Yes, President Barack Obama accepts the nomination tonight, but there’s a little more to the story:
1. As a weather-safety precaution, the Obama campaign moved the president’s acceptance speech indoors, which meant 60,000 ticket holders are left out. Massive balloon and confetti drops aren’t easy to pull off, but the campaign has promised a festive atmosphere to cap the three-day Democratic convention. What will Obama say to raise expectations set by previous conventions speakers this week such as First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton?
2. Biden’s speech could demonstrate how he’ll debate Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP vice presidential nominee. The 69-year-old Biden will debate the 42-year-old Ryan on Oct. 11 in Danville, Kentucky. Expect Biden to defend the Obama administration’s handling of the auto bailout, Arab spring, and national security. Biden will be introduced by his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.
3. How did former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist go from John McCain’s VP short list to a speaking at the DNC? Crist could speak to the more extreme elements of the GOP that chased him out of the party for supporting Obama’s economic stimulus in 2009. Crist lost a Senate race to GOP rising star Sen. Marco Rubio in 2010.
4. Caroline Kennedy will be on the stage without her uncle Edward Kennedy. The two Kennedys were pivotal in the 2008 election, and Caroline Kennedy has headlined several fundraisers for the Obama campaign this cycle. Will the Democrats invoke Edward Kennedy’s 1994 Senate reelection victory against Mitt Romney like they have in previous days?
5. Actresses Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, and Kerry Washington will speak tonight. Hollywood has been a key source of funding for the Obama campaign, with Morgan Freeman, Bill Maher and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg donating $1 million or more each to the pro-Obama Super PAC. Expect Johansson, Longoria and Washington to appeal to millennials, students and veterans as they explain what an Obama second term could mean for them.
