Barack Obama's Speech

It was the main event of the Democratic National Convention.

Time for Barack Obama.


Barack Obama's introductory film was very heavy on drama, too heavy -- the early years, meeting Michelle, the student loans.

Then all of a sudden he's in Washington and wanting to work for the values he and Michelle believe in. Among them: hard work, honesty, self-reliance, respect for other people, kindness, faith.

Obama talked about his mother's death, one of the toughest moments in his life.

He talked about his grandfather and the important role he played in raising him.

Obama said, "One person's struggle is all of our struggles."

"That's the country I believe in. That's what's worth fighting for."

When the film ended, Obama took the stage to the strains of U2's "City of Blinding Lights."

The crowd roared and of course chanted, "Yes we can."

The speech, titled "The American Promise," started out slowly, beginning with a shout out to Howard Dean.

"With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept..."

I can't believe he accepted the nomination by using the words "gratitude" and "humility."

Earlier today, I wrote: "Where is Obama's humility?"

"Where is Obama's gratitude to his country for giving him the opportunities that he's been blessed to have?"

I guess he answered me.

He thanked Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and "the next vice president of the United States, Joe Biden."

He called Michelle, "the love of my life."

"To Malia and Sasha, I love you so much and I am so proud of you."

Excerpts released by Obama's campaign:

“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story – of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

“It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

“It is why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

“We meet at one of those defining moments – a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

“Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit card bills you can’t afford to pay and tuition that is beyond your reach

“These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush.

“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”

Obama really stayed on script. This excerpt was released hours before the speech. He didn't stray at all.

Obama's message: "ENOUGH."

“This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

“Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we’ll also hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

“But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than ninety percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.”

Obama is not ad-libbing here.

Very anticlimactic.

His speech wasn't different than what we've heard from him before.

Not much drama. I wasn't blown away. I thought his keynote address at the national convention four years ago was more impressive.

His followers at the stadium were fired up. There were many shots of people weeping. I suppose Chris Matthews was crying, too.

Naturally, Obama went after McCain.

He talked about the failed Republican philosophy -- "You're on your own."

"It's time for them to own their failure."

Obama spoke of his grandmother. He said, "Tonight is her night as well."

It's nice that Obama let his beloved grandmother, the "typical white person," get out from under the bus.

Obama said, "[Our government] should help us, not hurt us."

True, but it doesn't help us by making us dependent.

Obama then went into his laundry list of promises, promises...

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

“I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

“I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

“And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

“Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he’s said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

“Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

“As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I’ll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I’ll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy – wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can’t ever be outsourced.”

He talked education.

Obama said, "I'll recruit an army of new teachers and pay them higher salaries."

How?

"Now is the time..."

He talked health care, and told his stump speech story of his dying mother struggling with insurance companies.

"Now is the time..."

He talked about better family leave and protecting Social Security.

"Now is the time..."

"Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work because I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons."

Obama talked about individual responsibility.

"Programs alone can't replace parents."

"Fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children."

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility.

Then, Obama took it up a notch.

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to be Commander-in Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have."

Ooh. He took a swipe at McCain's temper.

"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow [Osama bin Laden] to the gates of hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives."

That's a lame line.

"We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are to restore that legacy.

“As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.(*Addition) I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”

*Here Obama added: "and curb Russian aggression."

That was a little tweak of the script.

Obama went on to talk about challenges to his patriotism.

"Let us agree that patriotism has no party."

I agree. However, that doesn't mean that every American citizen is patriotic.

"So, I've got news for you, John McCain: We all put our country first."

No, we don't. Some are embarrassed to put our country first, preferring to be citizens of the world first.

"What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose."

He said that we may not agree on abortion, but we can agree on reducing the number of abortions.

He talked about gun control. Surely we can agree on upholding the 2nd Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.

Obama said he wants to bridge divides.

"If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters."

"I stand before you tonight, because all across America, something is stirring."

He said the naysayers don't understand that "this election is not about me. It's about you."

"The change we need doesn't come from Washington. It comes to Washington."

Obama said he believes change is coming because he's seen it.

This sounded like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saying that he's been to the mountaintop. Obama has seen the Promised Land.

He talked about the American promise.

"It is that promise that 45 years ago today brought Americans from every corner of this land" to gather in Washington and hear a young preacher.

"Together, our dreams can be won."

"We shall always march ahead."

"America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone."

Obama ended by paraphrasing scripture:

Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

In a shocking move, the song that played after his speech was country music stars Brooks and Dunn's "Only in America."

I saw them warm up the crowd for President Bush's rally in Milwaukee the Monday before Election Day 2004, singing that very song.

Michelle Obama and their daughters joined Obama on stage.

Joe and Jill Biden came up as well. (I was typing so I didn't see if Obama kissed Jill Biden on the lips again.)

The crowd waved their little American flags. I don't think there have ever been so many American flags and Democrats in one place before. They cheered. There was confetti.

There were fireworks, but they weren't like the ones at Beijing for the Olympics.

About the speech--

I didn't hear anything I hadn't heard before, except the Brooks and Dunn music.

The Invesco Field event may have energized the people there, but I don't think it translated well for the television audience.

During his speech, the camera stayed on Obama and the backdrop in that small frame looked rather cheesy.
I do think it's notable that Obama didn't use the word "hope" as a staple of his address. He said it only four times.

1. "For over two decades -- for over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else."

2. "And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future."

3. "If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping and settle for what you already know."

4.. "Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess."

Has he given up on hope?

Maybe now that Obama has the nomination and is the candidate hope isn't so important.

Time to focus on change. (Obama said "change" 17 times.)
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Transcript: Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech
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OK. That's done.

Let's talk about John McCain and his running mate -- Tim Pawlenty?