Reviews of Day 1: Ted and Michelle
Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:08 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The New York Times: “Senator Edward M. Kennedy, struggling with brain cancer, arrived on Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in a triumphant appearance that evoked 50 years of party history as Democrats gathered to nominate Senator Barack Obama for president. Mr. Kennedy’s appearance wiped away, at least for the evening, some of the tension that continued to plague the party in the wake of the primary fight between Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. It also represented an effort by the Obama campaign to claim the Kennedy mantle, and it set the stage for the second part of what was designed to be an emotionally powerful two-act evening: an appearance later by Michelle Obama, who began a weeklong effort to present her husband - and his entire family - as embodiments of the American dream.”
The Washington Post: After an emotional speech by an ailing Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the face of the Democratic Party shifted on Monday night to a new generation of leaders, as Michelle Obama opened the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to her husband and a call to the country to listen ‘to our hopes instead of our fears,’ and ‘to stop doubting and to start dreaming.’”
USA Today has more on Michelle’s speech: “Michelle Obama, whose husband calls her ‘the star’ of their family, introduced herself Monday to the Democratic convention in a heartfelt speech invoking the dreams of her father and the hopes of her husband for the nation. ‘Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do,’ Obama said. ‘You treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them.”
The Los Angeles Times' Z. Barabak: "For all of the upbeat talk, tensions continued to stir between supporters of the Illinois senator and Hillary Rodham Clinton, threatening the unity that Democrats desperately seek as they face a rugged fight against Republican John McCain. None of that friction was visible, however, during the official program beamed worldwide from the star-spangled inside of Denver's Pepsi Center sports arena. The agenda was clear and two-pronged: Build an image of Obama as an everyman and start ripping McCain apart."
Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama are six columns wide on the Boston Globe's cover. Headline: "Democrats share their dreams."
The Globe's Canellos: “But Kennedy's speech was much more than a moving acknowledgment of the tribute being paid to him - it was much more than anyone could have expected. It was, in fact, the party's real keynote address - a call to arms that brought together past and present, and set the agenda for all the speeches to follow… He also - and perhaps most importantly - bequeathed the 'dream' of charismatic liberalism that was embodied by President Kennedy to Barack Obama; with the martyred president's daughter at his side, he made it clear that Obama, more than any member of the Kennedy family, would be the future custodian of the Camelot legacy."
Kennedy is also the cover of the NY Post: "Old Lion Roars."
Michelle and a mic-carrying Sasha Obama are on the cover of the NY Daily News: "Love You Dad." Subhead: "Michelle and kids wow 'em on night of high drama at convention."
