Can Charlotte live up to its moment on stage?

It was two sentences, sent to an e-mail list of Democratic officials and supporters.

“Charlotte is a city marked by its southern charm, warm hospitality, and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward…” wrote Michelle Obama Tuesday morning, announcing that Charlotte was getting the 2012 Democratic Convention.

“Vibrant, diverse, and full of opportunity, the Queen City is home to innovative, hardworking folks with big hearts and open minds,” she said.

Two sentences, probably typed by a speechwriter.

But it felt good, no?

Today, the home team gets a big win and some good headlines. The Hotels are booking, and the city is buzzing, and hardly anyone is groaning about politics or costs or that doozy of a commute the first week of September 2012.

Tomorrow, everyone starts looking at us more closely.

You know that moment after you finally get that promotion, or you land that job you bad wanted? Not the fist-in-the-air moment, but the one right after, when you think: “Holy (insert word here), now I have to do it.”

Well, now we have to do it.

This is the stage Charlotte has longed for – bigger than a golf championship or basketball tournament. The world will be pulling into our driveway for a week in 2012, and it’ll be reporting on everything it sees.

A lot of it will be big-picture stuff – how this once-formidable banking city is searching, and perhaps struggling, for a new vision. Or how this New South city is dealing with the seeming resegregation of its schools. Conservatives will wonder aloud how that Democratic leadership thing is working out for us. It won’t always be comfortable.

There also will be plenty of small-picture stuff, and in some ways, it’ll be just as important. Bloggers and critics will dissect our restaurants and public transportation and nightlife and traffic, and much of it will be done in the context of geography and stereotype. We’ll either be a Southern city that’s grown up, or a Southern town not ready for the big time, y’all.

We’ve had some good practice – the 1994 NCAA Final Four and, more recently, the ACC Basketball Tournament and the annual CIAA Tournament. But DNC 2012 will dwarf those, in size and scope. Some numbers to digest: The NCAA gave out about 1,700 media credentials for its men’s Final Four in 2010. Total media for the 2008 DNC: 15,000.

“This is a huge step,” said Michael Smith, president of Charlotte Center City Partners, which is responsible for planning and promoting uptown’s evolution. Smith is confident, of course, because leaders have spent decades preparing for this kind of moment, investing in hospitality assets and infrastructure. “It is a natural next step,” he said. “It’s part of our progression as a city.”

It seems a long while since we’ve thought of Charlotte that way. The economy has beaten us down and taken one of our bank headquarters, and like in other cities, our home values have plummeted and our schools are in crisis. Just this Monday, a sad parade of economists spoke at the annual City Council retreat, warning that it will be years before Charlotte climbs back to 2007 job levels.

But today, instead of wondering how we’ll recapture our swagger, we’ve had it handed to us – in the form of a test.

An “up by the bootstraps” mentality. Vibrant, diverse and full of opportunity.

Two sentences, sent to the world. Not something that overcomes our challenges, but a reminder that we’ve long been a place that meets them.