Conventions give US race momentum

US affairs analyst Gordon Corera looks ahead at the US presidential race as the dust settles after the summer's party conventions:

US conventions are often seen as irrelevant affairs, stage-managed purely for a TV audience that increasingly does not even bother to tune in.

In the end about 25 million people watched each of the two big speeches - not as many as in the past but also not an insignificant amount.

Al Gore: Family man image

The events in Philadelphia and Los Angeles have helped clarify the race for US president.

Al Gore's speech was as good as it gets from the vice-president, and was also a different approach to George W Bush and most similar speeches. In his acceptance speech to the Democratic convention, he chose to emphasise policy and substance and forgo the kind of rhetorical fireworks or jokes that politicians use to win people over.

The key sentence was: "I know that sometimes people say I'm too serious, that I talk too much substance and policy. Maybe I've done that tonight. But the presidency is more than a popularity contest. It's a day to day fight for the people."

With those lines, he managed his first successful attack on those who say the Republican candidate, Mr Bush, will win the election because people would rather go out for a beer with him than Al Gore.

Words and actions

The punditocracy (as it is known) is obsessed by performance and drama - to them the highlight was President Bill Clinton's theatrical entrance to the Democratic convention as a camera followed him backstage getting pumped up to step out to the podium.

The moment was pure theatre and electrified those inside the hall. But people at home seem to have warmed much more to Gore's serious speech, which focused on issues like Social Security, health care and education.

In Philadelphia, the message of the Republican convention was clear - that Bush was not a traditional Republican but more of a centrist, compassionate conservative. It was also consistent, thanks to the almost visible desperation of Republicans to win back the White House.

But the Democratic convention was complicated by Clinton's speeches on Monday night (and also probably the general distractions of Los Angeles compared to Philadelphia).

If Bush can just survive the head-to-head contests without mistakes, he will have done a lot to assuage doubts about his capabilities

Only on the final night, did the spotlight finally turn to the vice-president as he sought to establish himself as his own man in the public mind. Much of the attention in that attempt has focused not on what he said but what he did. His big kiss with his wife Tipper again turned off many commentators but it helped many voters warm to the man whilst also establishing a subtle distinction with Mr Clinton.

And the Gore approach seems to have worked.

Initial polls have shown that Gore got what he needed - a good sized convention bounce. A series of polls have shown him ahead of Bush for the first time.

Mr Bush: Needs to show he can debate tough issues

His lead may only be a couple of points and will probably fade but has confirmed what everyone suspected but had begun to doubt - this is going to be a close race.

With the conventions done and dusted, the debates are the next crucial moment in the campaign and are more important than usual. In his convention, Bush went some of the way to showing he is ready and capable of holding the highest office. But in the debates he will be up against a ferocious debater in the form of the vice-president.

If Bush can just survive the head-to-head contests without mistakes, he will have done a lot to assuage doubts about his capabilities and the fact that expectations are so low for him may well help.

With the balloons and festivities over, the party workers and the two candidates have hit the campaign trail. The rest of America now has a clearer idea of what the two men stand for and where they would take the country.

And, with just over two months left to make its decision, for the first time in a long time, the momentum may be with Al Gore.