Amid thunderous applause and cheers, former President Barack Obama took the stage in his hometown on Tuesday evening and delivered the keynote speech on the second night of the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago.
In his speech, Obama hailed Joe Biden as a hero, called Donald Trump whiny and praised Kamala Harris for being ready on day one. His speech was aimed at rallying the troops, at one point noting that people in the crowd should not “boo” Donald Trump but go vote.
Obama’s speech is notable because he allegedly played a role in the ouster of his former vice president and current U.S. President Joe Biden. According to multiple reports, Obama regularly tried to advise Biden’s White House and campaign team to do a better job, and when calls for Biden’s resignation became too noisy, he reportedly gave his approval for others to push his “friend” out of the race.
BARACK OBAMA: “My first big decision as your candidate turned out to be one of my best. That was when I asked Joe Biden to serve alongside me as Vice President.” pic.twitter.com/bcadWy45Cw
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) 21 August 2024
The former president’s speech is one of the first notable speeches to focus more on Harris and her policy ideas, as well as her accomplishments as part of the Biden-Harris administration. Most speeches have focused more on Trump or Harris’ personal background. But Obama went further, praising her recent policy proposals and painting a picture of an America where “everyone gets a fair chance” under a Harris-Waltz administration.
Obama’s appearance on stage showed that he is still popular and influential with the Democratic base, and his support on the campaign trail will facilitate mobilize the troops. But his presence is a double-edged sword: The very Rust Belt workers Harris needs to win are the same ones who rejected a continuation of Obama’s administration when they rejected Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Towards the end of his speech, Obama lamented the division in politics – despite his own rhetoric from his time in Washington DC, where he railed against people who cling to their guns and Bibles and look down on Republicans and their voters.
However, since it was a speech designed to excite Democrats, he clearly did his job, and the media will spend a lot of time over the next 24 hours harping on about the speech.
