Now that others have helped set the stage, Mr. Obama must demonstrate his own passion and policy mastery. He needs to show that he has his own plan for solving this country\u2019s many problems, from reviving the economy to rebuilding a broken military. That is especially true if Mr. Obama is to win the votes of moderate Republicans. Many recognize that President Bush\u2019s terms have been a disaster but still see the Democrats the way Republicans have painted them: the party of a weak defense and economy-killing taxes.<\/p>\n
This country certainly can use true bipartisanship \u201d\u201d something it has not seen under Mr. Bush. But conventions, like elections, are partisan events, where candidates begin to define themselves for voters. At the 1932 Democratic convention, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a \u201cNew Deal.\u201d\u009d At the 1980 Republican convention, Ronald Reagan declared his revolution against \u201covergrown and overweight\u201d\u009d government.<\/p>\n
Without such clear choices, elections end up where they are now, wars of attack ads with voters focused on labels and minutiae.<\/p>\n