As star-studded DNC continues, Bertram asks, does star power matter?

Political party conventions are designed to shore up and energize their bases of support, which is why they bring out the big guns. And there are no bigger guns than the president and first lady, the vice president and a former president who is a longtime party favorite.

The Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia has been treated to a star-studded list of speakers, from first lady Michelle Obama and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday, to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday, to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Thursday night, Hillary Clinton will formally accept the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the first woman in the history of the country to carry a major party’s standard into the general election.

And while the thousands of convention-goers are reveling in the historic nature of the four-day event – eight years ago, Obama also made history by being the first black to be nominated and then to win the presidency – this question looms large: In a year of political turmoil, does star power matter?

Read more of Bertram's analysis in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.