Where’s that old campaign magic?
There’s a reason the White House keeps sending Obama out to talk up healthcare – they think it works. But Obama needs to recapture the enthusiasm and grandeur that once prompted MSNBC’s Chris Matthews to exclaim that he felt a thrill going up his leg when he heard Obama speak. There have been very few such thrills from Obama in recent months, and he might need a few to get his health care reform back on track. The problem, though, is the venue. The format of an address to Congress is fairly limited: it’s formal, respectful, and measured instead of free-flowing, fiery, and grandiose. Even the bits of stagecraft are all well worn at this point. The president will, as all recent presidents have, seat a few regular Americans with the First Lady whose life stories will help sell his proposal. Watch to see if the president can break free of the conventions and connect with Americans again the way he did last year during the campaign. Does he win the spin? The networks will be looking for ins
