President Obama’s Acceptance Speech

Here are some excerpts from President Obama’s speech last night:

“"Know this, America: Our problems can be solved.  Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future…I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have.  You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over a decade.

“All they have to offer is the same prescriptions they've had for the last thirty years: Have a surplus? Try a tax cut. Deficit too high? Try another. Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!

“My opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy, but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.  After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy—not al Qaeda, Russia—unless you're still stuck in a Cold War mind warp.  You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally.”

Zing.

South Carolina Representative James Clyburn:

“As a member of the Democratic House leadership, I have witnessed President Obama light candle after candle, trying to bring our country out of the darkness of a great recession, only to see Republicans douse the flickering flames and amuse themselves cursing the darkness…When too many of our senior citizens were living their golden years in the darkness of economic insecurity, Franklin Roosevelt and Democrats created Social Security, lighting a candle while Republicans cursed the darkness.  When too many our elderly found their lives darkened by unaffordable and inaccessible health care and assistance, Lyndon Johnson and a Democratic Congress lit the twin candles of Medicare and Medicaid while Republicans stood on the sidelines and cursed the darkness.  President Obama did not stand on the sidelines and curse the darkness.  He rolled up his sleeves and went to work lighting candles.”

Excellent analogy.

Perhaps the most rousing speech of the evening was from former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm:

“Romney loves our cars so much, they have their own elevator.  But the people who design, build and sell those cars? Well, in Romney’s world, the cars get the elevator; the workers get the shaft…The entire auto industry, and the lives of over 1 million hard-working Americans, teetered on the edge of collapse and with it, the whole manufacturing sector.  We looked everywhere for help. Almost nobody had the guts to help us, not the banks, not the private investors and not Bain Capital. Then, in 2009, the cavalry arrived: our new president, Barack Obama!  America, let’s rev our engines!  In your car and on your ballot, the ‘D’ is for drive forward, and the ‘R’ is for reverse — and in this election, we’re driving forward, not back! Let’s re-elect our great president, Barack Obama!”

YES.