Photo Above: President Barack Obama speaks to thousands of supporters Saturday at a campaign event at the Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa.
Watching Candidate Obama speak to the cheerful crowd of ten thousand in sunny Urbandale, Iowa, it is possible to list the themes he uses that likely will dominate the convention speeches. POTUS employs the familiar stories of Detroit, Bin Laden, "tax breaks for" companies that send jobs overseas, healthcare; and POTUS uses the word "outsourcing" as much as possible about his unnamed "opponent." The youthful audience cheers at each sentence break. There is spirit and humor. What is missing in the performance? What I hear is that there is nothing new in the performance. We have heard the attack lines for months -- Bain, the rich, tax cheating -- and we have heard the POTUS defense positions for months: Detroit, Bin Laden, Obamacare, Forward! The DNC convention in Charlotte looks to be a recap, and the POTUS acceptance speech on Thursday 6 looks to be a review of the recap. It is still early September; and there may be surprises for October; however right now there is a clear indication that OFA is on exuberant repeat, endless, enthusiastic repeat. There may very well not be any up-to-date, fresh, clever, nor even half-heartedly surprising material in what POTUS chooses to boast about or warn of or preach on. The Fall turn in this lengthy, expensive campaign may be that Mr. Obama has become what seemed impossible of him in 2008: Mr. Obama has become an old hat.
President Barack Obama greet patrons at Bob Roe's Point After Pizza during an unscheduled visit, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, in Sioux City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
