After watching hours of coverage of the convention on ABC News Now, CNN, C-SPAN and MSNBC, the thing that has impressed me the most has been the ability of the Democrats to stay on message. In past years, the Dems have been plagued by infighting and mixed messages heading out to the media; this year, things have been different.

Larry King, whom I generally despise as a "reporter," spoke with former-Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME) after the Carter speech this evening. The most interesting point that came out of the interview was when Senator Mitchell, an iconoclast who deftly led the Senate through middle of the road pragmatism , said that this was the most united he had ever seen the party. Later, during an MSNBC interview with the ultra-liberal Representative Dennis Kucinich, the Congressman voiced nearly the same comment. What is more, he emphasized his point by saying that although he did not agree with John Kerry on all issues, he was completely supportive of his party's nominee.

The Republican Party has generally been the party known for ability to spin the media the best, especially through the tactic of staying on message. As a result, it was quite refreshing to see the Democrats skillfully implementing this tactic as well.

I did not solely enjoy this for entertainment reasons. The on-target message began spilling over into the press as the evening rolled on. MSNBC's coverage (aside from uber-rightwinger Joe Scarborough) continued in its respectful (if not admiring) coverage of the Democrats. Over at CNN, even Bob Dole commended the speeches of Al Gore and Jimmy Carter as fair and not just "Bush-bashing" (though he admitted he didn't agree with anything they said).

Overall, because the Democrats are beginning to learn the lessons of Conventions past by staying on message, their positive message is being heard. No longer are all of the pundits simply saying that the Democrats are not offering up alternatives, only complaints. I'm not certain that this unity will continue indefinitely, but as I see things, the ever-repeated claim of complete unity is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As long as everyone in the party from George Mitchell to Dennis Kucinich continues to work together in common cause, rather than tearing each other apart along ideological cleavages, John Kerry's job is going to be a lot easier.