Democrat Barack Obama, in his acceptance speech Thursday in Denver, called for 'a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us' in rebuilding America's 'intellectual and moral strength.' (Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff)
Soaring speech from Obama, plus some specifics
The Democratic nominee delivers strongest case yet against McCain campaign, prods Americans to change the direction of the country.
By Alexandra Marks | Staff writer/ August 29, 2008 edition
Denver – In a stadium packed to the brim with more than 80,000 Americans waving red, white, and blue flags, Barack Obama formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, becoming the first African-American candidate for that office from a major party.
“With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States,” he said as the crowd roared, stamped their feet, and flashed their cameras throughout Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.
Senator Obama then made an emphatic appeal to the working and middle classes, blaming their economic struggles on eight years of the “failed policies of George W. Bush.” While he pledged not use the “same partisan playbook” to attack GOP rival John McCain, Obama made the strongest case yet against the Arizona senator, assailing him for holding onto the “old, discredited Republican philosophy” and “standing alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.”
He also challenged Senator McCain on his own turf, saying he was more than ready to “have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief.”
On point after point, from energy policy to gun control to abortion to gay marriage, Obama outlined his “post-partisan” vision, managing to interweave his argument for his own candidacy with attacks on McCain’s positions.
Into that mix, Obama prodded Americans themselves to step up to change the country’s direction. He called for “a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what [President] John Kennedy called our intellectual and moral strength.”
The speech mixed Obama’s usual eloquence with a delineation of his specific plans and policy proposals.
“I do think it was one of the best ever,” says Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. “He wove the positive case for himself and the negative case against McCain into a functioning whole – and the remarkable thing was he also did all the heavy lifting in making the case against McCain.”
Even some Republican analysts seemed surprised by the fierceness of the speech, particularly in the way it portrayed McCain.
“It was definitely a show of force,” says Lori Weigel, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm. “He took it straight to the Republicans and clearly laid down the gauntlet.”
The McCain campaign, in a statement, shot back that it was a “misleading speech” that was “fundamentally at odds” with Obama’s record.
“When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain,” the campaign said. “Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year… Barack Obama is still not ready to be president.”
Obama began his speech recalling his parents’ belief in the American promise that, “through hard work and sacrifice,” their son could “do whatever he set his mind to.”
That promise, “that has always set this country apart,” is now threatened by eight years of the “failed presidency” of President Bush, he said.
“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,” he said. “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”
He added that “now is no time for small plans.” And he pledged to “set a clear goal as president: in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.” Obama berated McCain’s repeated calls to “drill more, drill now” as “a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.”
That was just part of the sustained attack on the presumed Republican nominee, from his decision to support the invasion of Iraq to his overall support of the Bush administration’s policies.
“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 90 percent of the time?” Obama told the crowd, to cheers.
He also questioned whether McCain really wanted to follow Mr. Bush’s example of “tough talk and bad strategy,” but said it was “his choice.” Obama then tried to lay to rest the stereotype that Democrats are not as tough as Republicans on national security.
“We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy,” he said. “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.”
Thursday was the first time since 1960, when John Kennedy accepted the presidential nomination at Los Angeles’s Memorial Coliseum, that a major-party presidential acceptance speech has been delivered in a stadium. The move was viewed as potentially risky. In 1960, Kennedy’s campaign had a difficult time filling all of the seats in the Coliseum.
“They had to work very, very hard to fill that stadium,” says Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar and adviser to the Eisenhower, Nixon, and Ford administrations. “Kennedy wasn’t yet that superstar that he became in the fall campaign. But now we remember it as a great speech; it where he introduced the ‘New Frontier.’ ”
While Obama had no trouble filling Mile High stadium with more than 80,000 people, Republicans have ridiculed the decision as yet another indication of Obama’s shallow celebrity status.
“When the issues aren’t with you, go for celebrity and fanfare – 70,000 people in a stadium cheering, entertainers enthusing,” former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told reporters at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast earlier in the week.
But that criticism may not yield the backlash the GOP is aiming for.
“It’s fascinating that the Republicans are spinning it into a liability. To me, that’s the most outrageous spin of the year – what politician wouldn’t be thrilled to have that kind of draw?” says Mr. Hess. “It’s fabulous if somebody thinks they can attract 75,000 cheering people – that strikes me as a plus.”
According to many of the young people in the crowd, a subset of voters that Obama and the Democrats are counting on to turn out in November in record numbers, the evening appears to have had the intended effect.
“It was really inspirational,” says Willie Neal, an 18-year-old delegate at large from Jackson Hole, Wyo., who found himself sitting in the front row. “The idea that politics has the power to do good, that it can really help people and make a better world, was displayed here tonight. Obama showed us that we can better individuals, we can work for a better future and bring out a common good and compassion in everyone.”
Comments
2. Nancy Kelly | 08.29.08
It’s about time we had a choice of candidate that stands up for a politics of hope, not fear!
3. Liz | 08.29.08
Look at what Bush’s “experience” has done to this country. We are so deep in the hole no one will be able to get us out. Obama provides hope and we all need that.
4. Al baldanza | 08.29.08
I have listend to Hitler thrill the crowds with great fanfare and promises. Quite teh same.[Old timer]
5. Dan Tran | 08.29.08
Obama. More BS. More BS about his family. More anti-business. More taxes. No fix.
7. Kenny | 08.29.08
I am not an American but my grand daughter is one. This is really inpsiration. This future is for her too.
8. RadianChalant | 08.29.08
Barack Obama and the Democratic National Convention hit a grand slam! Everything was excellent. More than ever, many Americans know that they have to get Barack elected president. Great job!
9. Big Ed | 08.29.08
Bravo for Obama to target the individual, BUT, the fundamental problem is that the American people did not incur the debt they cannot pay in the last eight years, this is a problem with roots in the 70s 80s and especially the 90s when we went on a binge unlike any society in history. The goal was always to end the war and it is in the process, the idiot republicans never made that clear in their refusal to simply pull out and let it collapse on itself. Don’t be fooled into thinking that that is a cornerstone of our economic plight. 10 years is an absurd dream to be off of oil and coal, it will be thirty to fifty and it will happen but drilling is our responsibility, in the 70s we only imported 20% of our oil, now it over 80%, that is our fault and we need to be burning our own. And nuclear energy is by far and away the safest and cleanest energy on the planet and needs to be embraced with all others. It IS time for the individual to step up, to live a sustainable life, to be accountable for themselves, to refuse to rely on the public dole, to stop pretending you can buy new ways to educate lazy spoiled children and get back to the basics. No one man is responsible for this morass, the congress has been having a heyday shirking their responsibilities but they are nothing but a reflection of the American people themselves. The time is nigh when we have to stop looking for the easy way out, the safe and always protected way herded by mother government. The government is there for guidance not an umbrella to protect everyone from the dangers of real life. If you believe that this guy will fix everything so you can go back to your fat cat lives you are kidding yourselves.
11. Sonia Kermaz | 08.29.08
It’s McCain’s celebrity status as a “war hero” that we should worry about. True war heroes don’t brag about their ordeals, they don’t beat their chests and wave their medals in our faces. McCain is the worst kind of soldier and leader, one who hasn’t been humbled by the carnage of war.
13. richCares | 08.29.08
There was a group of McCain supporters at the convention wearing togas and signs saying “The One”, somehow they think that ridiculing people who are part of a grass roots political movement is a way to deflect the popularity of Obama and his grass roots movement.. One comment was , “…they seem to be calling us stupid, but look at them, really ridiculous, how pathetic”. Someone should tell McCain that it is not wise to insult so many potential voters, they can only impress kool aid drikners. Are they not smart enough not to insult voters with this messiah thing, WOW!
14. Armonia Badenes Eddy | 08.29.08
I agree with almost everything that Obama believes. The only thing I cannot agree is with “pro-choice”. He will stop, maybe, the killings in the fields, but he takes away the right to life of a human being. I will not be able to vote for Obama!
15. Chris Decker | 08.29.08
80,000 people showed up last night, to see the man they view as a wise, strong and compassionate leader accept the nomination of his party to be President of the United States. That the Republicans would even try to spin that the way they are attempting to, only indicates the clear lack ofintelligence, maturity and thoughtfulness that have characterized the last 8 years. No more, not now, not ever again. We are better than the last 8 years.
16. joebloww | 08.29.08
Good luck Obama, you’re gonna need it. But you got my vote. I want change. I want things to get better for the working class, not just for the corporate class.
Hopefully the people who let fear run their lives won’t ruin it for us all. Fear of a person’s skin color. Fear of a variety of opinions about God. If you have these fears, please educate yourself before November.
Fear is what manipulated the nation of Germany to follow Hitler, and is what has manipulated us to allow the Bush Administration to violate the Constitution. Ben Franklin has been turning in his grave for the last 6 years.
God I only hope that America has not become too ignorant to actively pursue positive change.
17. Terry Bankert | 08.29.08
What a great speech, orator and leader. The real battle now starts. What can we do to help our country by electing Barrack Obama President of the United States? Count me in! What about You? It is great to be an American and a Democrat. Yes John we Democrats love our country and will fight for it. I have the same honorable discharge you do. I honor your service and I dishonor your politics and personal characteristics. We must all join this fight. What do you suggest we activist, concerned Americans and street politics blogospherites Democrats do to help Obama win this war?[trb]
18. Gavin | 08.29.08
It’s time to get serious, now, Sen. Obama. Go straight from the heart and attack the McCain campaign’s jugular repeatedly and without mercy with the sword of TRUTH and ENLIGHTENMENT!
19. Will Riley | 08.29.08
Obama’s speech addressed many of the stereotypes leveled at the Democratic Party from the Republican Party, including the notion that Democrats are weak on national security, that they are anti-business, that they are elitist, etc., but Obama’s speech did not sufficiently address the concerns of those who want to hold the Bush administration legally accountable for their crimes. Obama’s rhetoric of unity, while deep and heartfelt, risks breaking with another important American tradition: that no man or woman, is above the law, even if they are the President of the United States of America. That Obama’s speech refrained from addressing the Bush administration’s abuse of executive power indicates that the rhetoric of unity has trumped the rhetoric of justice. While I support many aspects of Obama’s speech, I am very concerned that he was not willing to risk political division for Constitutional justice.
20. Ernie | 08.29.08
I have yet to fathom how being captured by the enemy conveys intelligence, wisdom, discernment and judgment, whatever else it may do for you. I am more concerned that the candidate have these qualities than any particular current position on the issues. The world changes rapidly and the situation he will face after election is not the situation of today. My sense is that Obama wins hands-down on these qualities.
21. freejung | 08.29.08
Brilliant speech! I think he absolutely nailed it on so many levels.
He mixed inspiring oratory with specifics, he mixed his positive vision with pointed attacks on McCain. More importantly, he clearly articulated progressive values and vision — that we believe in helping each other and lifting each other up, not just pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps (even if you don’t have boots).
At the same time, he offered to reach out and find common ground with conservatives on a variety of issues.
@Matt: I’m not sure exactly what you find lacking about Obama’s foreign policy, but I think it’s about as reasonable as we’re likely to get from a serious candidate. Strengthening our alliances, tough diplomacy to negotiate reasonable agreements with our adversaries, ending the occupation of Iraq, ending our dependence on Middle Eastern oil — that sounds pretty good! Admittedly he appears to intend to escalate the conflict in Afghanistan, which I personally think is a mistake, but it’s certainly better than staying bogged down in Iraq the way McCain wants to do.
@Armonia: I understand your concern about the abortion issue, but surely you can agree, as Obama stated in his speech, that we can work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country? Reducing unwanted pregnancies would reduce the number of abortions, and nobody wants an unwanted pregnancy. Can’t we put aside our differences on abortion at least enough to work together to accomplish that?
22. Robert | 08.29.08
The funny thing is that for everyone who is like ooooh, he had policy specifics - he’s had those most of a year on his website, and has talked about them through the entire campaign. The media has just ignored them. Look at McCain’s economic ideas on his own website in comparison and you will see that one candidate has plans, and the other has a (touching) story from a long time ago that won’t cover up his shameless panders to his extreme right base. These panders should worry you whether you are right or left in your politics, because they show he has no clear fundamental political goals or beliefs.
*************************regarding other news********
Congrats Ms. Palin…
Ladies … look at his history … John McCain hasn’t cared one IOTA about women or issues that matter to them …
until he needed one politically …
I wonder if he will pay her equally.
Another funny thought - this isn’t the first time John McCain has gone with a young woman to enhance his
political career (left his first life in an adulterous affair and married his young beer queen mistress).
I bet that is too radioactive for the Obama folks to touch, but it sure screams ot to me.
I have no problem with strong women - I am married to one who has higher professional aspirations than me, and
makes more money.
I have a problem with picking any person for VP who has only been a mayor of a teeny town in a cynical pander.
This is definitely affirmative action in action.
“I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the V.P. does every
day?” Sarah Palin
23. Linda Purdy | 08.29.08
This is a fantastic story. It really captured the essence of Obama’s speech and the excitement and inspiration it generated. Thanks.
24. Paul Sandhaus | 08.29.08
I can’t fault McCain for being old (I’m 85) or for being a war hero forty years ago (I’m no hero but I enlisted in the army in 1942, served in the Pacific as a bomb disposal officer). I’m just living proof you don’t have to be young to support Obama and to despise the Bush/Cheney record supported by McCain: lying us into an unnecessary war in Iraq; ignoring the warnings that might have prevented 9/11; subverting the Constitution and judicial system for political purposes; making war with Iraq the first item on the agenda at the first cabinet meeting in January 2001 eight months before 9/11(per Paul O’Neill, Secretary of the Treasury, who was there); skewing tax breaks for the the oil companies and the richest Americans (I’m one); sending the national debt and deficit sky high; impugning the patriotism of guys like me who disagree with their policies; distracting attention from all the above with divisive religious issues (abortion and gay marriage). For whatever it’s worth, I’m straight, married to the same lovely gal for 62 years, put two wonderful kids through college, owned my own small business for over 30 years, and have always been registered as an Independent,
25. Francis | 08.29.08
No, you did not hear him correctly. He did not say there would be more taxes. He said that there will be a tax CUT for the low and middle classes.
26. Malcolm | 08.29.08
Now the question is whether the Obamocratic Party will win in November, and whether, if it doesn’t, the Democratic Party will be able to put itself back together again.
28. Andy | 08.29.08
Are you kidding me! CAN YOU SAY “SHEEP!” The fact of the matter is you stupid Americans is that its all about POWER and MONEY, and has nothing to do with political parties, promises from empty suits. They DONT GIVE a flying **** about you or your family. Dem or Rep…Its all about them and theirs. Getting POWER and keeping Power. Getting Money and Keeping Money. When will Americans wake up and realize these politicians are not about the improvement of anything but themselves and their OWN!
30. expatriate | 08.30.08
Jack, you can check out the link below,and read the whole speech along with these quotes:
“This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.”
“This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he’s worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.”
“We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.”
http://www.mcall.com/news/elections/la-na-bobamatranscript29-2008aug29,0,583209,full.story
31. George | 08.30.08
To the writer of this article, Alexandra Marks: Specifics? What specifics? I didn’t hear any specifics and this article doesn’t reference any. You say he named specifics but then can’t name any. This is a very misleading. You must be a democrat.
32. Teres | 08.30.08
I agree with Obama. Look people, it’s not killing — it’s the right to choose. Okay? Not everyone is going to have an abortion. But the choice is needed especially when it comes to rape or even the safety of the mother. Think about it, the Angel Gabriel actually appeared to Mary to tell her to not be afraid, and she accepted the will of God. But the thing people forget is that she was given the choice! So to Armonia Badenes Eddy who said he was more concerned about the unborn dying, than our dying soldiers in Iraq — think about it logically.
33. legal alien | 08.31.08
I just love the comment from Ernie, that being captured by the enemy isn’t exactly a plus on a person’s resume! In a nut-shell, Ernie, in a nut-shell! The McCain campaign, which we learned is a separate entity to McCain himself, is running on empty, on negatives without resolution and on attitudes that are irrelevant, whatever their worth outside the context of a political debate.
McCain is a frightening prospect. He dithers, fails to get his campaign’s approval for his comments, has no personal agenda other than keeping the current disastrous governance coming from the White House, thinks the economy is doing fine, and confuses bellicosity with knowledge of foreign policy. War would never be far from McCain’s thoughts, and it’s a sobering realisation that the USA could soon have a pro-war president.
Obama, don’t just defeat McCain. Punish him, on the issues, so fiercely that it will be a long time before another war-monger runs for the Presidency.
34. Vinnyman | 08.31.08
To me “Osama”(Binladen) remember him? Is too damn close to the name “Obama”. Osama! Obama! Aint much difference.
Too close for comfort wouldn’t you say so? Id say so.
I guess if Obama comes to power ,then Osama Binladen will be able to come out of his hiding place.(Especially if a brother muslim is now president.) Osama Binladen will probably get a pardon.
35. George | 09.01.08
You all are missing the point. Maybe you don’t like the Bush administration, but do not let it cloud your judgement. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) Do you think you are smart enough to know how to save and spend your own money? I think you are. Unfortunately Barack Obama and the far left do not. That’s why he wants to take your money in the form of taxation and then give it back to you in the form of entitlements, health care, etc. He thinks the government can do a better job of spending it than you can. I disagree. Look at Hurricane Katrina.
2) Do you think the government should have the right to take your personal property and give it to someone else? Definitely not! But Obama and the far left do believe the government should have that right. It’s called the redistribution of wealth/income and is one of the basic tenets of the far left. A perfect example is the estate tax. Even Michelle Obama has stated that “Somebody is gonna have to give up their piece of the pie”. A safety net to help those who are disabled, etc, sure, I’m all for it. But a blanket bureaucratic policy of “get in line and we will give you something”, NO WAY!!
3) Do you think that if you work hard, you should have the opportunity to get ahead of someone who is lazy and doesn’t want to work? I do. That’s what makes our country great. The far left believes that we should all be willing to give money to the government so that “they can bring everyone up to the same level”. That’s socialism. That’s why the Europeans are never leaders in anything. Socialism creates a general malaise which effects every aspect of their lives. I love Europe and have friends in Europe. But there is no way I want their form of government.
4) Finally, whom do you think our enemies would rather see as the next president, Barack Obama or John McCain? It’s an incredibly easy answer isn’t it? Of course they would rather see Barack Obama.
Big government is not the SOLUTION to most of our problems, but rather the behemoth bureacracy with all of it’s waste is the CAUSE of most of these problems.
This election is just like all presidential elections, we will all be voting for whomever we consider to be the lesser of two evils. But for all our faults, we still have the best system.
36. George | 09.01.08
You all are missing the point. Maybe you don’t like the Bush administration, but do not let it cloud your judgement. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) Do you think you are smart enough to know how to save and spend your own money? I think you are. Unfortunately Barack Obama and the far left do not. That’s why he wants to take your money in the form of taxation and then give it back to you in the form of entitlements, health care, etc. He thinks the government can do a better job of spending it than you can. I disagree. Look at Hurricane Katrina.
2) Do you think the government should have the right to take your personal property and give it to someone else? Definitely not! But Obama and the far left do believe the government should have that right. It’s called the redistribution of wealth/income and is one of the basic tenets of the far left. A perfect example is the estate tax. Even Michelle Obama has stated that “Somebody is gonna have to give up their piece of the pie”. A safety net to help those who are disabled, etc, sure, I’m all for it. But a blanket bureaucratic policy of “get in line and we will give you something”, NO WAY!!
3) Do you think that if you work hard, you should have the opportunity to get ahead of someone who is lazy and doesn’t want to work? I do. That’s what makes our country great. The far left believes that we should all be willing to give money to the government so that “they can bring everyone up to the same level”. That’s socialism. That’s why the Europeans are never leaders in anything. Socialism creates a general malaise which effects every aspect of their lives. I love Europe and have friends in Europe. But there is no way I want their form of government.
4) Finally, whom do you think our enemies would rather see as the next president, Barack Obama or John McCain? It’s an incredibly easy answer isn’t it? Of course they would rather see Barack Obama.
Big government is not the SOLUTION to most of our problems, but rather the behemoth bureacracy with all of it’s waste is the CAUSE of most of these problems.
This election is just like all presidential elections, we will all be voting for whomever we consider to be the lesser of two evils. But for all our faults, we still have the best system.
37. Harry | 09.01.08
Comparing Obama to Adolph is a little rich, especially since it’s GeoW that turned the country towards fascism. Nevertheless, I am worried that no matter who becomes president, that person seems to haver too much power for a democracy.
38. Ryan | 09.01.08
And for you George I’m glad you think the gov’t can run with no taxes. Good for you, obviously you are oblivious to the fact that Obama will DECREASE taxes for people who make under 100k a year and raise taxes on people making 250k a year. I also like how you think other countries would rather see Obama as prez, maybe thats because he would use diplomacy instead of violence first, so go back to your NRA meeting and go f_uck yourself. If you want to cconstantly be fighting in a war vote for McCain….if your logical vote Obama
39. Tristan | 09.04.08
My worry is that McCain will win because morons like Vinnyman still think Obama is a Muslim or something. Even if he was, what would it matter? The disturbing thing is that I often hear people say, “Not all Muslims are terrorists,” but not, “Not all terrorists are Muslims.”
40. Boby | 11.06.08
Congratulation for Mr. Obama. An don’t forget about your promise to change America. Good will bless you. Good will bless the world
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1. Peanuts | 08.29.08
What parents? His father took off and left. The guy is nothing but an empty suit.