Didn't see it, so I read it.
First part, pretty typical Horatio Alger approach. Smooth, good lead-in.
Then this cheap shot jumps out at me:
that our votes will he counted — or at least, most of the time.
The recounts showed Bush winning. The SC decided. If the Dems are ever going to appeal me, they have to "get over it". They didn't get "robbed" and the continual crying that they do/did makes them look pathetic in my eyes. If the results had been Gore winning through the exact same process, would they be complaining that Gore won unfairly? Not a chance. And if you can't "flip" the result and still be in favor of it, they you are lying to yourself.
Same with the "Gore won the popular vote"; if that's supposed to mean something, all it means to me is that these folks that want their party to hold the highest office in the land don't understand our electoral system.
So, a minus for Obama here; he's just prattling the "party line" and looking stupid for doing so. IMO.
Second thing that jumps out is the "jobs" issue. Anyone who thinks a particular person or party is going to solve the problem of good paying jobs going overseas simply doesn't understand the "global economy" and "free trade" issues as they exist/are practiced right now in the USA. It isn't going to change. Period. If you can't figure out why, then do some more study on free trade and the price of labor in underdeveloped countries. As for the idea of taxing US companies more if they produce overseas.. yeah, you can do that for a short time. You do realize there's no way to stop an "American" company from becoming say, a Chinese or Mexican company, right?
He's absolutely right that we don't really give our soldiers and their families the money and respect they deserve. Of course, one has to recall which party is more likely to OK more money for the defense budget. Still, he has a good point here and it's good to hear a Democrat say it for a change.
Lastly, his Red State/Blue State commentary shows, to me, a complete misunderstanding of why which states are which color. That ties into his "people don't expect government to solve all their problems" statement, which I also find off-base.
Now, he may be a wonderful speaker...... which alone might be a welcome change for either party... but his ideas were pretty much what I'd expect to hear from a speaker at the DNC.
I'm not amazed at his insights or eager to hear more.
It was just a political speech for Dems. IMO.
