Last night all political eyes were on a football stadium in Colorado to see what Barack Obama would have to say to the American people and the world. Could he answer the Republican charges that he wasn’t experienced enough? Could he be inspiring, yet specific? Could he reconcile the Hilary voters, re-inspire his base, and woo independents – and even a few wavering Republicans?
The astonishing thing about Obama’s speech was that if a talk can do all those things, his did. It was a tour de force performance. It was specific, detailed, and concrete. It answered Republican charges, innuendos, and smears point by point. More importantly, it embodied strength and decisiveness, the qualities that people look for in a president who doesn’t have a resume as long as a filibuster.
Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) once had Obama read a set of instructions – like reading the phone book. The joke was that Obama was such a good speaker that he made even that interesting. I had somewhat the same reaction to his speech last night. A lesser speaker would have made it dull, but Obama is a gifted orator, and he made it compelling.
What’s his secret? Two words: passion, and authenticity. New Yorkers have a phrase, It is what it is, that captures Obama’s authenticity. He didn’t duck any of the opposition’s charges. He said, “I get it,” and answered them one by one. He demonstrated something rare in the political world last night: the authenticity of a man comfortable in his skin. He is what he is.
He also showed us real rhetorical skill by varying the heat of his delivery. Too many politicians make the mistake of shouting all their lines as if everything were equally important. Obama has different pitches and passion for different issues and subjects. The speech had highs and lows, and that’s what a good orator does to hold our interest. Too many speakers today lack that kind of surefootedness. The speech had emotional intelligence. Behind the words, we felt the strength and passion.
John McCain has a tough act to follow.
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