Barack Obama’s Speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention … Great Expectations
Days before the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama tried to lower expectations for his speech. Who could blame him? Four years earlier, his speech at the convention catapulted him into the national spotlight and started his ascent within the Democratic party.
As if his own speech from four years ago wasn’t enough to measure up to, tonight marked the 45th anniversary of the “I have a dream” speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
People lined up for miles outside of the stadium hoping to hear Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America.
Despite Obama’s attempts, the 84,000 in attendance and the millions watching around the world had great expectations … Obama didn’t disappoint.
This was not the surprise speech that he delivered in 2004. It was only a surprise in 2004 because the nation hadn’t heard him speak.
It wasn’t the stirring “Yes We Can” speech he delivered in New Hampshire earlier this year. I think you’re only allowed one catch phrase per election cycle, and “8 is Enough” just won’t cut it.
It certainly wasn’t the nation-changing “I have a dream” speech King delivered 45 years ago. The situations are too different to be compared to one another.
Obama’s speech at the 2008 convention was simply a reminder that he stands alone when it comes to captivating an audience, giving them hope and inspiring them to believe in their dreams. The tears and the cheers in the packed stadium were evidence of the power and charisma in his words.
One thing that stuck out most to me tonight was Obama’s frequent use of antithesis. Although his speaking style is different than JFK’s, his use of antithesis is very similar. Here are just a few examples …
“Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us.”
“Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small business owners who deserve it.”
“And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America’s promise abroad.”
”You know, John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell – - but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.”
I anticipated more references to King’s speech, but I think Obama used just enough to commemorate the speech without taking away from his own historical moment. Ironically, he did it by echoing King’s less popular cry “now is the time”.
“Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have that chance. I’ll invest in early childhood education. I’ll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American — if you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their job and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work, because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.”
I have to admit, Barack Obama tricked me into lowering my expectations before tonight’s speech. He didn’t have to.
Tags: 2008 Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama, JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Speech Writing
30. August 2008 at 12:28 am :
[...] John Watkis on Barack Obama: Obama’s speech at the 2008 convention was simply a reminder that he stands alone when it comes to captivating an audience, giving them hope and inspiring them to believe in their dreams. The tears and the cheers in the packed stadium were evidence of the power and charisma in his words. [...]
10. October 2008 at 10:09 pm :
Obama’s Historic Speech Doesn’t Match MLK’s
He was his usual confident, well-spoken, forceful self, but Barack Obama’s speech did not compare with others he has given before (2004 Democratic Convention), nor was it as memorable as this historic day required.
Barack Obama had the 84,000 people at Invesco Field and millions more watching TV or surfing the web in the palm of his hand. And although he is a great speaker, he didn’t do anything memorable or repeatable.
The first 15 minutes of Obama’s speech was delivered in the usual political style, a little too strident for my taste. He went on the attack right off the bat.
After that long opening rally (tirade if you’re a Republican), he finally allowed the conversational Obama to emerge. He lowered his voice and reminisced about his past and his interaction with people he’s met over 20 years.
“Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton’s Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.”
” In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.”
“When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.”
“And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She’s the one who taught me about hard work. She’s the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life.”
The best line of the night, from my executive speech coach’s viewpoint, was …
“This election has never been about me. It’s been about you.”
So, too, are all good speeches. They are not about the speaker; they are about you, the audience. It’s not about what the speaker says, it’s about what the audience takes away.
Obama finally mentioned Martin Luther King’s historic trip to the Mall in Washington, D.C. 45 years ago to the day, at the very end of his speech. But the words about that day were so-so. Nothing to remember.
And he ended with a Biblical quote, that he “swallowed” at the end. I just heard it and I can’t remember it. It was unlike him to blow his closing line. HINT: Practice your ending line. It’s the last chance you have to make your speech a winner.
Although Martin Luther King, Jr., may have been up in heaven smiling, realizing that his dream is visible on earth, he won’t have to worry that his iconic speech will be toppled from the top of the list…at least for the time being. Barack is still young.