Lateef: Dems Need to Sell Obama Successes

Democratic National Convention Delegate and Woodbridge Doctor Babur Lateef is providing insight to PotomacLocal.com readers this week from the DNC in Charlotte, N.C.

The convention begins today and runs through Thursday, when President Barack Obama will officially be nominated to seek a second term in the White House.

What’s your first impressions of Charlotte?

People can walk in off the streets and sit with delegates and join a meeting. The nice thing I seen about the Democratic National Convention is how open and accessible it is to the public. People are telling me that this is unprecedented for the amount of access to the Democratic Party than what’s been given in prior years.

What message are Democrats trying to send to convention goers?

The message is that we need to sell the president’s success to the American public. This week, we need to be talking about how successful he has been and what success he has had, and where do we want to move forward from that.

I think after looking at the last convention where there was a lot of “what has gone wrong” and “what is not right,” we are in a situation that is very deep – in the worst economic situation since the Great Depression. The climb out is slow but it’s still getting better.

The success of the Affordable Healthcare Act, and the success of three million jobs created is a success. The stimulus package and saving the automotive industry, all of these things are successes that the president has had, and we need to let the American public know about and make sure they are aware of what actually happened over the last four years.

What events are you looking forward to attending during the convention?

The National Asian and Pacific Islanders group that works on improving voter registration and voter access and on Asian-American issues, is one event that I am going to.

Another event I am looking forward to attending will be one with former President Bill Clinton and singer Will-I-Am Tuesday night at five.

Babur Lateef is a board certified eye physician and surgeon at Advanced Ophthalmology in Woodbridge, which is a sponsor of PotomacLocal.com.