The selection of ex-VA Gov. Mark Warner to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention comes on the heels of a secret, last-minute effort to convince Warner to submit his name and record for vice presidential vetting.Sources close to Warner say that the Virginia Senate candidate was subject to fairly intense pressure by Obama advisers to allow the team of Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy to open an account and begin their work.
Warner resisted, citing, as he has done publicly, family concerns and his public pledge to Virginians.
It's not clear whether Obama urged his aides to press Warner, but Obama advisers have said in the past that the Democrats' recent success in Virginia -- electing back to back Democratic governors, reforming the state's management, the habit of Republicans and Democrats working together would serve as a model for Obama's presidency.
"Like Barack Obama, Mark Warner is not afraid to challenge the status quo to bring people together and get things moving," Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, said in a statement this morning. "It's s that kind of spirit and innovation that resulted in his selection as keynote speaker on a night when we will be discussing how to renew America's promise."
The themes will be reflected in convention events: post partisan....results oriented....strong leadership. Evocations of Virginia and cross-over political values will be everywhere, including country music interludes and special appearances by NASCAR stars.
On a deeper level, Obama might well be pressured by Warner's ability to learn from his mistakes and the way he was able to convince Republicans to swallow bitter medicine -- a tax hike -- and leave office with "off-the-charts popularity," as the Washington Post put it.
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