Denver, Colorado, hosted the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Kevin Bohn and Jessica Yellin
CNN

The western United States, with its independent streak and growing population, is the terrain both political parties are hoping to mine for electoral gains in the coming years.

With Denver hosting the 2008 Democratic Convention and a more concentrated effort in the region, the Obama campaign was able to capture Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada in last year's presidential election. Some Democrats hoped those results foretold a transformation, but a year later, political experts are saying not so fast.

The West gives President Obama his lowest approval ratings, and the Democratic Party has a 45 percent approval rating in the area - the only region in the country in which it gets under 50 percent, according to an October 16-18 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

"It's not as though people are lining up at the Republican Party headquarters. It's just that the bloom is off," said William Chaloupka, a long-time observer of Western politics and a professor at Colorado State University.

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee plays the guitar with his band, Capitol Offense, at a party during the RNC-week festivities.

Alyssa Caplan
AC360° Staffer

It’s felt a little quiet at 360° the last couple of days. Not that it’s actually quiet. It's just that there's been so much noise the last couple of weeks, comparatively, it seems quiet.

As I sit at my desk, I wonder if, like me, journalists, politicians, and other conventioneers in offices across the country are looking longingly at the business cards they collected over the last couple of weeks, while pulling rogue streamers and pieces of confetti out of their pockets, muttering to themselves, “the party is over.”

The weird thing is, for anyone who worked at the conventions, (or even made a sport out of watching them and history in the making), it certainly wasn’t all fun and games. It was endless days, swollen feet, hoarse voices, looming fears of hurricanes, and weight gains or losses (depending upon stress coping style). I myself wasn’t technically working at the conventions, but used the time off as a sort of summer enrichment project. Some people follow Phish, I spent the last couple of weeks making my way from the DNC in Denver to the RNC in Minneapolis.

So while I figuratively pick the last flecks of glitter out of my hair, my thoughts turn to some of the characters I met along the way, some of the things my eyes saw…

-The back of Gayle King's (Oprah’s best friend) head. So close to Oprah people! So close, yet so far away.

-The Lobbyist who within seconds of introducing himself to me, informed me that he was a classically trained vocalist and started belting out Sinatra’s My Way (my song choice). Goes beautifully with Kanye’s Gold Digger blaring in the background might I add.

-The young and eager teenagers from Denmark sporting Obama pins wanting to know where they could continue to party. Yes, upon further questioning, they came all the way from Denmark to support Obama and participate in our little old political system – and according to them, their whole country is following this election with equal vigor.

-Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner casually holding court in the corner of a room, talking to various fans/friends.

-Rapper Fat Joe looking not so fat. I told him that. I think he might need to change his name to Phat Joe, or Average Joe. I didn’t tell him that part.

-Gov. Huckabee jamming out on his bass guitar with his band, Capitol Offense. There is something disarming about someone when they’re passionately playing an instrument. Instead of campaigning, maybe he should have just held concerts in key primary states.

-A young unassuming looking protest “bystander” being treated in the ER after being pepper sprayed, solemnly recounting that her curiosity really caught up with her this time.

-Country star Joe Nichols making a surprise guest appearance on stage with Gov. Huckabees band. I have no idea who Joe Nichols is, but the crowd went wild.

-Overflowing emotion in the form of tears, cheers, and passionate displays of patriotism from Dems and GOPs alike.

Here are a few more photos from Denver and Minneapolis:

Kanye West performing at ONE campaign party in Denver. 

Run in to Anderson on street. Discuss raise. Goes Brilliantly.

Ben Affleck pretending its not weird to have an audience gather just to watch you talk to other people.

Luke Russert and Jennifer Garner chatting at ONE campaign party.

Country singer Joe Nichols joining Gov. Huckabee's band for a song at a RNC party in Minneapolis. 

Delegates look up as the balloons fall after Republican presidential nominee John McCain concluded his speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, Thursday.

Ismael Estrada
AC360° Producer

We have been on quite the adventure tour the past couple of weeks...all to talk with you, the voters, all over the country. What seems like forever ago, we started our travels in Encinitas, CA where we watched the DNC with some senior citizens.

We moved on to Arizona to talk with Latinos and on to Louisiana to talk with young professionals. It was a mad scurry to a sporting goods store to pick up rain gear when we stopped for a few days in New Orleans to get nice and wet while covering Hurricane Gustav.

We then we packed up the cars and drove to Florida to kick back up our voter tours. It was in Pensacola that we talked with conservative evangelical Christians and hopped another flight up to Virginia to talk with women.

It’s been fun talking with voters to get a real sense of what our country’s voters are thinking. We chatted with so many great people while watching the conventions and dining over everything from fish tacos to gumbo to burgers.

We watched reactions to Obama’s acceptance speech, to the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin and McCain’s performance last night. The opinions were very interesting, some very passionate, many still undecided.

We are now sitting in a hotel putting together our stories on how evangelical Christians and women reacted to the conventions which you will see tonight.

Joe Johns
AC360° Correspondent

Wanted to send a quick note about the lines outside of INVESCO field:

There actually appear to be a couple lines leading in different directions.

The line we walked has got to be a couple miles long up to this point. Some police told us it is six miles long, but It snakes and undulates, making it quite difficult to judge.

It moves rapidly across the Auraria Blvd overpass then slows down once u get to the other side,
Just a continuous stream of people walking across a bridge on the boulevard near here
From the way they are dressed really a collection of every type of person…

From working class people in blue collar uniforms to men in suits and women in high heels.
It’s warm out and people who aren’t in the greatest shape are naturally huffing and puffing a bit.

I talked to one guy who said this is a little like getting to the Super Bowl… Which seems about right because that is another national ‘special security event‘ like the conventions.

Take a look at some of these photos:

__________

__________

__________

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama makes a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday.

Candy Crowley | Bio
AC360° Contributor
CNN Senior Political Correspondent

Editor's Note: Candy spoke with Wolf Blitzer last night after Barack Obama was declared the Democratic Party's Presidential Candidate. Here's what she had to say:

One quick story: We were down in Mississippi at one point at Jackson State University, I think, and we were doing our live shots and there were guards all around and local police. And there was one local policeman stationed right where we were and so I was talking to him and he was from Jackson. And I said, you know, have you ever heard (Barack Obama) speak before?

And he said no. And I said well this will be exciting. And he said oh, well I have to - I'm working, you know. But I've seen him on TV. And about halfway through Obama's speech, I looked over at this guard and saw tears just streaming down his face.

So you saw that a lot... and you knew what a sense of history and how important this really was, in particular, to African-Americans.

But I will also tell you that Obama tends to draw very diverse crowds. And I would say - ask white people in the crowd, what do you like about him? And they generally said well, he's against the war or I like this or that plan. But the second thing they almost always said to me invariably was, I think it would say so much about our country if we nominated a half-black, half-white man. I think it would say how much we've progressed over the years.

So you always got that sense of history when you were traveling with Obama, from the very first day that I was with him in Springfield, Illinois, when he announced. You would ask people, what are you doing here? Because it was freezing. And there were just blocks and blocks and blocks of people.

You'd say, why are you here?

And they said, because you know what, this could be history.

So there was always that sense that this already was history, that he was running and really seemed to have a chance. And today, you know, you sort of saw it come to a fulfillment for so many people...

Leslie Sanchez | Bio
CNN Political Contributor
Republican Strategist

Once again, the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot. In a half-baked effort to establish “unity” within their own ranks, they haul out Bill and Hillary Clinton – probably the only two people in politics who can, by their mere presence, unite Republicans.

Bill Clinton gave a slick speech tonight. His wife couldn’t bring herself to say that Barack Obama is ready to be President, so Bill overcompensated: he said “ready” so much, you’d think he was trying to convince himself.

But with Bill Clinton, the question always is, “is he lying now, or was he lying before?” All through the Primaries, Bill went around the country telling everybody who’d listen that Obama is ill-prepared for the White House. Which is it then?

I especially liked the point in the speech when Clinton recalled how, in his 1992 run, his opponents charged that he was too inexperienced for the nation’s highest office.

They were right. Bill’s first two years in office were such a disaster – careening from crisis to crisis – that by 1994, Americans were so disgusted that they elected Republicans to a majority in both Houses of Congress for the first time in more than 4O years.

Bill Clinton wasn’t ready then, and Barack Obama is not ready now. America can’t go through another two years like we sustained while Bill Clinton was riding around with training wheels.

CNNs Jeanne Moos encourages you to analyze the dance moves of poltical pundits at the Democratic National Convention

We’ve been working hard this week at the DNC, but with work comes a time to let loose. Roland Martin and Donna Brazile did the best job, dancing in the middle of the CNN Grill long after they went off the air. Since we didn’t have a camera able to tape it, you should check out Jeanne Moos’ report on all the convention dancing. You will get a good idea of what went down here last night.

It was a really interesting mix of people here, from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s sons, August and Abe, to Ashley Judd, Jamie Foxx and Days of Our Lives’ own Deidre Hall. Time’s Karen Tumulty, ABC’s Kate Snow, EXTRA’s Carlos Diaz and our own Campbell Brown, Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper were spotted at various times throughout the night chatting up the various guests here. Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her way in for an interview and her staff wanted to come back. She, unfortunately, couldn’t make it due to other commitments. But Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York did make it, and he and his wife really enjoyed dinner as well as the atmosphere.

Once again, the crowd fell silent during the big speeches of the night, cheering as if they were inside the arena during both Pres. Clinton’s speech and Sen. Biden’s acceptance speech. The loudest roar from both inside and the patio area came when Sen. Obama joined Sen. Biden on stage.

Tonight is the final night of the Democratic convention, and with Sen. Obama’s speech on the horizon, we are gearing up for a great night on CNN as well as at the CNN Grill.

Jeffrey Toobin | Bio
CNN Senior Political Analyst

Conventions are about politics, not policies, so it's not surprising that we've lately been preoccupied with Hillary Clinton's body language and John McCain's real estate.

But it seems timely to offer a reminder that this election is really about something - about issues that will affect the lives of every American and, most likely, everyone in the world.

Presidential candidates are cagey about specifics, so here's some informed speculation about how the world might look differently if McCain or Barack Obama wins in November:

Obama has three clear priorities for his presidency. He wants to end the war in Iraq, he wants to undertake a major expansion of guaranteed health care, and he wants to change energy policy to lower our dependence on foreign oil and start to address global warming. Can he do any or all of these?

Read More...

Carl Bernstein
AC360° Contributor

Barack Obama is getting the convention he wants, under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. The convention he is building reflects him and his priorities: it’s thoughtful, not just red-meat; and he’s in surprising control of the message, given the forces he’s dealing with. Indeed, the convention-building and the message may be far more sophisticated and effective than we instant commentators were prepared to discern. Witness the opening night grousing on-air about the convention’s supposed thematic absence, and aversion to instant butchery of the opposition.

Task Number One for Obama:
Defining himself as a person, not just a politician: telling his story and that of Michelle Obama and their family. An American story, meant to definitively undermine the oppo-narrative of the Clinton campaign, and now the Republican oppo-narrative – that he is some kind of vaguely alien, exotic candidate. (For some undecided voters, that also means uncomfortably black). Michelle Obama – as well as the team that produced her bio-pic – delivered with perfect pitch on Night One.

This was the real opening business of the convention, the essential themes to get right. As well as to establish an umbilical connection between Obama and the greatest of Democratic traditions and immutable principles… a generational passing of the torch that Caroline and Ted Kennedy declared unmistakably – and emotionally – had now moved past the Clintons.

It would be hard to underestimate how personally difficult the defection of the Kennedys has been for Hillary and Bill Clinton: consider how, as an adolescent, Bill idolized JFK, emulated him as a politician; that JFK Jr. was among the first contributors to Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign; and that Caroline’s mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, formed a close friendship with Hillary (in private, they shared a wicked sense of humor), and told friends that, of all her successors as First Lady, she was most fond of Hillary Clinton. Caroline and Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama on January 28 was a critical blow to Hillary’s campaign).

Task Number Two:
Defining Obama’s Politics: Anyone who has talked to Obama knows he genuinely believes in ending the cultural wars that have poisoned the politics of past generation; and, whether you agree with his solutions or not, he has given great thought to the condition and state of America—its problems, its strengths, and how to initiate a tectonic (and generational) change in political direction. What he has not done, say even many of his allies, is get very specific during the campaign about programs, numbers, legislation. (See Task 4.)

Mark Warner’s keynote speech was on a plane not usually in evidence at conventions: subtle, powerful, inspirational, cerebral, practical – and as convincing a case as can be made for the underpinnings of Obama’s politics and a post-Bush, post-Clinton, post-partisan agenda. He made the connection between the man and his politics. Substantively, there were reminders of how thoughtful, humane, and forward-looking Bill Clinton’s politics looked some 15 years ago.

Task Number Three, a Houdiniesque Proposition:
Easing the Clintons off center stage (inevitably, still kicking) and into the kind of major supporting roles in the Obama campaign that capture all the unique Clintonian star power, and even compels Hillary and Bill Clinton to help Barack Obama win the presidency.

This Houdiniesque proposition recognizes that the Clintons, campaigning for Obama in the right places, and pushing the right political and media buttons, can deliver as no other Democrats in America. And that it is in their interests to do so, thus rescuing Bill Clinton’s damaged legacy from a brutal primary season’s beating (and his own self-destructive instincts); and even further enhancing Hillary’s stature as a leader in the party and the nation — without further threatening Obama.

Hillary’s speech last night was the crucial first step: a huge stride toward uniting her genuine movement of women and blue-collar workers with Obama’s formidable new Democratic movement that almost couldn’t close the deal by the end of the primary-caucus season. If she and Obama can fuse those two movements in Denver without a divisive struggle on the convention floor (as seems likely), Obama is a lot closer to being able to win the presidency than he was a week ago. And already, Hillary has delivered for him, big-time – despite some carping that she didn’t go far enough.

Now, look for both Clintons to begin campaigning in critical battleground states as early next week. And for Bill Clinton to deliver a powerful speech on Obama’s behalf tonight, throwing the hall into predictably pandemonious excess (as did Hillary), leaving no doubt among Democrats of all persuasions that John McCain and Bush-Republican policies are a totally unacceptable alternative to Barack Obama.

A footnote to the ongoing Clintonian psychodrama that, as usual and quite reasonably, has mesmerized the media and continues to hang over the political landscape in Denver and beyond:

First, the essential dynamic: that the Clintons do not like Obama, hate how he systematically went about burying their attempt at a Clintonian restoration to the presidency; and they have never found it easy to be gracious in defeat. The final, gratuitously vicious wound (in their view) was Obama’s decision not to make Hillary his vice presidential nominee.

Fact: Once the “Atlantic Monthly Memos” were published — with Mark Penn’s overt strategy of smearing Barack Obama as coming from an “unAmerican” background — there was virtually no chance Hillary would have been acceptable to Obama or his wife. The only possibility, say his aides: if it were indelibly clear that he could not win the presidency without putting her on the ticket.

Obama and his small cadre of top aides were convinced there is a far better way, without the oxygen-consuming formula of Hillary-as-Veep now on display at the convention: Put the Clintons to work for the Obama-Biden ticket, getting them to fly the Democratic flag against John McCain, and — based on Obama’s real respect for them both and their singular accomplishments – giving them outsized roles in national life during an Obama administration.

Meanwhile, the Clintons — as if to underscore the personal (as differentiated from simply political) chasm between Obama and themselves — let it be known that Mark Penn had a hand in drafting both their convention speeches.

Task Number Four:
Delivering — beyond the Obama aura and the oratory — with specifics: His speech on the last night of the convention. It is instructive to watch Obama’s remarkable speech to the 2004 Democratic convention: he must do it one better in 2008, laying out a vision for the country under his leadership that is specific enough (his top aides seem to agree) to put an end to the Clinton-McCain refrain that he’s all about oratory.

He — and others, including Joe Biden tonight — will be addressing the supposed commander-in-chief gap and the “3 a.m.” assertions that he’s not ready to lead. Look for a passel of generals to be on-stage with Obama in the stadium tomorrow night.

——–

Obama beat the toughest Democratic machine of modern times, and a candidate considered by the media, the pollsters and most of the political class to be the Democrats’ inevitable nominee. He did it by staying on message; out-organizing the Clinton campaign in state after state; harnessing the power of a new generation of voters; and utilizing a set of tools (particularly the Internet) that his opponents vastly underestimated.

The most consistent aspect of the Obama campaign from the beginning has been its discipline, and the nominee’s control of his own message and apparat. Thus far, the Denver convention seems to be on that same track.

Faye Wattleton
AC360° Contributor
President, Center for the Advancement of Women

What if, throughout her campaign for the party’s nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton had made speeches like the one she gave last night at the Democratic National Convention? It’s possible that she’d be the candidate accepting the party’s nomination tomorrow at Invesco Field. What type of presidency would she have led, had she become the first woman president of the United States? We’ll have to leave that question unanswered, at least for now.

The expectations that were placed on Sen. Clinton to mend the great divide that emerged from the Democratic primaries were both unprecedented and unrealistic. Yet, she delivered beyond our imagination last night. She repeatedly endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. She covered all of the points the party could have wished for. She asked the delegates –and all Democrats watching at home– to re-assess the values and motivations that brought them to Denver and will now determine their chances for putting a Democrat in the White House.

In the same way she rose gracefully from the Lewinsky affair and from a defeated campaign to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system, Sen. Clinton emerged last night as a polished diamond. She surfaced as an unalloyed leader out of the adversities and the unaddressed sexism endured during her campaign and, for that matter, during her entire political career. Her journey is emblematic of the way American women overcome the challenges posed by a society where full-equality is yet to be attained.

Sen. Clinton raised the bar to the “what if, and every decision the Obama campaign makes from now on will be measured against it. Regardless of whether she united the party last night, Sen. Obama will have to show voters how their lives will be better if they vote, in unity, for him. How he chooses to translate the rhetoric of change into the policy of change will be essential as he aims at locking the support of independents and die-hard Clinton supporters, especially the women in the 25 percent who now plan to support Sen. John McCain.

The ball is in Sen. Obama’s court.

Hilary Rosen
AC360° Contributor
Political Director, The Huffington Post

Editor's note: CNN contributor Hilary Rosen is the political director and Washington editor at large of HuffingtonPost.com, which describes itself as an Internet newspaper and focuses on politics from a liberal point of view. A longtime Democratic adviser, Rosen is a former CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America. This column by Rosen, a former Clinton supporter, is one of a series of commentary pieces on CNN.com from Democrats and Republicans attending party conventions.

Is there a score higher than an A+? I have heard about a hundred speeches by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Tuesday night's speech in Denver was a clarion call filled with power and grace.

Hillary's job at the Democratic National Convention was a big one. She had to make a strong and compelling case to any of her recalcitrant supporters for the election of Sen. Barack Obama.

She had to express her deep appreciation for all those who supported her in this campaign but not too much appreciation so that people would think she was trying to keep them to herself.

And finally she had to describe the stakes in this election and the choices we face, particularly for American families. But she had do it in a way that was not threatening to Obama but rather would be seen as amplifying his message.

And she had to do it all in 23 minutes (including applause). For weeks, people will make comments about what she should have or shouldn't have said.

But Tuesday night she was strong and compassionate, comforting and combative, deeply intelligent and extremely charming. She did everything she needed to achieve for a united party and a dignified conclusion to her campaign for her supporters. I think she gave the speech of her life.

Clinton's journey broke barriers on several levels. Yet it also gave us some real insights about the road ahead. We cannot try to replicate how men got ahead in politics, but must be open and heartfelt about the special qualities that we as women bring to public office.

Yes, it is true, she not so silently admitted, that in the beginning she was trying to avoid running as a "woman." She thought she needed to prove she was commander-in-chief material. But instead in the last and more successful months of her campaign, her message evolved.

Read more...

TNT Analyst Charles Barkley and Anderson Cooper shake hands at the CNN Grill in Denver, Co.

Kay Jones
AC360° Editorial Producer

It only takes one person to get the CNN Grill hopping here at the Dem convention, and yesterday that person was TNT Analyst Charles Barkley. He was a guest on several CNN shows, even playing with John King's magic map at one point.

But Barkley spent the most of his time in the CNN Grill, holding court with the likes of former New Orleans Mayor and President of the National Urban League Marc Morial, as well as actress Charlize Theron and actor Stuart Townsend.

As the night progressed, so did the crowds in the Grill thanks to the Pepsi Center being so packed that it stopped allowing people in. During Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech, the entire Grill fell silent as they watched her talk. But as soon as she ended, it hopped back to life. And so did Barkley.

He made his rounds, sitting at a booth with famed gossip columnist Cindy Adams and frequent 360 guest Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member and Hillary Clinton fundraiser. Then I saw Barkley sitting next to actress Ashley Judd.

Also spotted in the Grill: Army Wives' Sally Pressman and Brigid Brannagh. Sally was most impressed with the "decorate your own" cupcakes that were being served, and thankful we have the CNN Grill, since she was one of the unfortunate ones shut out of seeing Sen. Clinton in person.

After CNN's coverage wound down, Anderson came back over and ran into Theron and Townsend on the outdoor patio. While he was chatting away, Wolf Blitzer was inside having a converstation with.... You guessed it: Charles Barkley.

See ya from the Grill later today!

Delegates hold up signs in support of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Tuesday.

John P. Avlon
Author, Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics

It’s Barack Obama’s convention, but the Clintons’ continue to suck up the oxygen in the Mile High City.

On the convention floor, Hillary buttons on delegates seem almost as prevalent as Obama paraphernalia. On the streets of Denver, the Obamafest is occasionally disturbed by roving bands of alleged Hillary Clinton supporters. And then there's the white Hummer with Colorado plates hanging Hillary-McCain signs out the window and slogans written on its side, “Yes, We Can: Plagiarize and Lie” and “Obama’s a fake — No-bama.”

Last night’s primetime Hillary speech was a chance for the faithful to hear their leader deliver an old-fashioned pantsuit barn-burner. But today is their D-Day, when the PUMAs are demanding a roll-call vote to honor her effort.

PUMAs are members of Party United Means Action, a political action committee or PAC started by Hillary Clinton supporters. PUMAs come in two breeds: the loyal Hillary supporters (essentially sober, conservative Democrats who believe that she was the more experienced candidate in a time of war) and the unhinged Obama-haters. Both types could inflict damage on the party this year.

“The PUMAs can’t deny Obama the nomination,” says longtime Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, “but they can cost him the election.”

The McCain campaign hopes so. And most analysts see the recent tightening up of the race as having more to do with rising doubts about Obama than any renewed appreciation of John McCain’s political profile in courage.

As the courting dance for crossover votes reaches new intensity, the nation gets the bizarre spectacle of Republicans showing newfound empathy for Hillary Clinton. “Debra,” a new McCain ad, features Debra Bartoshevich, a defecting Hillary delegate from Wisconsin. The 41-year-old emergency-room nurse switches a Hillary sign for McCain sign and gives permission for others to do the same: “”A lot of Democrats will vote McCain. It’s OK, really.”

The wounds from which Barack Obama is now bleeding — the charges that he’s an inexperienced, liberal elitist — were inflicted by the Clinton campaign in the later primaries. The question is whether the Clintons can (or will) heal those wounds and defang the PUMAs. Bill and Hillary have been saying the right words about uniting around Team Obama, but the passion has been lacking. And it’s not just a matter of what they say, but what they do – on and off the stage, and on the campaign trail from now to November. News that Bill Clinton and Clinton campaign manager and former DNC Chairman Terry McCauliffe are leaving Denver before Obama’s Invesco Field speech on Thursday doesn’t help heal the Democrats.

The Obamas have been trying to bridge this divide. On Monday, Michelle Obama honored Hillary Clinton by name. The Clintons have been given not one, but two, primetime speaking roles during the convention. (By contrast, ex-President Jimmy Carter was tucked away opposite the All-Star game during Bill’s 1992 convention.)

But so far there’s little sign that these efforts have helped heal the bitter feelings. And as she took the podium, resplendent in orange, the question remained: Would Hillary deliver? Because she needed to make it crystal clear to the PUMAs: Do not derail the Democrats or vote for John McCain — not in my name.

Hillary gave a virtuoso performance that primarily reminded the convention that she is the rock star in the Democratic Party. Take out the obligatory references to Barack Obama sprinkled throughout the speech and it could have been her nomination address. It was if she wanted to inspire a bit of buyer’s remorse – with the warranty offer that she still owns Hillary2012.com. Tonight, Bill will have a second swing - and let’s see whether he makes the Commander in Chief argument on the nominee’s behalf.

Thursday will be game day for Barack Obama – his chance to firmly take the reins of his convention and his party - uniting Democrats, and then harnessing the 80% wrong-direction ratings to make the case to disaffected Republicans and Independents. He needs to build a muscular big tent – that builds on Bill Clinton’s gains while moving the Democrats beyond the Clinton era into the age of Obama.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Tuesday.

John King | Bio
CNN Chief National Correspondent

Think of the convention as a family budget: over four days, you have to make tough decisions about how to allocate your resources – in this case balancing the competing needs of unifying the party, more thoroughly introducing Barack Obama, and making the case against Republican John McCain.

So far, there is a mix of "spending" on all three of those goals, but the amount of resources dedicated to unity is telling.

The Obama forces contend, probably with good reason, that those in the convention hall will leave Denver united. But with polls still showing a high percentage of Clinton voters either backing McCain or declaring themselves undecided, the Denver investment in unity is aimed at winning back those watching at home who wanted a different outcome here.

Top Obama aide David Plouffe says there are many reasons to be hopeful despite polls showing essentially a dead heat. "We have more room to grow," is Plouffe's take. By that, he means McCain has the support of most Republicans already locked up, and that in camp Obama's view most of the "available" voters out there are either Democrats still not at peace with Obama as their leader and, again in the Obama camp's view, Independents who side with Democrats on most of the big issues.

There is ample polling data to back Plouffe's take.

But those same polls show lingering doubt about Obama's values and experience to serve as commander in chief.

Given those challenges, Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole's unsuccessful campaign in 1996, looks at the Democratic convention as the halfway mark and says: "they are spending a LOT of capital on unity."

Watch Anne Price-Mill's emotional response to Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech.

Editor's note: After Hillary Clinton's speech CNN Suzanne Maveaux, interviwed Democratic delegate, Anne Price-Mills, a Hillary Clinton supporter, about her emotional reaction to Clinton's speech. What was your take on Price-Mills' reaction?

COOPER: Suzanne Malveaux is down on the floor with some very strong Hillary Clinton supporters. Apparently they had tears in their eyes during some parts of the speech. Suzanne, what are you hearing from them?

MALVEAUX: Joining us here obviously very strong Clinton supporters.

Tell me, why is this so important to you? What does this moment mean to you?

PRICE-MILLS: Hillary Clinton proved to me tonight that she would have made an excellent president. She was presidential tonight. She's the evidence that women have come so far and to let gender be a hindrance, to let a phenomenal, an intelligent, a powerful, a moving, a motivating person not move us into the next generation, not move us into the future that we deserve, not move us into the green economy that we deserve, not being able to address the concerns that we deserve, and now everybody just want us to suddenly shift.

You just saw it yourselves. You saw it yourself; you know that was a presidential speech. You know it. When you guys look back at the end of this week and you start to tear apart the speeches and you will, you know that was a presidential speech.

She did everything for Obama that she was supposed to do. Now it's time for him to step up and do what he's supposed to do.

MALVEAUX: Will you vote for her when you cast your votes later in the week?

PRICE-MILLS: I was selected to come here as a delegate for Clinton. I will vote for Clinton.

You ask me about my personal vote in November? Obama has two months. I won't vote for McCain. But he has to get me there and I haven't connected with him. Experience speaks to me. I ask everybody all the time, I said, would you take us to heal us? Would you take somebody straight out of Harvard, even if they had the education, and put them as a CEO in the company?

Hillary Clinton urged supporters to vote for Barack Obama in her speech last night. Some still want 'Hillary for President', like Los Angeles celebrity lawyer, Gloria Allred.

MALVEAUX: Tell me the kind of connection you felt with Hillary Clinton.

PRICE-MILLS: I see in Hillary, I saw in Hillary what my potential future could be. I saw more than just dreams. I saw things that could be reality.

In her eyes and in her words, I could envision the reality of knowing that we can actually have green jobs instead of talks. That we could have the image that we once have of a United States that was respected and that went out and did the jobs that we're supposed to do on the global level. I saw the country that we strived to be and wanted to be and she could have made it happen.

MALVEAUX: Will you cast that vote for him in November? Will you cast your vote for Barack Obama in November or will you vote for McCain or not vote at all?

PRICE-MILLS: I will not vote for McCain. I will not vote for McCain. But for the first time since I was 18, and that's been a long time, I may be faced with something I don't want to have to deal with.

I've never not voted. I am one of the strongest Democrats I know. I call up all my family and say, Carl, you need to get out the house, I don't care how much rain is pouring down. I don't what's going on in your schedule, you need to vote.

For the first time I'm faced with not being a person who calls them and says go vote. They may have to call me and tell me and remind me of how hard and how long we strived to get to the right to vote, the right to be here.

Experience counts. I don't care what anybody told you. And his resume is just -

MALVEAUX: Okay. Anne Price-Mills, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. I appreciate it.

Obviously a very emotional delegate who says that she doesn't even know at this point whether or not she's going to vote in November; a very difficult decision for her - Wolf, Anderson.

COOPER: Suzanne, on Thursday night after Barack Obama's speech, let's try to find that delegate and see if she has changed her mind after hearing from Barack Obama and from Joe Biden.

New York Senator and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton acknowledges the audience as she takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention,Tuesday.

Editor’s note: Below is a transcript of CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen's response to Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention last night. What was your take?

COOPER: I want to bring in David Gergen, who worked in the Clinton administration, as well as worked in several Republican presidential administrations. David Gergen, had you ever seen Hillary Clinton deliver a speech like this?

GERGEN: No, and I must say, Anderson, I'm sure their cynics will find a lot wrong with that speech tonight but I thought she was a class act. In fact, I think it can well be said that nothing has so become her campaign as well as she ended it here tonight.

Her argument as Ed Rendell said, that if you were in this, you were in this all along for more than me. You're in this for the cause, so let's join. And then she did have some humor, that Twin Cities joke, about the Republicans going to the Twin Cities and that's a good place for them because it's hard to distinguish between McCain and Bush. That was well done. It was a nice line.

I thought overall, what you saw here tonight, the reason why I thought this was perhaps her finest hour in politics, it was so unselfish. It was not about her, it was about trying to help the cause and helping Barack Obama and in turn helping the country that she cares about.

So often the Clintons are accused, I think unfairly, of being selfish. But I think this was such a generous act. It was so clear she didn't hold anything back in her endorsement and her calls for unity.

It was an authentic call and I think it was a terrific speech. I think that's why Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe Biden should be so pleased tonight, because she did it. We talked earlier tonight about how impossible it was going to be to weave together the themes of women's rights, unity and the economy. And she did all of that, and masterfully and came out I think for the first time, the Democrats can leave this hall really charged up with a real sense of mission for November.

Sen. Barack Obama watches Sen. Hillary Clinton addressing the Democratic National Convention at a Democratic supporters' group in Billings, Montana, Tuesday.

Editor's note: Below is a transcript of CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley's response to Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention last night. What did you think?

COOPER: Candy Crowley, who has been watching that speech, listening in from the platform. Candy from your perspective, you've seen a lot of Hillary Clinton speeches.

CROWLEY: Absolutely. And what I've seen over the time as I started to cover her presidential race, which was last January or the January before last in 2007, is that this is a woman who delivers when she needs to. She is a clutch player. And she certainly seemed to do that tonight.

You saw from the reaction in the crowd, this wasn't just - I sort of expected it would be, well, here are the Hillary Clinton supporters, you can tell by that clapping. It was this whole crowd that she had on their feet, mostly for the entire time.

What did they say she was going to do when we talked to them? They said she was going to hit John McCain. Check. They said she was going to reach out to her supporters and thank them for what was a historic race. Check. They said that she would call for unity of the party to firmly back Barack Obama and challenge her supporters to look at what the choice is. Check.

They did everything that they said she would do.

I think in camp Obama tonight, they will be very pleased and I think it puts a lot of pressure on Barack Obama for Thursday night. I think he has to respond in kind in some way to make that unity hold.

Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday.

Editor's Note: You can read more Lisa Bloom blogs on “In Session”

Lisa Bloom
AC360° Contributor
In Session Anchor

The pundits applaud and cheer for the newly softened Michelle Obama after her speech. Flattened, more like it, by the American political machine’s insistent steamrolling of intelligent, accomplished women into one dimensional wifeys, apparently still the only mold of First Lady palatable to the electorate.

She came to us in last night’s speech, she said, as a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother: identities in which she exists only in relation to family members, identities which have defined women for centuries. The first two require only birth. The third and fourth define women solely in relation to our husbands and children.

Are these identities important to strong women? Of course, just as they are for men. Our identities as children and siblings and parents and spouses are key parts of who we all are. But can we imagine a successful man introducing himself on a national political stage as a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and devoting his speech exclusively to these roles? Can we imagine him omitting his work entirely?

There was one drumbeat in Michelle’s speech, surely carefully vetted by the campaign strategists: family, family, family. Breaking news: she loves her daughters, she loves her husband, she loves her mother and her deceased father. Family values are important to her. Of course they are.

When she talked about work at all, it was Barack’s, not her own. She waxed eloquent for hundreds of words about her husband’s work on the South Side of Chicago, but not about her own career in the Chicago mayor’s office, or in public interest programs. There was just one brief throwaway line about how she left a big law firm job for community service, and how she loves America because a working class girl like her got into law school (just as girls are accepted in law schools now around the globe).

Uh, she didn’t just get into law school, she graduated from Harvard Law School. After graduating cum laude from Princeton University. She was then snapped up by the prestigious large law firm Sidley Austin, a plum job, even for an Ivy League grad. She was assigned to mentor Barack Obama when she was senior to him, she a practicing attorney while he was still a law student.

I am sure Michelle Obama’s parents were strong role models who encouraged both their children to study seriously and develop their minds. Michelle did that, to an impressive degree. What a shame that she must downplay her brains and hard work, and that it’s considered a resounding success that she has now successfully positioned herself as a warm and fuzzy potential First Lady because she can speak enthusiastically about being a daughter, sister, wife and mother.

As feminists said a generation ago, “a man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality.” Barack Obama picked an intelligent, hard working, strong, high-achieving woman to marry, a big plus in my book in assessing Barack. Just as it says a lot about a man when he chooses a bimbo (Elliot Spitzer and the teenaged hooker, feh, that’s all I need to know), a man’s choice of a bright, opinionated woman says that he doesn’t just endorse women’s equality, he enjoys it at home. What a shame that the Machine decided, probably correctly, that the rest of us are not as highly evolved.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday. Sen. John McCain before his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Monday.

Barclay Palmer
AC360 Senior Producer

Tonight is Hillary's night–will it work? She'll try to galvanize her supporters to back Obama. Her historic drive for the nomination, and her 18 million votes will be acknowledged in a deal letting her be nominated, and then she herself might call for Obama's nomination by unprecedented acclamation.

Now THAT would be historic. Everyone happy now? Will Hillary supporters stop flirting with McCain, and back the big O?

Separate question-James Carville and others have argued the Dems at this convention are making the same mistake all over again–playing too nice, and not fighting the GOP hard enough.

Yes, Hillary will take'em on tonight, but it's easy to dump the bad cop role on her. You know from all the cops'n'robbers shows - If the good cop never gets tough, the bad guys run circles around him. Witness McCain's appearance on Leno, his newest 3a.m. ad, his expected mockery of Obama at the American Legion convention today.

Mccain is not playing the usual quiet role during an opponent's convention. While Dems understandably get misty over Kennedy and Michelle, McCain is in Obama's face, and tweaking his nose.

The bell has rung. McCain is coming out swinging. Will the Dems stop smiling at the crowd in time, and get fighting?

We'd love your thoughts...Thank you.

Editor's note: During CNN's coverage of the Democratic National convention last night, CNN's Senior Political Analyst, David Gergen made some observations after Michelle Obama's speech. The transcript is found below. What did you think of Michelle Obama's speech?

CAMPBELL BROWN: Anderson, I want to ask David to follow up on the point that he had made earlier, a complaint, David, that you had had earlier, about sort of the lack of compelling message coming out of this convention so far. Did that change, do you think, when she took the stage tonight?

DAVID GERGEN: I think she rescued the evening for the Democrats. But much more importantly, she gave the validation for Barack Obama and the Obama family that I think Americans were looking for. You wanted to have some better sense of who are these people, what are their values, where do they come from? And more importantly, what do they believe our future ought to be about?

And it was a very deft speech in all sorts of ways. Not just the grace points - I mean, she did this so well about reaching out to Hillary Clinton, talking about the 80th anniversary. She did it well by wrapping together the anniversary for women and the anniversary for Martin Luther King, the two strands that define her as an African- American woman.

And she was - but she spoke so movingly about her own personal life and where she came from and why she went to public allies and began to get so interested in public service but then linked it up to Barack Obama and what he's all about.

I don't think I've heard a more interesting conversation about what he did when he went as a community organizer. How he went block to block and how he was serving a lot of people who were working class people or people who'd lost their jobs.

And from that point of view, I actually thought in some ways, she, for all of the wonderful speeches he gives in rallies in big, big speeches, this was actually more emotionally connective than his speeches. And somehow - there was no - you couldn't possibly accuse her of elitism after that kind of speech.

And she did demonstrate a love of country and showed that does not define somebody by military service although that so valuable and she honored that. But it also comes in other forms of service. And that's what she and her husband stand for.

So I thought it was a first class speech and I think she gave us a glimpse of somebody who might be a very different model for a First Lady. People will have to wrestle with whether that's something they want whether or not.

And that John McCain story, let's face it, is a very compelling story and they're going to have a new story to tell next week about who he is.

But I thought that tonight they made that connection on values and on sort of sensible, who these pertinent people are and why they care about people like you in ways that were a breakthrough for the campaign.