CHICAGO — The Obamas dominated Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, underscoring an extraordinary reality: The party’s two best orators are married to each other.
The only point of division among Democrats on the night seemed to be which one of them is better.
Former President Obama sought the higher ground, invoking former President Lincoln’s call to summon the “better angels” or our nature, and yearning for a nation that might move beyond its present rancor and rage.
Michelle Obama, the former first lady, delivered a fierier address, taking several verbal swings at former President Trump while rarely naming him — and insisting Democrats had to “do something” to prevent the specter of his reelection.
The Obamas put everyone else in the shade and, to be fair, other speakers, including second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, did not really try to compete.
Here are the five biggest takeaways:
Barack Obama calls on ‘the ties that bind’
At a Democratic National Convention 20 years ago in Boston, a state senator was catapulted to national fame by a speech in which he contended the differences between ‘blue’ and ‘red’ America were exaggerated — especially by those who stood to gain from such division.
The state senator was Barack Obama, who would be elected to the U.S. Senate that November and to the White House — becoming the nation’s first Black president — just four years later.
Tuesday night’s address from Obama sounded similar themes — seasoned by more experience, bruised by more battles, and keenly aware that the divisions seem deeper than ever.
“We live in a time of such confusion and rancor,” Obama said, “with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last — money, fame, status, likes.”
But he contended that “away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together” still survived.
His political argument was that Democrats need to articulate a belief in those ties if they are to emerge victorious in November.
Of course, there were plenty of straightforwardly political points sounded, too. Obama embraced Harris’s campaign theme of “freedom,” saying the term encompassed everything from same-sex marriage to religious freedom to environmental rights.
He also took direct aim at Trump, including his “weird obsession with crowd size” and his “whining about his problems.”
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Article URL : https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4838590-obamas-democratic-national-convention/