One America, Or Two?

Barack Obama gave a stirring "One America" speech to the Democratic convention, and good for him.

So what is John Edwards going to do, come on as a rebuttal speaker with his "Two Americas" speech?

How many Americas will we be hearing about by the time Kerry speaks? Hey, this is getting interesting.

But seriously, folks - props to Mr. Obama, and we hope he lives up to his promise. It would be great for America, the Democratic Party, and even the Republicans if a serious black politician could emerge (and yes, we continue to have high hopes for Harold Ford.)

I'm not talking about someone protected by a gerrymandered district, or a professional grievance pol like Al Sharpton - I'm looking for someone we could all take seriously.

One America excerpts below:

MORE: CNN profile - Obama walks across the Charles river for the interview; speech transcript; CNN speech coverage.

P.S. Don't think of it as starting Obama, think of it as stopping Hillary!

UPDATE: A Sullivan loved the speech; from the left, Ezra and Jesse raved. And we are giving those two Convention bloggers props for busting Ted Kennedy on this. Nicely stated.

MORE: Mickey has a fan in David Corn, who leads with, "Is there one America or two Americas? One and a half Americas?"

"There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America," said Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for the Senate from Illinois, the son of a Kenyan and a Kansan and the party's choice to deliver the keynote address.

For all the talk of a red and blue America divided by party, Mr. Obama said, "We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states."

The FleetCenter exploded in the kind of electric reaction and uproarious applause reserved for the birth of a political star, louder and longer than even the response to the Democrats' hometown hero, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an hour or so earlier.

Wow - it was even more of a "One America" in the CNN excerpts:

"They would give me an African name, Barack, or 'blessed,' believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success," he said.

"They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential."

And later:

"Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America.

"There is not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there is the United States of America," Obama said.

"We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

The crowd rose to its feet with thunderous applause. A sea of "Obama" signs waved in the air, and delegates chanted, "Obama! Obama! Obama!"

The Corner is claiming him as a future Rep. Hey, that, or a Rep-killer (metaphorically).

OK, having read it, that is one fine country speech. And with a bit of tweaking, it could be delivered in New York. Wow. You Dems must feel like you are looking at an 18 year old A-Rod. Wow. Where do we surrender?

Comments

[MattJ]

I was very impressed up until he got to here:

If there's an Arab-American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

Then I had to change the channel until he was done.

[Third America]

There's no inconsistency there, but nice try. Edwards says the other side has created or allowed to fester "two Americas" of
rich and poor. His goal is to have one America, a United States.
And Obama was simply saying the same.

You're right to be scared of Obama, though. He's going to be the first black president.

[TM]

Don't spoil my fun.

And I am quite sure that "scared" is not at all how I feel about Obama.

[apoplectic]

Like the feigned unity message from Obama bin Laden, Harold Ford's act is a ruse. Use him at your peril, as he and his family are the Kennedys of Memphis. He's not a conservative or even a centrist Democrat. He's a whatever sounds good to you in a soundbyte Democrat and his actions speak louder. Don't be surprised when this snake finally bites someone. He is the last best hope of a faultering and hopelessly corrupt Memphis dynasty. Good background: http://www.metropulse.com/dir_zine/dir_2004/1423/t_cover.html

[Dan]

Which of those two Americas does Edwards belong to again? I get confused when I hear a wealthy member of a powerful special interest group railing against wealthy members of powerful special interest groups.

[WillieStyle]

Darn it TM!
We're in complete agreement here.
And not just your run-of-the-mill kind of agreement.
No. I'm talkin' "warm and fuzzy", kumbaya, isn't-this-a-great-country kind of agreement.
Where's the fun in that?

Here's to hoping for the day guys like Obama are so commonplace - in both parties - that they become blazé.

[Cecil Turner]

Well, looks like somebody has to be the buzzkill . . . Sorry, can't share the warmth for Obama. He was fine when he talked about a diverse background, his family's sacrifices for national security, and his concerns over people's problems. He completely lost me with the universal health care, additional taxes on overseas businesses, and pie-in-the-sky reliance on renewable energy resources.

Good intentions are no excuse for impractical policy, and his proposals are at best unrealistic. Color me skeptical.

[jack michalek]

What is the big deal about the guy,s race? who
cares? he is a great speaker and talks to most of
the country when he dos so. Good for him!jdm

[blackcatz]

What a witty play on words, apoplectic. How long did it take to come up with a slam on a foreign name?

[jamesbray]

News from Illinois: Obama is for one America, as in one heathcare insurer, one welfare system, one place to look to solve all your problems, DC. Don't be fooled.

[halfvast conspirator]

Actually, Obama's been lauded, and rightfully so, with a stump speech worthy of either party. He concludes that the Kerry campaign is about hope. "Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope." Audacious hope sums up the remainder of the Kerry campaign pretty well, I think.

[Jennifer]

Great point!
One america, two americas...
After Al Sharpton's speech a while ago maybe he will only have time to talk about one america.