Democrats Look to Rebut GOP

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Democrats opened their national convention with a broad argument that U.S. economic prospects have improved over the last four years during a program that gave special attention to women and Latino voters, two groups critical to President Barack Obama's re-election chances.

First lady Michelle Obama was expected to talk about the president's values and his efforts to strengthen the middle class. Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, seen as a rising Democratic star, planned to talk about Mr. Obama's goals for education and, by his presence, hoped to signal to Latino voters their importance to the party.

"Four years ago, America stood on the brink of a depression," Mr. Castro was expected to say, according to excerpts released ahead of his speech. "Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition, our president took action. And now we've seen 4.5 million new jobs…We're making progress."

Opening the convention in his role as chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke Spanish from the stage. " Si se puede!" he called out, Spanish for "Yes, it can be done."

Get the latest news, tweets, photos, video and more on the 2012 election, from the Journal's reporters in Washington and around the nation. Perfect for mobile phones, too.

The convention also relied on some elder statesmen to bolster Mr. Obama's image.

A video tribute to the man who helped propel Mr. Obama in the last presidential election, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, drew loud applause from the crowd. It showed various clips of Mr. Kennedy, including a 1994 debate between him and Mitt Romney, who then was vying for a Massachusetts Senate seat in a race he ultimately lost.

Mr. Romney, with full black hair, says he is pro-choice. Mr. Kennedy responds, Mr. Romney you are "multiple choice." Mr. Romney has said this election he opposes abortion.

There was also a video message from former President Jimmy Carter, who lost his second bid to the White House to President Ronald Reagan. The Nobel Peace Prize winner said Mr. Obama will foster a "fairer, stronger, more prosperous, and inclusive America."

Mr. Obama, who made a campaign stop in the battleground state of Virginia, will accept his party's nomination for re-election Thursday. He cautioned supporters to treat his opponents' rhetoric with skepticism.

"Over these next 63 days, you will see more ads, more negative ads, more insults and distractions and baloney, than you've ever seen," the president told a crowd at Virginia's Norfolk State University on Tuesday.

In boosting Mr. Obama's economic stewardship, Democrats will also try to slam Mr. Romney's ideas as the same ones that brought the country to its knees during the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Their job may have gotten harder in the last few days as Republicans seized on comments from Democrats and Mr. Obama himself that they say show the country is worse off because of the president's policies.

"After four years of declining incomes, fewer jobs, skyrocketing prices, and chronic unemployment, it's clear that Americans aren't better off. If President Obama can't even give himself a passing grade, why would the American people give him another four years?" Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said.

Ms. Henneberg was referring to comments the president made Monday in an interview with a television station in Colorado.

When asked about the grade he would give himself after 3½ years in the Oval Office, Mr. Obama said, "You know, I would say incomplete…but what I would say is the steps that we have taken in saving the auto industry, in making sure that college is more affordable and investing in clean energy and science and technology and research, those are all the things that we are going to need to grow over the long term."

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the president has given that answer before, adding: "What an incomplete means is that there's more work he wants to do. The alternative is to go back to the old playbook of failing policies and failing grades."

As part of the Romney campaign's continued attempts to paint Mr. Obama as a poor economic steward, vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan traveled to Ohio Tuesday and compared the president to Mr. Carter, the last Democratic president to be rejected in a second-term bid.

Arguing that the economy is in worse shape now than in 1980, he said, "If we fired Jimmy Carter then, why would we rehire Barack Obama now?"

Rodney McFarland of Monroe, La., adjusted his hat in a restroom at the arena.

Mr. Obama made the case himself for his re-election when he spoke in Norfolk, Va., in his last speech before he comes to the Democratic National Convention.

The president defended his last four years in office, saying he already has made progress on Democratic priorities and followed through on promises from his last campaign. At the same time, he laid out his case for another term by arguing he simply has more work to do on those issues, a plea that touched on the economy, health care, education, energy and foreign policy.

Another potential wrinkle for Mr. Obama emerged as the Democratic Party's platform had no mention of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a change from previous years—and opening up Mr. Obama to criticism. Mr. Romney, in a statement, said it is "unfortunate that the entire Democratic Party has embraced President Obama's shameful refusal to acknowledge that Jerusalem is Israel's capital."

For years, both parties' official platforms have mentioned that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel as part of an effort to show unflagging support to the country.

Melanie Roussell, a DNC spokesperson, responded: "The Obama administration has followed the same policy towards Jerusalem that previous U.S. administrations of both parties have done since 1967."

Kelly Jacobs from Mississippi wore a shirt depicting President Obama before the start of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Republicans have also jumped on comments from Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, who in a television interview said "no" when asked whether the country was better off than it was four years ago. He said in a later TV appearance that the country was doing better because the U.S. is adding jobs, rather than losing them at a rapid rate, as it was four years ago.

Mr. O'Malley will be taking the podium at the Democrats' convention shortly before Mrs. Obama is scheduled to speak Tuesday night.

Mr. Obama's supporters in the last few days have gone out of their way to say the country is doing better than it was four years ago, albeit not good enough.

"There's so much that has changed in the last four years for the positive but the fact of the matter is there's still far too many Americans who want to work that are having a hard time finding a job," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president.