Best. Speech. Ever.

[ginnyinWI]

People if you didn't catch Obama speaking at the Wisconsin Founder's Day Gala tonight on C-span, try to catch the repeat. He was breathtaking. How does he just keep getting better and better??

Hillary spoke first. In a sentence, it was "The world is going to hell in a handbasket and I'm the only one who knows how to fix it." (subtext: You'd better vote for me if you don't all want to be doomed.")

Then Obama came to the stage. What a difference! He brings it right to the audience: tells what's wrong, tells us that it can be fixed, and here's how, and we all need to work together. Then he specifically addressed the issues brought up in Hillary's two negative ads that have been playing in Wisconsin. Explained why and how each point was wrong and backed each point up with facts and examples. Said that Ted Kennedy would never have endorsed him if he was planning to bring anything less than universal health care. He addressed accusations that he is all talk and no substance. He just covered it all, and decimated all of the arguments against him. It was the "extended version" of his stump speech, with rebuttals of all the ads thrown into the mix. It was as awe-inspiring as I've ever seen--and I've heard his stump speech at least five or six times already. But this time he was super-focused--keenly intent on driving home his message, and he just blew me away. It was like: Hillary? Hillary who?

Afterward C-span took a few calls. two Republicans, two Democrat and an Independent. All of them were for Obama! One of the Republicans said he was the best candidate since Reagan and he couldn't wait to vote for him. It was truly amazing. Even the one that said he didn't agree with every policy Obama has said he realizes how good he will be for bringing people together and said he would be voting for him.
It just blew me away. You know the kind of cranks that usually call in on C-span. The one Republican only got negative when he started in on Hilary, and the moderator cut him off at that point.

Hopefully these speeches will be on Road to the White House tomorrow, and you all can see the two of them side by side, too.

[usregimechange]

1. Watching now...

[usregimechange]

2. Gov. Doyle, talking now on cspan repeat... Is Obama next?

[usregimechange]

3. Yep, Doyle is introducing him now...

[sandnsea]

4. Upside down, inside out

He tore her up pretty good. At first I was kind of wondering what you were talking about because it was rather a routine speech. But somewhere in the middle there, kapow. There was also a different intensity in his voice, he wasn't playing. And then he just went out the other end of it and right back into an inspiring end. It was pretty amazing.

[Inuca]

6. Exactly

He does a wonderful job at mix & match: parts of the stump speech he has given many times before, "hits" like "my cousing Cheney" (Lynn Cheney must be grinding her teeth) with new material appropriate to the specific circumstances. Also, somewhere in the middle that you were referring to, he mentioned the "solution business" new mantra, made me laugh out loud.

[Inuca]

5. I saw it last night

and share your enthusiasm. The way he handled the "words are cheap" accusation was masterful and crushing ("I have a dream" - just words, "we the people" - just words, "nothing to feat but fear itself" - just words, etc.).

On a side note, I keep wondering why at all these dinner events (at least all that I am aware of), Obama always speaks after Clinton. I think that generally the one that speaks last is at an advantage, so I wonder why she is OK with this (I assume that at least early on, and probably even now, she could exert quite a lot of control on the speaking sequence if she wanted to). On the other hand, I remember one of the MSNBC crowd (Matthews?) commenting during one of the recent primary nights that you do NOT want to have to speak AFTER Obama, the contrast is too crushing (I think it was about McCain's victory speech last Tuesday).

Anyway... there are moments when I almost feel sorry for Hillary, she is capable (of many things) and certainly tenacious. But then I read things like this quote below, and my sympathy, modest as it was, goes out the window

Clinton, speaking to reporters yesterday, said she would be willing to fight at the convention to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan. She won both states, and has instructed her supporters to vote to seat both state delegations even though the Democratic National Committee stripped them of delegates as punishment for scheduling primaries before Feb. 5.

"I'm prepared to go the distance, that's what I've always been committed to doing, that's what I will do," Clinton told reporters after a rally at the Brat Stop restaurant in this blue-collar southern Wisconsin city.

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/nation/ny-usdems175581381feb17,0,6151316.story

[ginnyinWI]

7. I was wondering that, too.

But it doesn't matter--if she speaks first, all memory of her is obliterated when Obama speaks. After--that's probably worse! It was Keith Olbermann who made that comment during one of the primary coverage shows. He's so right! During a non-Obama primary race she would have been thought of as very good; but now she pales by comparison.

[MBS]

8. this is now up on CSPAN video archive

top of second page of "recent programs", but still accessible. Watch it for free while you can!