I understand why Team Obama would worry about reinforcing the dread celebrity frame tonight. But, at a certain point, you just have to play to your strengths. Hatching ad hoc ways to make the event more personable, as the Times previewed today, doesn't seem like a great idea in a 75,000-seat stadium:
On Wednesday, workers were still making changes to Invesco Field, home to the Denver Broncos, so it would feel more intimate, less like the boisterous rallies that served Mr. Obama so well early in the primaries, but also created the celebrity image that dogs him.
They were still testing camera angles, so Mr. Obama would appear among the giant crowd, not above it. They took steps to reduce the echo effect, familiar to football fans, of speaking in such a cavernous space.
You could easily end up with the worst of both worlds here--still vulnerable to the celebrity charge, but with an underwhelming production. We know Obama thrives in high-energy settings. Why not just let it rip?
Fortunately, the Times suggests the door is still mostly open on a blowout affair:
“We are leaning into this, how can you not?” said Jenny Backus, a campaign strategist working on the convention plan. “This is the enthusiasm gap,” referring to what polls show as excitement for Mr. Obama that Senator John McCain’s campaign has not matched.
Let's hope that's the majority view in Obamaland.
--Noam Scheiber