What's in store for the Democrats now?

For four days, we’ve watched the Democratic Party celebrate their presidential candidate, heard speeches from the party’s biggest of big-shots and heard the call for unity between supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

There really wasn’t much from the grand stage that couldn’t be predicted at the start of this week.

Now comes the unexpected. There are questions abound in the next weeks and months leading up to the Nov. 4 election. Here are a few questions, based on time, up for debate that will be answered now that the final gavel at the Democratic National Convention has been pounded:

Questions for the next week:

How much will the Democratic Party stay in the spotlight during the next couple of weeks?

John McCain took some airtime from the Democrats during Obama’s night Thursday with the news that he had chosen his vice presidential running mate. Once the announcement is made and the spotlight turns to the Republicans in Minneapolis, the Democratic Party could fade from attention if it doesn’t make news of its own. And for Democrats’ sake, it better be good news.

What role will the Democrats play at the Republican National Convention?

Republicans have somewhat stayed away from Denver – but haven’t been light on negative ads, from what I’ve seen on CNN – and there has been a strong rally for change in the Rocky Mountains by Democrats.

Each party will, or has already, tried to hammer home a singular point: Democrats saying McCain is an extension of the Bush administration, and Republicans saying Obama is too inexperienced to lead the nation. But it remains to be seen how successful either party will be in proving their points next week.

Questions for the next few months:

What role will Clinton and her supporters play in the field and at the polls?

Clinton hasn’t shied away from making her presence known at the DNC – and some might say she stole a little of Obama’s thunder Tuesday and Wednesday.

It’s hard to believe that Clinton will be absent from the political scene in the next few months, and her supporters probably don’t want her to. Clinton’s vast amount of supporters are being told by their candidate to support Obama, but how much will Clinton continue to push that message among the public post-Denver?

Can Obama hold his own during three presidential debates?

Voters know what they’re getting with McCain for the most part, because he has a track record. Obama is greener and struggles in debates when compared to McCain, who speaks more matter-of-factly.

Many votes can be won or lost in those three debates, so Obama needs to keep up with McCain.

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