It’s just about couple hours since Barack Obama finished speaking at the Invesco Field, Denver; and his words are ringing in my ears. This was one of the best political speeches I have heard. And what a day to do that — 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech.
Barack Obama is a good orator, he is only going to get better. The power he packed into his speech made a stunning impact on the over 84,000 people gathered at the stadium and on millions watching across the world. Here in India, main news channels were too relaying it. “Change” is his theme, and he did well to tell Americans what changes he wanted to bring about.
Outsourcing issue
There was one point that might interest Indians, and also worry companies in India heavily dependent on outsourced work.
You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
Of course, one might take consolation in that Obama was making a political speech and he needs to reassure Americans who have lost their jobs because of outsourcing. But outsourcing is a reality, not just in the US, in any country for that matter. Businessmen are all shipping work to anywhere in the world where the same work can be done cheaper. He might make outsourcing difficult, but would never be able to put a stop to it.
War on terror
He seemed to tell John McCain, a war veteran, a thing or two about winning wars, when he said:
You don’t defeat a terrorist network operating in 80 countries by occupying Iraq… You know, John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won’t even follow him to the cave where he lives.
Promises for Americans
For Americans his stunning promises were contained here:
I’ll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
(APPLAUSE)
I will — 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.
(APPLAUSE)
And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Obama’s acceptance speech brought the curtains down on the 2008 Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado.
The gloves are off and the fight is on.
The four-day Republican National Convention begins at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota on September 1.
I look forward to the Change that has been promised, the better for all the world, hopefully..
I was present in the audience ( those days a dangerous thing to dowhen the militants were lurking with guns and baseball bats around he corner) when King made that famous speech. I listened to Obama’s speech you mention and also his in Berlin.
Poor Obama, he will not win. For two reasons. The first is obvious, his race. My experience has been that a majority of ordinary white Americans are closet racists although they will not express it. They may not worry if I am a surgeon, IT specialist or even a governor. But they do mind that their president should be one they say ‘they can relate to’, which is euphemism for race.
The second, yesterday McCain chose an inexperienced woman, a novice governor of Alaska, a pro-lifer, evangelist and social and fiscal conservative called Palin ( ‘Barracuda’ Palin). One can excuse the old man McCain choosing an attractive woman as his VP. One can also understand his plan to maximise the women voters who voted for Hillary. But as George Bush showed in his second term election, that there is a large constituency of Religious Right In large states like Ohio and Texas whose votes are critical. Now McCain has given excuse through Palin for those white middle class and working class voters religious or otherwise to vote for McCain-Palin ticket. These voters can turn round and say that they voted for a woman, a mother and a religious person with values thereby masking their racial prejudices against Obama. Among them , there will be a large number of Democrats. Already a few white registered Democrats are saying to me that Palin brings another family dimension and they will be prepared to switch their votes to her.
In a country which sent man to the moon, invented the Internet and have plethora of Nobel Prize winners in medicine and science, there are still science teachers who question Darwin and would also like to add a Biblical dimension to the origin of the universe and human evolution!! These religious nuts would also like to argue that if an young girl is raped even by her nearest relative like step father or even a paternal uncle, and becomes pregnant , she should not try aborting the foetus. These are the voters who gave Bush Ohio 4 years ago and will give McCain Ohio in November and that is called ‘Palin effect’.
As for King’s dream and Obama’s dream, if Obama does not win this time, there is no chance for a black or coloured candidate to become president. I am saying this because in about 40 years time, the demographic shift in the US will make the Whites a minority race with Hispanics and other non-whites forming the rest of the majority. The Hispanics population is growing so fast
that one can visualise a Catholic Hisapnic at the White House, delivering speech in English and Spanish! They have become a powerful force to reckon with and one would have seen how the Pope was received in US a while ago. Hispanics and Blacks do not mix.
King’s dream lives on , perhaps for ever unfulfilled.
Yes, that was a very inspiring speech! Waiting to see what the impact of America’s political state on India.
On Outsourcing, well he had to make some statement to win over the natives…I am sure that he know it himself that to plug outsourcing completely is not possible!