Last week was for the history books.
When Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., accepted his party’s nomination for the presidency, it was the moment many had thought would never happen: A black presidential candidate was nominated to head a major political party.
That moment capped off the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
While Obama has been likened to a celebrity by the McCain camp in television ads, it was undeniable that his star appeal was at its highest Thursday night during his acceptance speech before an audience of more than 84,000.
Now, as the Republican National Convention approaches, the Republican party faces challenges this week as Hurricane Gustav inches along the Gulf Coast, potentially causing great damage.
As a result, McCain announced Sunday that some of the convention’s activities would be canceled.
It was also announced that the broadcast would be cut from seven hours to two and a half hours.
“I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary throughout our convention, we will act as Americans and not as Republicans, because America needs us now,” McCain said in a statement on his Web site.
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney already canceled their scheduled presentations for Monday, choosing to travel to Texas, where relief efforts are being pooled together to help those displaced by the hurricane.
The Republican convention will surely be different from the Democrats’.
Though the convention last week was a key moment for Obama to win support from Clinton supporters, the convention for the Republicans this week must overcome canceled speakers.
And it is unclear as to whether McCain and his vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, will even be present at the convention.
The Democratic convention featured key speakers who helped to convince voters who were unsure of Obama.
It began with a speech by Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, who suffers from a malignant brain tumor.
While the first day was criticized for being too easy on the Republican Party, the intensity in attacks seemed to increase with every succeeding day.
Speakers such as New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bill Clinton and Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden helped rally convention attendees.
The Clintons’ support helped reaffirm to some the sense of unity in the party.
“It’s good to have speakers come out on the same page,” said Jesse Melgar, president of Bruin Democrats, who attended the convention and heard Obama’s speech.
By Thursday evening, the previous speakers helped at Invesco Field to warm the crowd to Obama’s speech, which featured direct attacks against McCain.
Those attacks seemed to resonate with viewers who were upset at the recent negative ads McCain released about Obama.
McCain “was being very forward in his criticism. If you look at McCain, he was comparing Obama to Britney Spears,” Melgar said, referring to a recent television ad. “For anyone to criticize Obama for his negative speech, I would direct them to the ad.”
Whether McCain will be able to rebut the attacks made on him throughout the Democratic convention during the GOP’s convention is unclear.
With the storm still brewing, he could also face backlash if he decides to stay for the convention instead of going to relief efforts.
Alternatively, he could position himself as a maverick who puts his country first, something he has reaffirmed in the past.
With reports from Sasha Druzhinina, Bruin contributor.