SPECIAL CONVENTION COVERAGE -- Great Expectations: Your Field Guide to What Hillary, Obama, Edwards and the Also-Rans Need to Do at the CDP Convention

This year's crop of Democratic presidential candidates is an embarassment of riches. And Democrats heading to San Diego already are getting pressured to pick their favorite early, now that the California primary has been moved up to February 5, 2008.
 
So what do the candidates need to do in San Diego?
 
Sen. Barack Obama -- In many ways, Obama has the most to lose at the convention. The darling of the left, Obama will no doubt rock the applause-meter from the Democratic activists that dominate the hall. But the burden is on Obama to do more than that. His campaign desparately needs some evidence of becoming an organized machine rather than simply the flavor-of-the-month.
 
As a result, the real test for Obama won't be whether he wows the crowd; it's whether he can win the backing of key Democratic leaders and secure commitments among the rank-and-file for next February's campaign. That means doing more than posing for photos and signing books for star-crazed delegates. Obama needs to walk away with some key endorsements and a demonstration that he'll have a field campaign to supplement his expected strong backing from the netroots and Deaniacs.
 
Sen. Hillary Clinton -- It's ironic, but the Democratic frontrunner has the lowest threshold for success at the convention. For starters, this isn't her crowd. Let's face it: Sen. Clinton is never going to woo the kind of Democrat that has 14 anti-Bush bumper stickers on the back of their Prius. Her appeal is to mainstream Democrats that are slim pickin's at these gatherings but constitute the bulk of the primary electorate.
 
Clinton simply needs to lay it on thick with anti-Bush rhetoric, appeal to the sisterhood, and convince the Democratic establishment that she has the smarts and the campaign infrastructure to weather the current Obama phenomena. Clinton hasn't made it any easier on herself with a last-minute change to become the first major presidential candidate to speak. Long-time convention goers know that the hard core anti-Iraq crowd won't be shy about being tepid in their applause or even booing her (even John Kerry got catcalls at the Sacramento convention). That's why Hillary needs to fire up a crowd that will still be nursing their caffiene-laced lattes by sticking to the themes that have established her as the leader in all of California's political polls.
 
Sen. John Edwards -- This isn't Iowa, where Edwards has a rock-solid campaign and continues to poll strongly. California poses a completely different set of challenges because of the vast sums of money needed to compete here and the need to build a network of loyalists up and down our nation state. Edwards hasn't done a helluva lot here in comparison to the other two frontrunners. But this is as good a time as ever to make his move.
 
At the convention, Edwards needs to give delegates a reason to give him a second look. He gives a helluva speech when he's fired up, and there's no reason he can't mock Bush to the max while positioning himself as the kind of labor-friendly fighter for the little guy that California Democrats love. Union members disproprotionately dominate the delegations here, and Edwards needs to keep them in tow. It's his best bet to build on the organization and fundraising assets he'll need if he comes strong out of Iowa and does well in the other primary states, including neighboring Nevada.
 
Edwards is expected to head to Sacramento after the convention to try to nail down some endorsements. But he'll have to impress convention-goers in San Diego first.
 
Governor Bill Richardson -- The West's lone representative in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes, Richardson has the power to surprise California Democrats. He'll need to deliver a strong speech and energize Latino delegates (Latinos will make up close to 25 percent of the Democratic primary vote next February).
 
The problem is that Richardson isn't known for wowing crowds with his rhetoric. He'll need to offer up something unique (maybe a strong pitch for immigration reform?), stress his executive experience, and hit it out of the park with a bristling attack on the Bush Administration's failed foreign policy that comes from the heart. Watch for Richardson to work delegates one-on-one, hold lots of small group meetings to try to secure support, and work the media tent.
 
Congressman Dennis Kucinich -- Who cares if has less voter ID than Al Sharpton ? Kucinich will rock the house, just as he did at the last convention. His challenge is getting the press to notice, rather than just write it off as political politeness. Good luck with that.
 
Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden -- Each of these Eastern senators have a few die-hard fans here in California. But like just about everywhere except their home states and Washington, D.C., they are virtual unknowns. Their convention strategy will be to score points with the political press and dish out red meat on Iraq to the crowd. Dodd and Biden are smart, witty, and in tune with the politics of the convention crowd. But in this field, it will be tough going for them to get much notice.
 
Sen. Mike Gravel  -- Can someone please tell me how this longshot got the exclusive speaking engagement among the Presidentials on Friday night? If showing up is half the battle, than Gravel already will have accomplished what he needed to do before any of the other candidates even arrive: get someone to listen to what he has to say and get free press and applause for it.

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