Reporter's Notebook | Two parties, two clear messages

The reporter recounts her experiences at the Democratic and Republican conventions.

DENVER - Last week, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama stood on a stage in a football stadium packed with more than 80,000 cheering supporters. Waving to the crowd were his wife and two daughters as confetti rained down and fireworks went off.

On Monday, in a much more somber venue, Republican delegates milled about the Xcel Center floor discussing the routine business of the party. The crowd roared as First Lady Laura Bush arrived on stage, but the tone was still sullen. She introduced a video with messages from four Gulf state governors.

Thus far, the two parties' conventions have exhibited great differences in tone, partly out of necessity because of Hurricane Gustav, but partly because of a difference in desired message.

You didn't have to be in the convention hall in Denver to know that the Democratic party wanted to drive home two messages at their convention: change and unity.

In the area of unity, two important speeches by Hillary and Bill Clinton officially passed the baton to Obama as the next leader of the party. Bill Clinton's comparison to himself in 1992 - when he was also the young candidate who was attacked for lack of experience - to Obama now showed the acceptance of Obama as the nominee.

"Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our president," Hillary Clinton pronounced before the convention.

When she referred to herself as a "proud supporter of Barack Obama," the convention hall erupted in applause.

But beyond the official rhetoric, the feeling among party delegates was also more unified than some of the media outliets have indicated.

"Hillary delegate for Barack Obama" buttons were all the rage and getting a Democratic president in office come November was the topic of choice among Hillary supporters.

At a reception held to release her delegates, Hillary Clinton said, "I signed my ballot this morning for Senator Obama. What is important is that at the end of today we will nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden as president and vice president of the United States."

Later that day, Senator Clinton ended the rol call nomination vote by asking to nominate Obama by acclamation.

The Republican party's decision to only conduct necessary business on the first day of its convention makes clear its main message - that a new Republican administration won't be the same as the last.

President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney did not address the convention on Monday as previously scheduled and once the convention commenced its normal activities on Tuesday, all talk was about how committed the party is to victims of Hurricane Gustav.

"Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of the Gulf region," House Minority Leader John Boehner said before opening convention proceedings on Tuesday.

In private conversations, Republicans have admitted that before Hurriance Katrina, the convention schedule probably would have not seen so many changes because of a storm.

But in the post-Katrina era, the Republican party altered the mood of its convention to reflect a commitment to public service and putting "country first."

Senator Norm Coleman said he was proud to see the focus of the convention shift from "politics to a gathering of folks who want to help our neighbors on the other end of the Mississippi."

In a video message to the convention from Washington, D.C., Bush reminded Republican delegates of John McCain's service to America and the party's commitment to the American people.

"We are thankful that the damage across the Gulf Coast was not as bad as we had feared. We know that there is still risk even after the storm has passed. All of us are keeping the people of the Gulf Coast in our thoughts and in our prayers," he said.

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