Convention spotlight on speakers

Line-up of speech makers was hand-picked by Democrats to help Obama secure votes from key groups.

Michelle Obama, the wife of Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, will give the opening speech at the party convention on Monday.

WASHINGTON // Dozens of predictable speeches will be delivered at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, which begins on Monday, but it is the menu of speakers itself that might make a bigger political statement. Prominent policymakers will share the stage with members of Barack Obama's family. Former presidents will share talking points with budding politicians, just as Mr Obama was four years ago when, as a little-known Illinois lawmaker, he rocked the convention hall - and the nation - with his keynote address.

But each speaker has been carefully placed by the party with a common purpose: to appeal to voter groups Mr Obama will need to beat his Republican rival, John McCain, in November. "Every person on that platform was chosen for a political reason," said Stephen Hess, who served as an aide to four presidents and is a scholar of presidential politics at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution. A number of women slated to speak could shore up support from female voters, experts said. An unusually large contingent of state governors could bolster Mr Obama's image as a Washington outsider and woo some independents. It is no accident that many speakers hail from solidly conservative states, which could convince some Republicans to cross over.

In the process of plugging Mr Obama, the Democrats hope to sell themselves to voters as unified, re-energised and ready to retake the White House. The first image the nation will get from Denver is that of Mr Obama's wife, Michelle, the marquee speaker on the convention's opening night. His half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and his brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, a college basketball coach, will also take to the stage.

Strategists said having relatives speak could melt away common criticisms of Mr Obama as an elitist. "The effect is to show him as a family man," said Mark S Mellman, a political consultant who advises some of the nation's top Democrats. "There are things that members of his family can reveal about him on a personal level that he can't say about himself." Other candidates have used a similar approach, including John Kerry, who was introduced by his daughters in 2004, and the first lady, Laura Bush, who delivered speeches at the 2000 and 2004 Republican gatherings.

But the kick-off speech by Mrs Obama - which experts agree gives her a more prominent role than past spouses - also gets at another of the convention's political aims: courting female voters. Some of the country's most powerful female politicians, including Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, will punctuate the four-day convention schedule. The second day will be anchored by a prime time address from Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama's rival in this year's protracted primary fight.

The show of unity is by design, said Kimberly S Adams, a political strategist in Pennsylvania, adding that some of Mrs Clinton's supporters saw her defeat as "sexism". Nearly 20 per cent of women who supported Mrs Clinton in the primary said they will now vote for Mr McCain, according to a poll released this month from Lifetime Networks, a broadcasting company that focuses on women's programming. "When you think of the list of the people who are going to be speaking for the Democrats, I think there is a concerted effort by Barack Obama to [appeal to female voters], and he has to," Ms Adams said, noting that the majority of voters are women.

Experts said a similar tactic was on the minds of the party brass when they tapped prominent Latino politicians - including Bill Richardson, a former presidential candidate - as speakers. Latinos, too, were part of Mrs Clinton's base. But there are signs that the Democrats are also looking outside their comfort zone, said Norman J Ornstein, of the American Enterprise Institute. He suggested that the decision to enlist Robert P Casey Jr, a US senator who opposes abortion rights, signals a new willingness to embrace social conservatives.

The senator's father, Robert P Casey Sr, the former governor of Pennsylvania, was denied a speaking slot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion. "It's a gesture to the pro-life community," Mr Ornstein said. "[Democrats] are trying to broaden their net in a way we haven't seen so much before." Mr Obama also has drafted at least seven governors for prominent speaking roles, a particularly high number that experts have said plays into his desire to be seen as a champion of the common man.

Governors are typically regarded as having a better handle than Washington politicians on the "everyday problems of ordinary Americans", said Mr Hess, of Brookings, adding that they are particularly strong on "pocketbook" issues. Their presence will contrast the picture Mr Obama often paints of Mr McCain as a Washington insider closely aligned with the president, George W Bush. "It's a change from the Washington, DC, Democrats that people have been familiar with," Mr Mellman, the strategist, said.

More importantly, three governors lead hotly contested states - Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Mexico - where Mr Obama will need to draw on Republican and independent support to win. The party also will parade Janet Napolitano, governor of Mr McCain's Republican home state of Arizona, and Kathleen Sebelius, governor of the Republican-leaning state of Kansas, two rising stars in the party. Prospects on this year's roster - including keynote speaker Mark Warner, former governor of the battleground state of Virginia whose speech could help his 2008 bid for a senate seat - will no doubt be looking for their Obama moment, not that they would admit it.

For all the benefits Mr Obama hopes to harvest from the speakers, they too will be looking for a boost. No one knows that better than Mr Obama, whose climb up the political ladder started with a speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. @Email:[e-mail]