by Evie Stone

Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Presidential nomination at Denver's Invesco Mile High Stadium in front of a screaming, flag-waving, standing-ovation giving crowd that his campaign estimated at 84,000. His big theme was individual and mutual responsibility, with a heavy dose of patriotism. The candidate, who has been painted by his opponents as an exotic and unpatriotic figure, mentioned America/American/Americans 52 times (by the count of our hardworking editor) in his remarks.

The first two-thirds or so of the speech focused on domestic issues, with a heavy emphasis on the economy — a historically strong area for Democrats in presidential election years, and a particular weakness for John McCain, who has admitted that he's not an economic expert. This was essentially Obama's thesis statement, appealing to blue-collar voters and blaming the Bush administration for their current woes:

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

Obama made wide-ranging classic-Dem policy promises, calling for stronger public education, affordable health care, middle class tax cuts, and (his most specific goal) an end to America's reliance on Middle East oil in 10 years. But after defining clear policy goals on those issues, he also mentioned a few more divisive subjects — guns, abortion, and immigration — and called on Americans to put aside their dug-in conflicts and find some respectful common ground.

 

Obama also spent a healthy portion of his speech criticizing his opponent John McCain, whom his surrogates at the DNC have spent the past three days painting as the second coming of George W. Bush. And he made a point of hitting McCain on his strong suit: foreign policy:

For while Sen. McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11 and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell — but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

Obama avoided a direct assault on McCain's character, but he did go after his opponent's political positions: his judgment on the Iraq war, choice of economic advisers, and his pro-Bush voting record. But perhaps the most stinging criticism came in this section of the speech, where Obama — almost pityingly? — implies that McCain isn't necessarily a bad guy, he's not trying to cause problems for ordinary people. He's just out of touch.

Now, I don't believe that Sen. McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle class as someone making under 5 million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

He also made a veiled reference to his opponent's age (the number ticks up to 72 today, the 29th!) with this line, which drew a big cheer from the crowd:

We need a president who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

There was one moment that was slightly weird:

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

But wait...isn't that exactly what, oh, EVERY other DNC speaker did? John Kerry's entire speech was about the differences between his friend "Senator McCain" and this cynical stranger "Candidate McCain." Maybe Obama is just being really literal...HE won't say McCain takes political positions, but he'll let everyone else say it on his behalf?

In closing, Obama referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech at the March on Washington exactly 45 years ago — though he did not mention Dr. King by name. He tied King's message to his own call for Americans to hope.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead — people of every creed and color, from every walk of life — is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back.

As pundits have repeated ad nauseam, Obama has attempted to run a campaign that is not about his race. And as a reporter following the daily back and forth, ads, conference calls, veiled jabs...it's easy to forget about the ground Obama has broken with his historic candidacy. But whatever your politics, that passage, and the sight of the Obama family waving to the crowd as the confetti flew, was a powerful reminder of how far the country has come in those 45 years.