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Barack Obama in
2004 was totally unknown people were
saying huh I don't know who this guy is
wonder why they picked him he had this
reputation as a bit of an upstart as
sort of a young Rising figure in the
party but no one knew who this guy was
this was his chance to introduce himself
to people tonight is a particular honor
for me because let's face it my presence
on this stage is pretty
unlikely my father was a foreign student
born and raised in a small village in
Kenya what makes a great political spe
is if you can somehow fold your story
into this larger American story the next
thing he says is about his mother family
his grandfather fought in World War II
he used the GI bill they settled in
Kansas so white people could say uh oh
he's just like us my parents shared not
only an improbable love they shared an
Abiding Faith in the possibilities of
this
nation I stand here knowing that my
story is part of the larger American
story that I owe a debt to all of those
who came before me and that in no other
country on earth is my story even
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possible going into this speech we've
had uh four years of George Bush and we
felt as a country like we've grown
further apart 04 was very much a
divisive partis and race Obama's speech
is in some ways an antidote to that
alongside our famous individualism
there's another ingredient in the
American Saga a belief that we're all
connected as one people if there's a
child on the south side of Chicago who
can't read that matters to me even if
it's not my child if there's a senior
citizen somewhere who can't pay for
their prescription drugs and having to
choose between medicine and the rent
that makes my life poor even if it's not
my
grandparent it is that fundamental
belief I am My Brother's Keeper I am My
Sister's Keeper that makes this country
work e pluris UNAM out of many one gives
a speech that prees his entire political
message of 2008 which is this sort of
post-partisan argument now even as we
speak there are those who are preparing
to divide us the Spin Masters the
negative ad pedlers who embrace the
politics of anything
goes well I say to them tonight there is
not a liberal America and a conservative
America there is the United States of
America
Obama was bornn with two great gifts one
is his mind and the other is his ability
to speak to large groups of people there
are three things that Obama does that
really makes that speech effective he
wants concrete detail he likes story and
he loves antithesis the use of
repetition inst structure to show
contrast there is not a liberal America
or a conservative America there is one
America very is not a Black America and
a white America and Latino America and
Asian America there's the United States
of America the pundits like to slice and
dice our country into red States and
blue States but I've got news for them
too we worship an awesome God in the
blue States and we don't like federal
agents poking around in our libraries in
the red
States we coach little league in the
blue States and yes we've got some gay
friends in the red States We Are One
people all of us pledging allegiance to
the Stars and Stripes all of us
defending the United States of
America the way he uses his hands he
actually points a lot and does a lot of
this and a lot of this a lot of that in
doing so he gives off this sense of
energy I am new I'm someone who is
dynamic and he doesn't do that much
anymore he's a little more solemn and
reserved when he get speeches today but
I think it's more reflective of his
office
in the end in the end that's what this
election is
about do we participate in a politics of
cynicism or do we participate in a
politics of hope it's the hope of slaves
sitting around of fire singing freedom
songs the hope of immigrants setting out
for Distant
Shores the hope of a young Naval
Lieutenant bravely patrolling the makong
Delta the hope of a mill worker's son
who dares to defy the odds the hope of a
skinny kid with a funny name who
believes that America has a place for
him
too hope hope in the face of difficulty
hope in the face of
uncertainty The Audacity Of
Hope his appearance at that convention
which was the best speech of the
convention better than John K's was
electrifying and and without it he
wouldn't be president I think sincerity
means a lot there are people who when
they speak they speak the truth as they
see it and they're they're very
effective doing that I believe this
country will reclaim its promise and out
of this long political Darkness a
brighter day will come thank you very
much everybody God bless you
a
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