Obama

[sleigh]

Didn't see the Obama speech last night -- Denise and I (and our drummer Tom and his wife Robin) were listening to a Toad The Wet Sprocket concert.  So how was the speech, in your opinion?  Did he do what he needed to do?

Comments

[maiac.livejournal.com]

He did what he needed to do. He reminded us of what the situation was when he took office, and what he's accomplished so far to fix the mess. He described (in broad terms) what he plans to do in his next term, and made it clear that Romney/Ryan would undo everything. The theme "we're all in this together" ran throughout the speech. He explicitly said "You did that", i.e., he was only able to do the things he did because we voted him into office and supported his agenda.

Don't expect The Usual Suspects in the media to report the speech accurately. I just checked Google News, and the first thing I saw was the Washington Post headline, "Obama Gets Defensive."

[barondave.livejournal.com]

Obama has always been more of a legalistic technocrat than a fiery speaker. He knows how to make his case logically, and he knows how to build to a big finish. He made his case, then hammered it home.

Thematically, he was building on previous speeches, notably those by his wife (who spoke of the man), Bill Clinton (who made the difference between the two parties crystal clear), Joe Biden (who skewered the political positions of Romney and Ryan without making the attack personal) and the various military, teachers and governors that led up to Obama's capstone.

Nicely done.

The minimum a party convention needs to do is rally the party faithful around a particular candidate and not hurt the candidate in the eyes of the larger electorate. A good convention fires up the party and sets the standard for the next few weeks. A great convention brings back those who might have drifted away and presents their candidates as the only choices in stark contrast to the others.

The RNC probably hurt Romney and the Republicans more than it helped. The DNC brought home many Democrats who were expecting more from Obama and shows the general electorate the stark contrast in parties.

Yes, he did what he needed to do. My prediction may change but: Obama over Romney somewhere between 5% and 10%. That's after Republican voter suppression and voter fraud; his real margin will be higher.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

I agree with both of the above. I thought it was a subtle speech in the way the first 2/3s basically reminded us of accomplishments while making the case for what he would do in the next four years, and then a kind of code switch into the "citizenship" part of the speech. I think that was a hit at the inherent selfishness of the "me" centric RNC platform with its "you built it" Ayn Rand individualism and a reminder that "we built it" because "we" are in it together headed for a "more perfect union" etc. Right at the end he went to church in the largest sense, not just in quoting scripture but in the cadences and emotion of the appeal. He's always great when he goes to church. It was not a towering speech, but I think he has an idea of how he believes is the best way to play this last two months. I just hope he is re-elected.


For me, the speech that will linger from this convention is Michelle's. I was just blown away by her, and I already admire her.