Get out of the defensive crouch Crowley!

It sure is a problem that tens of thousands of people are so enthusiastic about the Democratic candidate that they want to hear him speak.

Have you read any of the comments on your "Obama in Hawaii" post?  This is more of the same.  Are you doubling down?

This strikes me as a terrible overreaction. That Obama is well-liked, able to stir crowds and capable of motivating previously disaffected voters is the overarching story here, not his supposed "celebrity." That line of attack was a stupid ploy that's been ridiculed even by many of McCain's supporters. I see no reason to let the Republicans' boneheaded taunts scare Obama into diminishing his popularity.

Right. Obama should pretend he's as unpopular with the Democratic base as McCain is with the Republican base. Maybe they should put him in front of a green screen and have him mumble about compromise and bipartisanship: that will get out the vote. Look, Obama's ability to motivate new voters to register and exercise the franchise will give him a serious advantage in November, and this venue is a way for him to do that. If the Republicans want to equate Invesco with a Nuremberg rally, let them have at it. I think that there are plenty of ways to counter that. Who would you want to support: the fresh guy who inspires or the old doddering flip-flopper who ridicules large-participation in the electoral process? Yes, that is a simplistic formulation, but so is McCain's idiotic celebrity meme. And Obama's path actually gets people to the polls.

I agree with the comments above, and would suggest in addition that your post assumes the "celebrity meme" will still be salient in three weeks.  I doubt that very much.

No, best to grab the bull by the horns here and just have him rebut the point at Invesco field directly.  Explain that tens of thousands of good American citizens are gathered here today, not to watch a new movie or here a concert, but to take back their country from 8 years of Republican mismanagement.  Was FDR "just a celebrity" because he inspired millions?  "NO!" the crowd will cheer.  Was Ronald Reagan just a movie star when he called on Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall? "NO!" the crowd will roar.  Is our good friend Al Gore "just another celebrity" for calling upon the world to make sure we bestow a healthy and sustainable environment for our children and grand children? "NO!" The crowd will scream.  The McCain Campaign is once again confusing style with substance because what has brought us all here today is not some photo-op or BaRock Band Concert.  No, what has brought us here today are the same issues that brought together a small band of colonists and inspired a revolution for freedom that echos on..... etc. You get the idea.

Second ALL the above.  Jeez, Mike -- I know the Rovian Rethugs had a good 6 yr run brutalizing us like virginal schoolkids, but if we're really dumb enough to believe that thousands of people thrilled to come out and see our candidate is something we should be ASHAMED of -- well, all I can say is:  thank you sir!  May I have another?

Sure wouldn't want to have a popular nominee for President, no sir... [/sarcasm]

I mean, I certainly understand the nervousness, given the Dem track record. But if Obama's team allows McCain's juvenile (and arguably, but by no means definitively, effective) ads to so completely dictate their visual strategy for the most important speech their candidate will give from now to the inauguration, they might as well pack it in. "What's the use? The Republicans are making fun of our popular candidate!"

Gimme a break. Hopefully, McCain's ads aren't in Obama's head as much as they seem to be in yours, Mr. Crowley...

Argh.  I am a Denver native, now in SF, and bought a ticket to go home for the speech.  I still odn't know if my credential will go through or not, but I am hoping that if it doesn't that I can do some "outside-the-main-attraction" journalism and research for TNR.   What do you say, Crowley?

The only reason I was against it was the optics of how he would appear to people at the far side, like he was a raisan. There will be a lot of pictures taken that show him that way, as distant.

"Obama sells out stadium on first day."  Sounds like an awful headline. Maybe he should start making gaffes too? Since his gaffe-less speaking only fuels his "celebrity" and "elitism."

Gavriel: great post, probably the comment of the day.

guptatomic: you are exactly right. This is NOT 2002; we need not run from the brand or its ideas.  

Can someone please sneak some Xanax into Crowley's tea?

Just make sure that, in the *broadcast* of the speech, Obama's voice does not echo.  That sounds like some cult-of-personality revolutionary addressing his followers in the Plaza Cinquo de Mayo or whatever.  Also, no huge pictures of Obama behind Obama, which looks like something out of "Citizen Kane" or Red Square.  Just big, enthusiastic crowds, and Obama will be fine.

I think they should keep the Broncos' insignia all over the stadium.  Maybe they'll do better than 8 and 8 with the extra PR.

Thanks pro!

Celebrity is so easy to take on, McCain of the $500 shoes and $300k credit card bill, fancy schools paid for by Mommy, multiple homes, etc. Numerous appearances on SNL, TV, etc.  It is classic Rove, go at an enemies strength and try to turn it into a weakness. But one 60 sec spot during the olympics with a detailing of McCains celebrity status can squish this like a bug; or maybe just wait it out, it seems more and more the MSM is questioning this line...

One important variable here. Complaining about a 'celebrity' pleasing crowds in Europe --- snotty, pacifistic, effeminate Europe -- is a substantially different deal than pleasing and arousing USA Americans in a sold out NFL stadium, with NFL style crowd response. Hell, NASCAR backed him up on tire pressure flap, didn't they? And Mr. Meir-Levi has already written the speech....ORANGE CRUSH!

Mike, changing course now would appear even worse, like Obama is a leaf in the wind being blown by McCain. I love Gavriel's response above and expect something like that from Obama; he jujitsus well.

The "One" will of course be preening and pandering; ultimate Elmer Gantry BS salesman, selling out stadiums; no substance, running on empty charisma; no doubt all of the spots were bought out by his Hedge Fund cronies who are flying in specifically for the event and going to their Aspen chalets afterwards; and what will this do for UHC?  You've all become his bundlers.  Imagine an entire stadium full of kool-aid-drinkers, like the echochamber at the TNR that is awash in kool-aid.  Kool-aid; BS; preening ... Crowley, don't listen to these guys - the best piece of political advice I have seen since Harding was advised to run for office.  The Wonder *Boy* is going to blow it. Elitist.

(My Teppism for the day.)

dylanposer: any sort of "journalism" would be better than this nervous tripe.

holy smokes crowley...replace that jelly in your spine with some steel...

The visual still works for Obama, especially compared to the visual coming up for The Mummy.

Put some pants on laddie, we can see your knees shaking...

What if Hillary's supporters bought all the tickets?

Congratulations, Mr. Crowley, move to the head of the class.  Yes, indeed, so good to have your forthright thinking on this glorious day.  I would never have thought that having quite so many 'voters' getting tickets for a speech be such a dangerous proposition, but yea, verily, the scales have fallen from my eyes.

So, first things first.  No speech.  Not just at Invesco, but no speech at all.  You do realize that Mr. Obama is rather well known for giving good speeches.  Giving a speech would just play into the hands of the Republicans who have painted him as a talk and no action.  Because, my God, he will only be standing there, not actually 'doing' anything.

Second.  No commercials.  Political ads tend to put the candidate and the ideas of the candidate rather too much in the center of the discussion, and the good lord knows that because the Republicans have called him a celebrity, anything that has to be 'produced' or 'shot on film' will play right into their hands.  

Third.  No campaigning.  Again, this puts him in the midst of 'people', and 'people' that are not even used to dealing with 'politicians'.   No, far safer to simply keep him in a little room, with junk food, bad television, and dim lighting.  

Fourth.  No interviews.  Only celebrities conduct interviews.

Fifth.  No vacations.  Only the 'elite' can afford vacations.

Sixth.   No breathing.  Only living creatures breathe, and the Republicans have painted Obama as far too lively, and we simply cannot take the risk.

Seventh.  Sorry no seventh item, because that would get all the right-wing Christians thinking about the anti-Christ, and anything that gets them thinking about the anti-Christ will make them think of Obama, and then he will lose the damned election.

"I would recommend any possible stagecraft to minimize the event's scale."

I couldn't disagree more.  This only becomes a problem if Democrats act like it's a problem.  That speech should be a big old bandwagon with a gigantic "WELCOME" sign.  The more screaming fans the better, in my humble opinion.  Although some stagecraft to control handmade signs and hippies might be in order....

Crowley, for Chissakes already, be a man.

What are you on today, Michael, chicken-shit?  You seem to be scared that Obama is going to breath wrong and the Republicans are going to make an ad out of it that is going to win them the election.  First Hawaii - his home - and now Invesco, where Obama will be doing what he does best, inspiring others.  As far as I can tell, running scared is luckily not part of his campaign, which is why I am glad you are not running it.

Testimonial from a Broncos fan:  Don't underestimate the power of being seen at Invesco.  There will be people who don't give a lick about politics or don't care too much for Democrats who will see Obama speak under the Broncos logo and can't help but feel a little tug.  People actually visit Denver from other parts of the state and the southwest to see this stadium.

Bronco-mania runs deep out west.  You can still walk through some Denver suburban neighborhoods and see near life-sized posters of John Elway (even though he's a Republican) in people's garages.  Associating the two out here does nothing but help.

He should descend from the skies to the stage in a giant glittering lemon, like U2 did back on their PopMart tour.

fbacon,

Right on.  Even in rural Utah, the Broncos are incarnations of Latter Day prophets, or may as well be.  If I can make it, I am going to weat a helmet, and it will be one of those retro ones from the 1980's, with the galloping horse bursting through the "D".

Maybe Ken Salazar should be the veep.

It's amateur night in the Obama camp: the seal, the German speech, the staduim gigs. Surely they should have seen this coming? Hell, even I saw this coming.

He could be pulling away from McCain in double digits if he just showed a bit more humility, a few more optics around his humble beginnings and some ordinary, dull, policy wonkery in a school, dockyard, or someone's back garden.

Makes you wonder if those high paid consultants are star struck themselves.  

Dear Barack Obama,

In response to Michael Crowley's advice that you may have seen, I only want to say, no -- no, don't! Don't follow it. Don't cower in the face of the opposition's insinuations and attacks. Their whole point is to neutralise your strength. The fact that they're going after it and trying to reframe it is testimony to the fact that it IS your strength. So don't be intimidated to the point where you shamefully cover up your strength, just to avoid the Republicans' possible framings of it -- play it!!

Agree with poster kindlight. This is the opposite of his over-the-top europalooza rave. It's a great venue for him that associates himself with a brand that has impeccable blue-collar cred (the NFL, not the Broncos), and also subconsciously reminds people of Obama at his best, when he did some play-by-play IIRC on Monday Night Football last fall and was surprisingly real, good humored, uncharacteristically fluent without a teleprompter. More such performances would serve him well.

If he can resist the temptation to gives one of his unintentionally hilarious, vaporous speeches (healing the earth etc.), he'll be allright. Three yards and a cloud of dust, so to speak-- no triple axels and pirouettes.

Wandrey - right on, girlfriend! you tell 'im. got yer back, hun

Crowley can you actually be serious? Mile High Stadium...er...Invesco field is the perfect place for the Presidential hopeful. It's at a sports arena outside and an AMERICAN football stadium at that. We're not talking the John Deere arena here. As a Denver native, what greater place to have the soiree than to pan out over the purple mountain majesties while quafing a good quality Colorado brew? Nothin.

Not even a Bo' Sox fans can beat that shit.

John Elway is dead. Long live John Elway.

And Randy Gradishar. And Craig Morton. And Rick Upchurch. And the Three Amigos, And Lyle Alzado (when he was Bronco). And long live the Orange Crush!

Damn...now I'm getting all teary eyed just thinking about my Broncos.

Maybe they could replay that miraculous last-minute touchdown drive Elway QB'd in the AFC Championship against Cleveland in 1986 (?). The Surge, I think they called it. Oops.

I think a "Let's Go, Broncos" chant midway through the speech will solidify Colorado in November.  

Iggy - you may be on to something, I have no problems with big rallies, but OK.  He does lots of little to medium ones too - been there.  I'll admit that the last one he just looked tired in his bones.  I'm glad he's in Hawaii (although I just got an exasperated email from my Dad who is over there vacationing. Everyone in the condo bar is buzzing about his fundraiser.  Dad almost threw his mai tai at them.  He can't get away.  I told him to go to Malaysia next year.

Anyway,  don't be so sure about those double digits. I have always thought this would be a squeeker from day 1.  I will believe Americans stampeding to the polls to elect black man when I see it.  We're very bi-polar that way. And a stampede is the only way it will happen.  Turnout = destiny.  

The campaign knows that.  They are in Devcon Five mode on turn out.  

It was '87, it happened in Cleveland, and it was "The Drive."

Tep, The game itself was in 1987 (this always throws me off when talking about postseason games since I think of the corresponding regular season, which takes place in the previous calendar year).  Maybe Obama could make some reference to The Drive, but then he'd have to worry about pissing off people in Ohio.  Such are the dilemmas faced by our Presidential candidates.

Also, I agree with what pretty much everyone else said.  Crowley either didn't think this through or thought it through *way* too much.  Take a step back from the latest campaign idiocy and ask if there's any reason Obama wouldn't want droves of enthusiastic supporters for the biggest speech of his life.  Enthusiasm is a good thing.  Cute ploy by McCain trying to make "he's much more popular than I am" into a negative, but ultimately it isn't.

Knew that, Woody. Just taking the piss out of ye, as Iggy would say. It's Friday.

Alan - nice point. Maybe Nate Silver can add this (+ CO Springs, - Columbus, + Cherry Creek, - Shaker Heights) to his 10,000 electoral scenarios.

OK, just making sure.

The next year Cleveland went to Denver and lost a heartbreaker. A young running back from the Midwest committed an unforced fumble at the end of the game to blow it. That's the comparison I would have thought you'd go with ...

The only "apparent traction" I saw Republicans get with the celebrity meme is universal panning of the ad, down to McCain's own mom.

this has to ve a joke, right?  It's BAD news that that many people want to see Obama?  Really?

The contortions Mr. Crowley goes through t portray everything as bad news for the Democrats are both amazing....and predictable