Media Spending More Time On GOP Tactics To Disrupt The Democratic Convention Than On The Convention Itself

Karl Rove, who is running the McCain campaign's messaging operation through Steve Schmidt, seems to be the only voice in America badmouthing Michelle Obama's speech last night at the convention. And, of course, the GOP's official propaganda network, Fox, was happy to have him on tearing her down. Unlike Rove and Fox, David Gergen isn't part of the McCain campaign. He thought Michelle rescued the night.

The Democrats should be enormously grateful to Michelle Obama: after a very slow start to the convention, punctuated by a moving tribute to Teddy Kennedy and his own rousing speech, the first evening was in danger of becoming an entirely lost opportunity. But Michelle rescued it.

She was extraordinary, talking in ways that were both conversational-- always welcome in people's living room-- but also inspiring. She spoke in ways that reached out to people of all backgrounds. Democrats should be both proud and grateful.

It is impossible to know whether how many people will accept her message. To a significant degree, that is of course because she represents such a departure from the traditional order of things in America. She represents a new future-- of women who are not only devoted mothers and wives but also highly educated, caring people … and, yes, African-Americans, Hispanics, and people of many different backgrounds. One day the country will be there. Is it prepared to be there now? I'm frankly not sure. We are living through one of the most important chapters in the American story.

With the help of the media, the message of the convention and Obama's campaign is getting lost in a constant barrage of McCain flack, much of it in the form of concern trolling over Hillary Clinton.

Whether they knew it or not, the PUMAs who had congregated next to the MSNBC stage were making the night of the man who has done everything in his power to destroy their purported heroine. They held aloft Clinton signs and hand-markered cards reading “Stop Delegate Intimidation!” and “South Jersey PUMA.” At one point, three women and three men holding “McCain” signs started a melodic chorus of “Clintons for McCain, sweetie, Clintons for McCain, sweetie,” in reference to Barack Obama’s bad habit of referring to women by that diminutive. Next to them, a man in an Obama hat shouted, “You’re all irrelevant! Jesus!”

But irrelevant is not how the protesters will be portrayed by a media that has been salivating over the possible disruption of the Democratic convention-- by angry, broom-riding succubi!-- for weeks. Never mind that there were probably no more than 50 shouting PUMAs. Never mind that every national political convention in modern history becomes a locus for vocal agitators. Never mind that over the weekend, antiwar protests had been larger. Never mind that in three days in Denver I had not spotted a single PUMA or Hillary protester until I found where Chris Matthews was broadcasting. Never mind the guy in the toilet outfit. To hear Matthews, and the talking heads at CNN tell it, these demonstrators were “ground zero” in a rift that could potentially destroy the Democratic Party and ruin its national convention.

Instead of letting Karl Rove and Fox News and Republican hacks who hate everything Hillary Clinton has ever stood for, set the agenda for sincere Hillary backers (not counting the racists who just hate Black people and will never vote for Obama no matter what), listen to what Hillary herself has to say: