America takes a step forward

In some sign divine approval, eighty thousand Americans held one of the biggest and most moving political events in history below a cloudless sky on a beautiful evening in Colorado.


On the fourth day of the Democratic Party’s national convention in Denver, presidential nominee Barack Obama gave the speech that could define his campaign.

Before I dissect his words, I have to say that above all, Obama and his party’s convention organizers did manage to achieve their goal of making it more about the people than their prophet. After a biography video, the senator walked on stage after no introduction and with no majestic unveiling. The visuals of the sea of signs and American flags erupting in that Denver stadium with fireworks à la Beijing Olympics after the speech were far more compelling than the visuals of the nominee himself or his entrance on to the stage.

Watching the impressive quality of the live stream on the convention’s website, it felt like the end of a movie, almost in slow motion, as the next first family walked off the stage. Republicans should be impressed…and scared.

But most important of all, last night’s event showed that Americans are coming together to change their wounded country without a prejudice towards the race or background of the leader who represents that change. After all, Obama is just a man with the right ideas and an uncanny ability to read from more than one teleprompter.


In terms of the speech he wrote and delivered, perhaps what I would have wanted to see from him was a fired-up preacher yelling at the top of his lungs because he is unable to contain the passion he feels for his cause. This is because that’s what inspires me. It was angry political musicians like Rage Against the Machine who first helped me understand having a passion for changing the world around you.

But clearly, what would get me going is probably not what would get the average middle-class voter in Ohio going, so it’s probably best that the speech was more carefully written and executed.
Obama’s acceptance speech was all encompassing. It included a call to arms, an appeal to family values, a statement on patriotism, and plenty of clear-cut policy plans and attacks on rival John McCain.

“Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough!” Obama said to rousing applause from the awesome Invesco field crowd.

Many pundits pointed out that the politician famous for “rising above” attacking opponents, a perception Obama attempted to perpetuate later in his speech, had surprised everyone with his attacks. Republicans also pounced on the attacks immediately.

All this shows is that Democrats, famous for blowing election leads, are finally learning how to fight. To the charge that he is nothing but a celebrity with star-struck fans, Obama countered.

“I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me,” Obama said after telling the stories of average Americans whose stories inspired him.

To the charge of putting politics over patriotism, Obama countered. “So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields…have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America. So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.”

Obama also gave real meat to his claim to have an ability to bring people together and find common ground rather than polarize by punctually and cleverly doing so on a litany of wedge issues.

“The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals,” he said.

Obama’s speech was not perfect, as his specifics did open him up to new attacks from his opponent’s campaign. His words also teetered over the populist edge with a “government should be able to do everything for you” feel, which has killed some Democratic campaigns in the past.

Finally, was no surprise that a real vibe could be felt near the end of the speech when Obama mentioned the significance of the date.

“And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream,” he said.