Welcome everyone to round two of The Opinionator. The first week of school was hectic to say the least, with out of control parking to a democratic spectacle in Denver, Colo. I don’t think we need to rehash the craziness on campus from last week, so for today I’ll be focusing on the coolest city of last week: Denver.
In between trying to crash classes, finding a much coveted parking space and standing in a million long lines, there was one story that fueled headlines and turned Denver into a hotspot ‘-The Democratic National Convention. For four nights all eyes were on Denver and people were on the edge of their seats, eager to find out who would get the Democratic nomination.
Actually, that was all decided months ago when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton withdrew from the race. The convention was more of a formality, a chance to watch glossy politicians make promise-filled, heart-wrenching speeches and watch the crowds cheer them on with loud screeching sounds–oh, and for Sen. Barack Obama to win his party’s nomination.
While Obama’s nomination was far from a shocker (unless you’ve been living in a remote jungle in the Amazon), there were many other moments of the DNC that made it glorious.
The spectacle was kicked off Monday night with a speech by Obama’s sweetheart, Michelle Obama. Instead of being her ‘usual’ self and being the scary person we’ve all been used too, she showed Denver and America a side of her that was just what the Obama campaign was asking for.
Michelle Obama’s speech was moving, hopeful and every other synonym you can come up with for emotional. She was introduced by her mother through a video and then by her brother. She shared anecdotes about her relationship with her brother, paid a tribute to her late father, and expressed how much her husband and girls mean to her. She did it all without scaring the crowd.
During her speech, Michelle reminded the crowd what her husband stands for. She got the crowd roaring with applause when she spoke about the values she and her husband share, including doing what you say you’re going to do and treating people with dignity. Congratulations Mrs. Obama, you came across as the supportive wife, loud and clear.
Tuesday night was a show-stealer thanks to Obama’s former primary opponent, Hillary Clinton. Her speech was excellent and strong, as Obama said, but I couldn’t help but think what a let down it must have been for her to speak at the DNC as a unifier of the Democratic Party and not as the party’s nominee.
From the reports that circulated the next day it turns out her husband was more annoyed about her not getting the nomination than she was. I guess no more second chances at the White House for the Clintons.
Since pretty much everyone was there for the agent of change, the scene-stealer and crowd pleaser of the DNC goes to’hellip;me! Well actually it goes to Obama.
On Thursday night, the other scene-stealer captivated an audience of more than 80,000 with his speech that finally addressed what his campaign intends on doing to clean up the current mess in Washington. For 42 minutes, Obama made clear to a packed stadium audience and millions of viewers that he is the agent for change and his opponent, Sen. John McCain is only a reminder of how much of a change is needed after eight long years.
To add to Obama’s already prize-winning oratory skills, the scheduling of his speech fell on the 45th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Now that’s what I call a fortunate coincidence.
Now that the DNC is over and we can drop the word presumptive when referring to Obama as the party’s nominee, it’s time to gear up for the Republican National Convention. Let’s see what spectacle the GOP has to offer in addition to McCain’s pick of Gov. Sarah Palin from Alaska as his vice-presidential candidate.
