Senator Obama’s acceptance speech was choreographed on a scale that easily trumped the last time a presidential candidate accepted a nomination in a big stadium setting. But what remains utterly impressive about the Obama campaign is its organisational abilities. Despite some grumbling, the event came off without a hitch.

Bill Clinton’s speech showed the fundamental difference between the two parties. Democrats say and, as far as I can tell, really believe that working Americans are getting a raw deal; Republicans, despite occasional attempts to sound sympathetic, basically believe that people have nothing to complain about.

Senator Obama would do well to remember one of the catchphrases of Bill Clinton’s campaign against George Bush senior in 1992: “It’s the economy, stupid.” As important as foreign policy - and Iraq - will be in this campaign, the financial plight of Americans, and how that will have an impact on voting patterns, cannot be dismissed.

Senator Obama’s nomination brought to an end an often-bitter two-year political struggle for the nomination with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who, standing on a packed convention floor electric with anticipation, moved to halt the roll call in progress so that the convention could nominate Mr. Obama by acclamation.

After making history as the first black presidential nominee of a major party, Senator Barack Obama took to the stage with his running mate Joseph R. Biden, Jr. after the veteran Delaware senator gave an impassioned acceptance address to run as his vice presidential pick.

Just months ago Senator Clinton was slamming Barack Obama as an out-of-touch elitist who did nothing else but make good speeches. Now Senator Obama is America’s best chance of saving itself. And the vibrant crowd at the Democratic National Convention, duly displaying mass short-term memory loss, hung on every word.

Tensions between Senator Clinton’s supporters and Senator Obama’s campaign are high, particularly in the wake of revelations that Mr. Obama did not vet Mrs. Clinton or ask her advice on his vice-presidential pick. Many major Clinton fund-raisers skipped the convention; others are leaving before Mr. Obama’s speech.

With delegates waving banners that read “Hillary” or “Obama” on one side and “Unity” on the other, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Democrats to put aside their loyalty to her and unite behind Senator Barack Obama — or risk continuing Bush administration policies under the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain.

Senator Clinton will not be nominated this week, and we know that is a great disappointment to her many supporters. But she has a long political future ahead of her, and a responsibility to her party to concede defeat gracefully. Many of her die-hard supporters — starting with her husband — have clearly not learned that lesson.

Democrats say they are fortunate that it is party members’ passion for their respective candidates that divides Clinton and Obama supporters, and not ideological differences over the party’s direction. Those differences are harder to bridge, as Democrats found in 1980, when divisions over Jimmy Carter cost them the White House.