Obama Makes His Case
Obama’s speech was a 9 on a scale of 1 - 10. He effectively laid out why he is the better choice - why Democrats are a better choice - than whoever the Republicans are putting up. There were, naturally, some choice soundbites such as “It’s not that McCain doesn’t care. It’s that he doesn’t get it”, and “Eight is enough”, but there was a lot more beyond the soundbites.
He laid out the case for himself. Why his comparative lack of experience isn’t important in this election. As Hillary Clinton realized a little too late for herself, this is a change election, and the only candidate offering it up is Barack Obama. He set forth the singular truth of his candidacy - that it’s not about him and never has been. It is instead about average people who have become energized and active in politics. When he says change doesn’t come from Washington, it comes to Washington, he’s talking about those people who have had it with the way it’s been done up until now.
Last night those people were there in their thousands. While the cretins of cable and the Republicans mocked the “Greek Temple” and accused Obama of setting up a latter-day Nuremburg Rally, we instead had thousands of average people and committed delegates in one stadium together, waving American flags and cheering for a man who promised to help them bring change to Washington. This wasn’t some revival meeting or fascist rally. This was America.
The speech was aggressive, taking the fight to the Republicans, to McCain, to 8 years of failure, to 8 years of bellicosity, to 8 years of enrichment of the richest at the expense of the middle classes. He linked McCain effectively to Bush, reiterating that McCain votes with Bush 90% of the time, and 10% change isn’t enough.
It was substantive, explaining his platform in detail so as to silence critics who accused him of being all style. The McCain campaign’s idiotic accusations that Obama is some Hiltonesque ditz were rendered all the more ridiculous last night.
America the ideal, the example; the America we all grew up believing in, and which we always knew was just and right and free and true - that America has been systematically dismantled by the Bush Administration over the past 7 years. They can blame the use of torture, the unprecedented expansion of executive power, the invasion of sovereign states, the loss of domestic civil liberties, complete economic mismanagement, and fearmongering on 9/11 or whatever bogeyman they can select that day, but average people are not better off than they were 4 or 8 years ago.
You know it, and I know it. The question then becomes whether you go with the party that willingly went along and brought all of that about, or do you go with the guy who sees that things are broken and asks for your help to fix it. Do you go with the guy selling more fear, or with the guy selling hope.
I was with Obama when the snow was flying. Last night, he only further convinced me that I chose well. And so did the Democrats.
The Republicans? They’ve got a tough act to follow.
Also - we did the liveblog/chat thing last night, but it had a tendency to float off-topic and get bogged down in a lot of nonsense, so if I do it again during the Republican convention, I’m going to set some ground rules - not stronger ones, just any will do.
Buffalo Girl Says:August 29th, 2008 at 9:45 am
It was an incredible night, and at times gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. I still can’t believe sometimes that he, Obama, is my official candidate. That someone I believe in so strongly has gotten this far. And BP you put my thoughts into words like no one else could have and for that I thank you.
ODRAMA Says:August 29th, 2008 at 10:20 am
odrama oh no… blah blah blah blah change blah blah blah
no bama no thank you
http://nobama.com
ODRAMA Says:August 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am
McCain Chooses Sarah Palin as V.P. Pick
mike hudson Says:August 29th, 2008 at 11:36 am
speech was just ok, a laundry list of dem talking points for the past 20 years (carter was the first dem to say we were going to end our dependence of foreign oil). he’s trying to win back the non-elite voters he lost to hillary during the primaries. the gun control thing cost him around 2 million votes, it was stupid because there was no need to stick it in there. as someone pointed out last night people don’t vote for gun control but they do vote, in significant numbers, against it. we’ll see how much more cultural elitism creeps in as the campaign drags on.
why has he avoided debating john mccain? mccain has been after him all summer to do so without result. i know that pundit thinks it is awful horrible terrible that jack davis won’t go on some radio show (sorry kevin) with the golden boy john powers, why is obama held to a different standard? yeah, i know, it’s pundit’s website and nothing he does has to make any sense.
finally, i decided last night i’ll be voting for obama. not supporting him but voting for him. the issue is health care, it’s a life or death one for me, and it prevents me from doing what i want to do. i think obama will make a terrible president, but i am voting for him purely out of my own selfish self-interest.
Buffalo Girl Says:August 29th, 2008 at 11:56 am
They haven’t debated yet because both of them had to be voted in at their conventions as the official candidates. The first debate is sceduled for Sept. 26 in Oxford, Mississippi.
Mike In WNY Says:August 29th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
The Democrats, in Congress, have had plenty of recent opportunities to affect change, they’ve failed miserably.
The Humanist Says:August 29th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
The Democrats in Congress have failed because they didn’t impeach Bush and we didn’t elect enough of them for a veto-proof, filibuster-proof majority in each house. Bush’s veto pen has been on overdrive the last year and a half after picking it up exactly once when the GOP controlled both houses (the stem cell research bill passed by the House and Senate)
The GOP thugs in Congress have filibustered virtually everything else to ensure that no meaningful legislation gets passed in a Democratically-controlled Congress.
Queen Carlotta Says:August 29th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thugs? Where is that filthy mouthed “BuffaloMom”? Can she only say nasty things about Gov. Palin? Why can she not respond to something positive about one of the most important events for her preferred candidate, Sen. Barry Obama?
The scary thing about the Obama cult is that they can only utter insults against those who disagree.
So much for Obama’s statement that “we can disagree w/out being disagreeable”
Queen Carlotta Says:August 29th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
The stage, the theatrics, the hypnotized masses all reminded me of some circa 1930s National Socialists rally in Berlin.
TheRover Says:August 29th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
BP I am better off today than I was 8 years ago. Obama isn’t about change, he’s about same old democrat crap like more taxes, more spending, more programs, more foot on your neck while they rifle your pockets, more Spitzer-eque ranting and wailing about industries making to much money and how it needs to be “under more regulation”. More bag of wind Ted Kennedy shit about helping the poor (nothing is worse than watching RICH democrats cry the blues for poor people) More democrat bullshit. I like your blog, but your wrong about this one too. Remember how you thought Spitzer was some sort of a messiah? You DON’T know how to pick ‘em.
hank Says:August 30th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Mike Hudson
Respectfully disagree with your vote.
At your age, Socialized medicine might actually hasten your death.
If it came between you and someone 30 years younger than you needing say, a transplant–the Commissar would need to look at who would be more productive (pay taxes, etc) and valuable to the government–the 20’s kid or YOU. The government would put you out to pasture before they wasted the money–when you complained they would tell you that your previous lifestyle was YOUR choice, and the taxpayers dollars need to go to saving those who will be most profitable for the government to save.
Remember GOVERNMENT HAS NO CONCIENCE OR SOUL–but you and many democrats want this soul-less, Concience-less government to watch over them in their declining years.
Hogwash. Biggest mistake you’ll ever make.