Posted January 27th, 2008
But it’s also true that Barack Obama keeps delivering speeches that confound expectations and raise his stature. Last night’s acceptance speech in South Carolina was another gem.
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If you watch it, pay particular attention to how Obama, with varying degrees of subtlety, not only repudiates Bush and his style of politics, but lumps Clinton in with a broken status quo, without mentioning any names.
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It’s the first major speech in recent memory in which a candidate took his rival’s talking points, and used them to his advantage.
Also note, this wasn’t just pleasant talk about bringing people together. More so than after his Iowa victory, Obama pivoted to issue specifics that highlighted why he wants to bring about fundamental change, talking about healthcare, the environment, education, and the war in Iraq.I was also struck by Obama’s ability to tie progressive ideas to patriotism.
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It elicited “USA! USA!” chants, which tends to get
reporters’ attention.
Whether any of this really matters remains to be seen. In about nine days, more than 20 contests will go a long way in deciding who the nominee is going to be, and in most instances, voters in those states will not have heard any of Obama’s recent speeches. Stirring oratory won’t be enough to carry him across the finish line.
But in the short term, it’s a start.
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