# Barack Obama **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 28, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207 "2004-07-28T02:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/21 "2004-07-28T07:21:41Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Good stuff, time to find a full transcript… Here you go: > [@](#): > > On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. 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. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant. > > But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place; America which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton’s army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity. > > And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride. > > I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my precious daughters. 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 possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” > > That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted – or at least, most of the time. > > This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans – Democrats, Republicans, Independents – I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college. > > Don’t get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice. > > In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us. > > John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he’ll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never be the first option. > > A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. > > Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga. > > A belief that we are 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 her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief – I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper – that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one. > > Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and 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; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. 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 our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. > > In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism here – the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’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. The audacity of hope! > > In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America! > > Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do – if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. > > Thank you and God bless you. ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/22 "2004-07-28T07:24:42Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > (Obama’s father was a Kenyan [African] Muslim.) I’m pretty sure that while Obama’s grandfather was Muslim, his father was agnostic. ---
**Author:** ![jamcracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jamcracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamcracker)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/23 "2004-07-28T07:24:54Z")
Fantastic speech by Obama. You need to see the video. [RealPlayer link](http://www.obamablog.com/2004/07/27/keynote_open_thread_2.php) at Obama’s blog. I like this bit best, even though it’s just rhetoric: > [@](#): > > The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. 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. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. Also, > [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > Blacks in America are much more unified in their support of the Democratic party and their political interest in issues relevant to their communities: unemployment, crime, and education, all issues on which the Democratic party is far more appealing. Thus they have indeed rallied en masse under leaders like Sharpton and Jackson (who won the overwhelming support of the African-American community when they ran, respectively, for Mayor and President.) Fundies in America are much more unified in their support of the Republican party and their political interest in issues relevant to their communities: gays are evil, abortion should be banned, and creationism should be taught in schools, all issues on which the Republican party is far more appealing. Thus they have indeed rallied en masse under leaders like Delay and Santorum (who won the overwhelming support of the Fundie community when they ran for Congress.) I’ll take unemployment, crime, and education, please. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/24 "2004-07-28T07:27:20Z")
Ahhh. I assumed it was a version of the Hebrew name “Barak”, from the biblical warrior (Book of Judges), and also meaning 'lightning" or “thunderbolt”. I should have remebered that Hebrew and Arabic also share the B-R-Ch root (as in Egyptian president Hosni Mubarack). ---
**Author:** ![eponymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e0b2c6/32.png) [@eponymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eponymous)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/25 "2004-07-28T07:51:20Z")
I’ll have to second what **Diogenes** said. I never realy warmed to Clinton as a candidate (nor as President). Yes, Clinton is a very, very good speaker. But it always seemed as if he was performing. Obama’s speech had all of the qualities of a very good Clinton speech, but it was _better_ in that it came across as sincere and real. I had been vaguely aware of who Barak Obama was from reading numerous blogs and had heard he was a rising star in the party. But I had never heard him speak publicly before. While flipping channels on the TV, I just happened to stop on the PBS broadcast of his speech. And his speech totally blew me away - something that has never happened to me before (being awed by a political speech). I got a sense, like the commentors stated at the end, that I was witnessing history in the making. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/26 "2004-07-28T09:49:31Z")
As another skinny guy with a funny name I concur, awesome speech. This from his bio “Currently a senior lecturer specializing in constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School” is very obvious from his speech. He, more then any other speaker that I saw, spoke to the audience and not to the teleprompter. He knew his speech almost by heart. I hope the coming speakers are just as prepared. It makes such a difference. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/27 "2004-07-28T10:24:16Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > I want to know if all of you would have felt the same way if Barack Obama were a white man named, say, Ben Jones. Kinda like I would have been dazzled by musicians from Beethoven to Bono more if they’d been black, or more greatly appreciated the beauty of the theorems of mathematicians from Euclid to Erdös if they’d been black, or…you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/28 "2004-07-28T10:34:22Z")
Will the Illinois GOP even bother running an opponent against Obama for the Senate? What would be the point? I hope Kerry uses him on the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/29 "2004-07-28T11:17:31Z")
Oh, well. This is the forum for witnessing, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/30 "2004-07-28T11:33:25Z")
I am so glad I get to vote for him this fall. I hope in a few years all of America will get that opportunity. That was the best speech I have ever watched. Funny, no one mentioned to me that he was black until this thread. I thought he was of Arabic decent, the the extent that I thought about it at all. I heard his name first at the gay pride parade in 2003. People were excited about him; now I know why. He has handled the senate campaign with class. His opponent had him stalked by a camera and managed not only to not find anything to smear him with, but failed to rile him into saying or doing any thing less than admirable. It is wonderful to see such passion not coupled with blind, unquestioning faith. ---
**Author:** ![EsotericEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@EsotericEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EsotericEnigma)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/31 "2004-07-28T11:47:11Z")
Does a person need to actually voice an opinion or take a stand to be considered a great leader these days, or do we actually let our politicians get away with vague “we are the people, and we should unite and work together and be happy and free” rhetorical bullshit? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/32 "2004-07-28T12:05:02Z")
> [@EsotericEnigma](#): > > Does a person need to actually voice an opinion or take a stand to be considered a great leader these days, or do we actually let our politicians get away with vague “we are the people, and we should unite and work together and be happy and free” rhetorical bullshit? The irony of this statement is I am still unsure how you feel about Obama. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/33 "2004-07-28T12:18:49Z")
A keynote speech is hardly the place to go into detail of ones own specific issues and plans to deal with them. This was not a debate, nor was it a campaign speech for Obama. It was a speech to get everyone fired up about being a Dem, to sound a key note in the theme that will shape the convention and the fall campaigns. It was to campaign for Kerry, not himself. Still, he managed to say a lot for that format. For one thing he said that we should not go to war without sound proof. He did a damn good job at what he was there to do. He also helped to dispell the nothion that dems are not patriots. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_D\_oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@Jane\_D\_oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_D_oh)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/34 "2004-07-28T12:28:51Z")
_…They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white._ I personally thought that this was the line of the evening. I believe he is being fast tracked because he’s black. So what? He has the credentials and charisma to pull it off. I believe he has earned this opportunity. He is fascinating to watch and listen to. . ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/35 "2004-07-28T13:37:08Z")
**PaulFitzroy** > [@](#): > > I want to know if all of you would have felt the same way if Barack Obama were a white man named, say, Ben Jones. I’d note that, for better or worse, many liberals _did_ feel the same way about a white man named Howard Dean. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/36 "2004-07-28T14:04:40Z")
Obama’s got it in person, too. My Hubby attended a number of political gatherings last fall as he helped campaign for Kerry (being massively pregnant, I stayed home). And I remember him coming back from a small Dem speaking group in Evanston talking about Barack Obama. That speech gave me goosebumps and made me want to cry. Dig those goofy ears. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/37 "2004-07-28T14:07:55Z")
THIS is the guy the smeghead Ryan was running against? Damn. No wonder he went for desperate measures. This guy looks like a class act, speaks like a class act, _thinks_ like a class act. And if the research Ryan went through couldn’t turn up one hint of impropriety and the 24 hour surveilancecam didn’t pick up jack, either… This guy looks like he’s going places. Now, I’m a republican, and maybe I’ll vote against him, when the day comes. But I’ve always had a philosophy… this country is served best when the opposition is strong, principled, and people of righteous conviction. A man should be known by the quality of his enemies. The GOP better damn well have a humdinger to run against him. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/38 "2004-07-28T14:09:56Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > > [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > > > I want to know if all of you would have felt the same way if Barack Obama were a white man named, say, Ben Jones. > > I’d note that, for better or worse, many liberals _did_ feel the same way about a white man named Howard Dean. For that matter, a lot of us liberals down here in Georgia felt that way about a white man named…[Ben Jones](http://www.dukefarm.com/cooter.html)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/39 "2004-07-28T14:38:22Z")
[hijack] '08 Republican Presidential Ad: (two overweight middle-aged white midwestern types sitting on a porch) male: “Barack Osama? Bin Laden Obama?” female: “Isn’t he that terrorist guy?” announcer: “It’s just a few letters’ difference. Is that enough?” [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207/40 "2004-07-28T14:44:08Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > I want to know if all of you would have felt the same way if Barack Obama were a white man named, say, Ben Jones. Why should we feel “the same way”? We live in a multiracial society where there has long been a dearth of non-white national political leaders. Is there some reason why we cannot be happy about the emergence of a compelling national political figure who is not just another white guy? Plus, it was a darned good speech regardless of the his skin color. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama/257207.md?page=3)