Top StoriesMay’s sharp fall in jobless numbers added to the greenness of the ‘recovery’ (or less bad) thesis; overnight June’s unemployment figures were so awful that they could have stunted at least, the wavering shoots.
Rundle 08: We’ve just seen one of the great American speeches
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“Thank you, thank you,” he called above the roar, from the circular podium, as the noise continued rolling back and forth like a wave “thank you, thank you”. Sounded like it would never stop, a creature awakened. Finally “with profound humility and gratitude, I accept the nomination.” And the roaring was off again. On the anniversary of MLK’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, Barack Obama was speaking to his destiny. The crowd had begun forming hours earlier, snaking back from the stadium through the railyard hinterland which separates it from the city proper. The tickets had long ago been spoken for, but with the usual chaos that is essential to online distribution, rumours abounded of an open access, and then counter-rumours and it all went round and round. There being no wifi there, the press drew straws and the unlucky ten percent had to stay behind and watch the thing on TV. Watching the live feed from the stadium had the usual hypnotic effect of random TV, the spectacle of roadies setting up that can fill up the odd ten or twelve hours. Here we got our first chance to see the much talked about ‘Roman’ set, which the Drudge Report had built up as some sort of Caligulaesque extravaganza, but turned out to be a single curve with a few columns and a couple of fauxman tv banks — it looked like the carpark of an Olive Garden restaurant. Yet cable news, right on cue, built the non-story into a rolling debate point. Me I could have watched people plugging in speakers until Obama was ready to speak, but they put on some musicians instead, and also Will.I.Am, intermixed with another roll call of Democratic hacks, including the shadowy Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, and Nancy Pelosi seemingly for the sixth time. By now we’ve had the rundown eight million times — my grandfather a slurry worker from Waxahachie, I taught myself to read from old billboards which got me to Harvard, and I know for a fact that Obama was sent here as a baby in a rocket when his own planet was dying. Could it get more low key? Yes it could. Not only because Al Gore came on with six new depressing statistics but because he was followed by Michael McDonald ex of the Doobie Brothers, the only rock musician who can slow down ‘America, the Beautiful’. Then a vaguely Maoist self criticism session of former Republicans who’ve lost their jobs, cars, health insurance corneas etc and have come round to the Obama vision. We had about eight generals up on the stage, making you wonder who was running the military store until you remembered that of course no-one has been. By now the place was packed to the rafters, the delegations down on the ground, spectators up in the stands, a sea of flags, mountain twilight setting behind the high stadium walls. Then, at around eight pm, with Senator Dick Durbin making the intro — chosen I presume because he is as effectively featureless a human being as it would be possible to invent, against which Obama’s singularity shines like a blood diamond — and with another of these set-up films which always sound like the biography of John the baptist by Jesus Christ — suddenly the man was there and we were launched into it. “We meet at one of those defining moments — America we are better than this. We are better, more honourable, more compassionate.” He went through the usual spiel of anecdotes of work and health horror stories, before getting to: “Enough! This moment we must say, enough!” He launched into the now familiar one two attack on McCain — great guy, hero, political sack of sh-t — and then detailed the failures of republican policy. He segued into the different ideas that dems and republicans have about what constitutes a good society, and then back into the people in his life who had inspired him to — and this will be the title of the speech in retrospect — the “American promise”. What was the American promise? That everyone pursues their individual goals but that the nation rises and falls together. Living up to that promise took him some concrete goals — tax cuts for the 95% of working families, ending oil dependency in 10 years, with $150 billion in funding. A promise of universal college education, of ending insurance discrimination against the chronically ill. America’s promise at home segued into America’s promise in the world, and the toughest attack he’s made in republican foreign policy to date. And from there he jumped into a magnificent riff about the “last best hope of man”, really jacking it up to another level. The final part brought us back to the notion of promise. “I stand before you tonight because something across the country is stirring — this election is not about me, it’s about you — change comes not from Washington it come to Washington. The change we need is coming — I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it.” “In America our destiny is inextricably linked — we cannot walk alone — we cannot turn back — we cannot turn back. Let us keep that American promise and hold firm to the journey we are making.” And then with another roar from the crowd he was off the stage, and then back with his family and the Bidens. There ain’t a doubt in hell that we have just seen one of the great American speeches, renewing old themes while tapping into the nation’s deepest roots. But will it be enough to take all the people with him — and does it mark the renewal, in fire and iron, of a flagging campaign? |
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19 Comments
Politicians receive too much credit for their speeches. The only thing they really can be marked on is how it was delivered. Its got to the point where politicians speeches should be followed by a list of credits like in movies…Written by….., Directed by……, Produced by………
This fan club style boosterism masquerading as coverage is getting vomitous.
YES…YES…YES….OMG we need this change….so long in coming.
Salvation and redemption of the US attitude to the world will benefit Australia’s foreign policy too…we can stop being a part of the murder of Iraqis and Afghans…it will go on as it always has….but we will not be part of it.
I wish that the Dems would show a little more spine, a little more fight. They’re just so Kim Beazley Incorporated sometimes.
Obama attacked McCain from just about every conceivable angle in his speech. I’m not sure what else he could’ve said and still remain courteous and reasonable. I’d love the Dems to call the Republicans out on the murderous sociopaths they are but that just won’t fly in flyover country.
I watched the speech live (thanks to The Australian) and thought it was inspiring and uplifting. If he succeeds in delivering a quarter of what he promises, he’ll make a great president.
“Vomitous“‘Boosterism” Yes Joseph Elliott has summed it up! This hype about Obama is about spin and presentation - nothing about substance. We saw it with Kev07 as he wooed the masses with his hollow spin. Now after 9 months - nothing but nothing. The world needs substance, not spin or glamour. Obama just ain’t got it! Substance that is!!
@Mark, Obama writes his own speeches.
@Graeme Lewis, just face the facts, you’re a blind fool. Obama hasn’t got substance? I suppose you think that Howard and Bush are drowning in the stuff, don’t you? Well if that is your idea of substance, you’re an idiot, as well as a blind fool.
Read the first two comments and a couple of others and thought that we’d released the rednecks from the asylum.
Caught most of the speech on SBS “News Hour” (love that show.. at times) and thought there were parts for the locals and parts for us all…. and it was in the ‘for all’ parts that he truly shone, along with a couple of shots across the bow of John McCain.
If you think partisanship is bad in Oz, try the States. We are but learners at that ‘game’. Certain countries are showing just what it is like to return to the future. I furgets which part *grin*
A Good international speech… and already the conservatives in the states are starting to “analyse” it… i.e. take sections out of context to (damn, can’t help it} blacken his name and candidacy. Which when ya thinks about it sorta means that he scared them……. BIG TIME.
BTW, that is something that I have noticed with many of his speeches: there are times when he could be speaking to any audience on the planet, and then he is directing the comments to specific US problems/facts/circumstances.
Oh and also to those comparing him to Kev07… both will suffer from the lunacy of partisanship. The challenge is to overcome said partisanship, sanely
Rundle has had a dream as well and haven’t we had a belly-full of it ….and for months on end.
I LISTENED to a speech and yet another good one from Obama. He was asked for substance but instead he decided to demonstrate a ‘tougher side’.
He needs to start spelling out substantive policies.
He has a website full of substantive policies you dill!
Listening to him speak on my way to work sent chills down my spine. Absolutely brilliant! Makes me proud to be American… or Australian, rather.
Yech! Like him or not, the entire process is vomitous..
Coming from some idiot who calls all Republicans “murderous sociopaths” I suppose that I shouldn’t bother however Daniel:
1. You are an arrogant opinionated tosser
(“I’d love the Dems to call the Republicans out on the murderous sociopaths they are but that just won’t fly in flyover country”)
2. “He has a website full of substantive policies you dill!”….. and so does The Liberal Party but not many sensible folk really believe that either. The Liberals at least flesh some detail to their policies whilst Obama thus far has not.
Crikey journalism is going downhill. Where is the substance In Your Speech? You criticize the “Show”. What were you expecting? How about something to chew on Crikey…
“and so does The Liberal Party but not many sensible folk really believe that either. The Liberals at least flesh some detail to their policies whilst Obama thus far has not.”
Is reading a website too hard? Do you expect the nuts and bolts of policy in stump speeches? Does McCain offer complicated policy detail in his speeches? This particular speech was supposed to be inspiring, reassuring, vast in scope and low on detail, just like McCain’s acceptance speech will be at the RNC. Obama, McCain and even the Liberals have policies, they’re just either bad policies or good policies depending on your point of view.
And yes it is my opinion that the Republican Party is made up of murderous sociopaths. Given their enthusiasm for and mishandling of the Iraq war and subsequent occupation, the continued existence of the Guantanamo Bay camp, their support for torture, extraordinary rendition…Christ the list goes on, I don’t think it is an inaccurate characterization.
Gee Daniel, you spent jI suppose we should be grateful yet again that Daniel aka F-ckwit only spent 7 lines on his prejudiced soapbox describing fully one third of the population of another country as “murderous sociopaths”.
You are the sociopath Daniel.
Sort of alarming cringe stuff with Palin wanting to shatter glass ceilings and Obama inextricably linked unable to walk alone. If you heard a sect gathering pumping out the same drivel you’d call 60 Minutes and local police. Maybe the ideal niche for Brendan when he’s finally given the flick….right at home amongst these unfettered emotional outpourings. Scares the daylights out of me.
The most surreal moment for me was hearing a crowd of Republicans cheer for Hillary Clinton when Palin talked about the million cracks in the glass ceiling.