Obama's Presidency Is About To Come Full Circle

News of the Republican National Convention dominated the news cycles last week and starting Monday, it's the Democrats' turn. Of the many highly anticipated events of the week, the headlining speakers are perhaps most eagerly awaited, expecting to draws crowds of thousands and television audiences of millions. With the privileges of incumbency, President Obama is expected to attend the DNC in Philadelphia to lend support to presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

Both President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will definitely be at the DNC this year because they are both scheduled to speak in primetime. FLOTUS will take the stage Monday with Bernie Sanders to signify that night's theme, "United Together." Then on Wednesday, President Obama and Vice President Biden will speak together on what's at stake in this year's election.

The Obamas' speeches are spread throughout the convention schedule, but that doesn't mean that the president or the first lady will necessarily hang around in Philly for the week. It's only about a 45-minute helicopter ride from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia, so they may continue to take care of business at home and fly to Philly for their scheduled events in the evenings.

Convention week is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster for the Obamas. It's been nearly 10 years since President Obama announced his first candidacy, eight years since he and his family stood on the convention stage in Denver to accept his nomination, and four years since he ran in his last campaign. In some ways, this is the beginning of the end for President Obama — the party is passing the torch to its new leader and its next hope, and the reality of his waning presidency is really settling in.

But when Clinton takes the stage on Thursday to presumably accept her party's nomination, the themes of the Obamas' speeches will be more evident than ever. The importance of the election and the continuance of a liberal administration for Democrats can't be underestimated. The party has to unite under one leader if it wants to avoid a permanent fracturing, and the Democratic Party loyalists have to push perhaps harder than they ever have to get this candidate into the White House. Hopefully, the Obamas' speeches will be more than sufficient to galvanize the ranks and instill the absolute necessity of these goals.

Although this is unlikely to be President Obama's last appearance at a DNC, his last speech as the president will be a bittersweet event. Many in the Democratic party are having difficulty aligning themselves with the Clinton campaign, but as President Obama is going to remind the party on Wednesday, this election is too important not to give Clinton your full support.