Obama discusses health care in his Democratic Presidential Nomination acceptance speach
29 08 08 - 11:34
Obama pledges to restore promise of the U.S.
By Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
On the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's eloquent "I Have a Dream" speech, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama addressed the nation Thursday as the first African American major party presidential candidate, vowing to restore the promise of the United States as the "last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom ... and who yearn for a better future."
"America, we are better than the last eight years. We are a better country than this," said Obama, speaking to a crowd of 84,000 on the closing night of the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High as he accepted his party's nomination.
Obama's address to his party and his country aimed to evoke the slain civil rights leader's fabled call for justice and equality. The candidate delivered the address in a setting and scale that echoed the King speech before 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial even as it held another touchstone for Democrats, recalling when John F. Kennedy met his party as a candidate in 1960 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Obama's address - one of the most eagerly anticipated speeches in a generation - was titled "America's Promise" and evoked his personal history as the son of "a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas ... who shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to."
Delivered four years after the keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston that started his meteoric rise from rookie senator to presidential candidate, Obama's acceptance speech reprised his signature call for change. He also called for the country to return to leadership that can help it "come together as one American family."
"It is that promise that has always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family - to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well," he told the crowd, which had erupted in deafening cheers and a sea of waving flags as he took the stage.
"Obama also delivered plenty of red meat, going on the attack against Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, even as he delivered details regarding his own agenda on issues ranging from the economy to taxes.
The spectacular setting underscored the opportunity for the Democratic Party, which used the exposure and national broadcast to bolster its tech credentials - and its fundraising base - by getting 30,000 voters around the country to text message the Democratic National Committee in support of Obama even before the speech started.
But with just days until the opening of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., McCain's campaign derided the Democrats' choice of venue as evidence of Obama's out-of-touch elite celebrity, imperial tone and overly presumptive political audacity. They attacked the towering white colonnade that backed the podium, which appeared to evoke the White House or perhaps the Lincoln Memorial, as an over-the-top "Temple of Obama."
Obama, for his part, lauded McCain as an honored war hero, then launched into a tough attack, calling him a candidate who "likes to talk about judgment but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change," he said to cheers.
And on issues like health care, Social Security, the economy and education, "it's time for them to own their failure," he yelled, as Democrats erupted in support. "It's time for us to change America."
Obama aimed right at the GOP criticism of his candidacy as a tax-and-spend liberal, saying, "Listen now: I will cut taxes - cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families, because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class."
On national security, an area where Republicans charge Democrats are weak, Obama brought cheers from the delegates by telling them, "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country."
And reprising a theme from his landmark 2004 convention speech, Obama said, "Democrats and Republicans and independents ... have fought together and bled together and some have died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America - they have served the United States of America."
In a clear shot at the Republican's campaign motto, Obama added, "So I've got news for you, John McCain ... we all put our country first."
Obama's speech capped months of stratospheric expectations regarding what was the speech of his political life.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said that the level of expectation for Obama was so high because the candidate would have to compete not only with Michelle Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton - who all delivered grand slam speeches this week - but with himself.
"It's like a hit record," he said. "You only have so many, and he has to bring that hit record again - the new version."
But Obama's speech held a bittersweet resonance for many in the audience - African Americans in particular - who said it represented a moment in American politics so long awaited and so deeply desired, but seemed so very unattainable.
Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland - who witnessed Obama's address four years ago in Boston and predicted on the spot that he would someday be her party's presidential candidate - said that as an African American, watching an African American walk into presidential history Thursday has been "something I always dreamed of."
"I grew up in segregated Texas," said an emotional Lee. "You look at all those who came before us, and died for the right to vote," and died to get to this point, she said. Yes, "racism is alive and well in America ... but we also have to recognize that we're moving forward."
African Americans, and all Democrats, are painfully aware that from Thursday onward, "it's going to be a very tough campaign," with some tough attacks on Obama ahead, she said. But "here, I'm feeling (a) sense of optimism. When you see that Obama won in Iowa, in states where they said he'd never win - then you have to admit the country is changing. And we have to recognize the gains that we've made."
Obama's pledges to American people
ENERGY
I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.
I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.
I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy; wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels.
TAXES
I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the startups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
I will cut taxes - cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families.
EDUCATION
I'll invest in early childhood education.
I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries.
In exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability.
We will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
HEALTH CARE
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.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave.
FINANCIAL SECURITY
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected.
(Now is) the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work.
I'll pay for every dime, by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less.
MILITARY
I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
I will renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.
I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease.
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Excerpts from Obama's speech
We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work, and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes, and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
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Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that, we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change. ...
It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
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Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.
And just as we keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. 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.
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We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans - Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party.
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