sure most Democrats are pleased.

Cory Booker (B)

- Overall Cory Booker delivered an impassioned speech, but he started too loud and passionate and never left that dynamic. This didn’t give him any room to grow his enthusiasm during the speech. If you are going to be that dynamic the whole time, the crowd better match it or it will look incongruent. He ended with a good “We Will Rise” message, but it lost its punch because it was delivered the same as the rest of the speech. He tried to do too much.

Michelle Obama (A-/B+)

- Michelle Obama’s speech was structured very well. She was soft and personal telling her story to start, then delivered a strong message. Having to make the case for Hillary Clinton, it was more political than what she usually delivers and the personal is how she truly connects with a wider audience. The arena responded well, but this is her third convention speech so it wasn’t the special moment her previous speeches were with the political context tonight. That said, it was a great speech and the only reason I didn’t give it a solid A- was because of the poor decision to have an anti-Trump University speaker before the First Lady.

Elizabeth Warren (C+)

- I was surprised by this speech. I was expecting Elizabeth Warren to fire up the room, but it was mostly a wonkish Senate-floor speech. She had a couple of strong, targeted lines for Republicans and Donald Trump, but in an anti-establishment election year, she had an opportunity to show off her firebrand. Maybe she held back for Bernie Sanders, but many people watching at home were probably bored with this speech.

Bernie Sanders (A-)

- It wasn’t an artful speech, but one that has defined the political outsider of 2016, simple, to the point, and on message. He owned the room from the moment he walked on stage until he finished. His delivery style never changes so it got a little old towards the end, but his authenticity is what draws people to him and it was a nice way to end his effective campaign.

Overall Score: B+/B

The speaker lineup for this convention is a lot of familiar faces and its not clear yet if that will help or hurt in an anti-establishment year. One element of the Republican Convention that was intriguing was hearing from one of the Trump family for the first time each night. The intrigue going into this convention was if there was going to be animosity between the Bernie and Hillary camps. While Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama’s speeches will be talked about, night one seemed too familiar. It’s looking like the Democrats are going to double down on the last 8 years, but that might not be an effective decision with only 23% believing the country is moving in the right direction. The Democrats needed to get through what could have been a tough first night, and they did.

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