Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
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Obama Makes His Case For Change
Democrat Delivers Specifics And Hammers McCain Before The Largest Crowd To Witness A Presidential Acceptance Speech
In an acceptance speech with majestic flourishes, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama wrapped himself in the mantle of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and solemnly assured the nation that he has the experience and judgment to guide a ship of state badly off course both at home and abroad after eight years of Republican rule.
"It's time for them to own their failure," Obama told some 75,000 flag-waving Democrats packed into Denver's Invesco Field on the final night of their party's national convention. "It's time for us to change America."
The largest live audience in history for a presidential nominee's acceptance speech listened to the first African-American standard bearer of a major party stress the enduring promise of America and -- in a remarkable break from his tendency to stand above the fray -- confidently go on the attack, branding John McCain as out of touch and far too in sync with the Bush administration.
The speech took pages from the the successful campaign strategies of past "change" candidates -- Bill Clinton, who in 1992 overcame concerns about his youth and lack of Washington experience by demonstrating his grasp of the nation's greatest problems, and Ronald Reagan, who continually asked voters in 1980 whether they were better off "than you were four years ago."
"We love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight," Obama declared in a darkened stadium sparkling with camera flashes.
The first-term senator from Illinois also painted Washington as a city out-of-touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. Obama described his campaign as a conduit through which millions of men and women of all ages are expressing their frustration with hyperpartisanship and the policies of President Bush. "I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring," he said. "What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you."
As many Democrats had hoped, Obama used much of his history-making address to speak to the economic anxieties of voters who have lost their jobs, lost their mortgages, or lost their health insurance. Talking at some length about his family's struggles during his boyhood, he tried to forge more of a connection to working-class voters who had backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York for the nomination. Obama was overwhelmed by Clinton in the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries, which, like another Rust Belt state -- Michigan -- are expected to be battlegrounds this fall. Obama singled out pay equity for women, sick leave and other workaday matters that some Clinton supporters said helped him bridge the lingering gap. "The issues that people supported Hillary on, they could not possibly vote for McCain," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.
Democrats believe that if the general election hinges on the economy, Obama is likely to fare better than if it turns on national security issues.
Some economic issues divide Democrats, however. Opponents of the North American Free Trade Agreement, for example, wanted Obama to directly address their concerns. "Our people have suffered because of NAFTA," Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio said Wednesday night. "Barack Obama has a singular opportunity to make the case. No surrogate can do that, because Obama is not well enough known, including by my people in Toledo." Similarly, offshore drilling for oil and natural gas splits Democrats, but Obama's message played well with Florida delegates opposed to more drilling. "To hear him say that drilling would be a stop-gap and not a long-term solution was very important to me," said Florida delegate Geraldine Thompson.
But other Democrats considered it essential for Obama to use his trademark eloquence to pass the commander-in-chief test. Obama made clear that he does not flinch at the prospect of going toe-to-toe with his Republican rival on that score. "If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice -- but it is not the change we need," Obama said in the foreign policy portion of his speech.
While the first three days of the convention were dominated by coverage of how Clintonites and Obama's legions of followers were dealing with each other, Invesco Field belonged to Obama. "The corporate media, I feel, has made an inaccurate portrayal of how the party is divided and how no one 'knows' who Obama is. But anyone who is watching this program will see how he really is," said Boulder, Colo., resident Paul Ross, 52.
Until Obama made his appearance and walked down a long runway to the lectern, the stadium had the feel of a sports event. Thousands of people jockeyed for seats out of the sun as they balanced cups of beer and trays of French fries. The nosebleed crowd stomped hard enough to shake the transplanted Washington correspondent corps in the press boxes below. Vendors sold T-shirts and buttons; a parade of pop stars performed.
Invesco Field was mostly full by 7:15 p.m. "I've been to every convention since 1964, and I've never seen the kind of interest of average Americans in politics as I see tonight," former California House Speaker Willie Brown said. Some Democrats worried in advance of Obama's 42-minute address that the unusual venue could come across as too frivolous. "I worry that this is a mosh pit and not a political gathering," said Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif. "But my kids understand that this is how you communicate in the 21st century."
The first speaker to fully grab the crowd's attention, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, spoke shortly after 6 p.m. Mountain Time. "John McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we're the one who will pay for his flip-flops," Richardson declared, tossing a bit of rhetorical red meat to the crowd.
The warm-up speakers who most energized the crowd were a series of "average Americans" who described exactly how they feel they've been failed by the Bush administration. America needs a president who puts "Barney Smith before SmithBarney," said Marion, Ind., plant worker Barney Smith to a roar of appreciative laughter. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said including work-a-day Americans was "brilliant."
Former Vice President Al Gore, who entered the steadily filling arena at 6:45 p.m. to the sounds of "Let the Sunshine In," blasted McCain for supporting the "same" policies as Bush: "I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous!"
Despite how damaged the Republican brand is in many voters' minds, Obama himself has long been the central question mark. People arriving to hear him formally accept the Democratic nomination were hungry for more details about his plans for "change." What would he do about the economy? About energy? Health care? International relations? "I want to know how is he going to make all of this come together," said attendee Lexie Elmore, 61, a county supervisor in McComb, Miss. Obama should "tell the people who you are and what you're going to do -- and bash John McCain a little bit," said Teresa Pettway, a 40-something Chicago resident. Joellen Killion, 57, was particularly interested in Obama's plans for education and health care. She originally supported Hillary Clinton but now describes herself as a "mile-high-level supporter" of Obama.
Obama's aides had promised a "very nuts-and-bolts speech." He delivered a set of promises on domestic issues, from tax cuts for 95 percent of working families, to more paid sick leave, to higher teacher salaries, to $150 billion in renewable energy research, to independence from Middle Eastern oil within 10 years. He also gave a nod to his plans' high price tag by promising to cover their costs by "closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow." He vowed to make a line-by-line review of federal programs to cut needless ones, a promise sure to please conservative Blue Dog Democrats who campaign on reducing the budget deficit.
But Leon Panetta, former budget chief for the Clinton administration, said Obama may have given Republicans an opening by listing a long list of new spending programs while failing to focus on the record levels of government debt that have been racked up during the Bush years. "If he had attacked that side of it, it would have made it tougher for Republicans to say he's just another tax-and-spend Democrat," Panetta said.
Obama also reminded voters that he opposed going to war in Iraq. "John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war," Obama said. "We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past."
Before his speech, a biographical video -- normally a forgettable convention moment -- struck an emotional chord with many of the Invesco Democrats. The giant stadium became hushed. Occasionally, a cheer went up, like from the Kansas delegation when the movie mentioned Obama's grandparents from their Midwestern state.
For civil rights leaders gathered at the stadium, Obama's acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of King's "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., was a dream literally come true. "I cried every day during this convention," said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the last surviving speaker from the lineup at the Lincoln Memorial that day. "I'm not sure I have any tears left.... Maybe with the election of Barack Obama, we can create a truly multiracial democracy."
Willie Brown, a former mayor of San Francisco who managed Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign, echoed Lewis. "It's the realization of a dream for a whole race of people," Brown said. "Those of us who've held public office never thought they'd see this."
Some Democrats hoped the grassroots emphasis of the stadium setting would drive turnout to record levels. "Obama will be fine tonight," said former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the party's 1988 presidential nominee. "What's important is what we do tomorrow in organizing 200,000 precincts across the nation."
Recalling how his candidacy was doomed 20 years ago by his failure to respond effectively to George H.W. Bush's attack ads, Dukakis said, "The grassroots army is your best defense. What's important now is in the streets."
Several Democrats said the crowd at the stadium showed that Obama has the foot soldiers to win. "This excitement is way bigger than people understand," said Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash. "There is a tsunami of people who want change."
The general election began almost immediately, with the McCain campaign saying: "Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama."
Staff correspondents James A. Barnes and Richard E. Cohen and staff intern Ashley Johnson contributed to this report.