The US is ready for a new chapter with “President Kamala Harris,” former President Barack Obama said Tuesday while addressing the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, in a show of support for the party’s candidate for the White House.
Obama and his wife Michelle Obama praised Kamala Harris and backed her in the November presidential elections. Michelle introduced her husband after a powerful “hope is making a comeback” speech in recall of his 2008 election campaign.
The Obamas, who endorsed Kamala Harris after much speculation, said that the 59-year-old current Vice President is ready for the top job. “America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,” Barack Obama said.
The former US President said that even though “the torch has been passed” to Kamala Harris, the work for Democrats is not done yet.
Barack Obama, 63, electrified the DNC audience with his speech that featured support for Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, jabs at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and praise for US President Joe Biden.
He said that Harris and Walz are leaders who are deeply committed to the well-being of blue-collar workers.
“In this new economy, we need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick, clean our streets, and deliver our packages — and stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions,” he said, as he drew a standing ovation. ‘Kamala will be that president’,” Barack Obama said.
“Yes, she can,” he continued, and the crowd joined in, briefly chanting, “Yes, she can!”
Telling the crowd that the elections in the US are going to be a “tight race,” Barack Obama stated, “For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country.”
The former US President spoke about Kamala Harris’s history as a prosecutor, saying she used to go after big banks and child sexual abusers.
“After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration too hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement.”
In a veiled dig at former US President Donald Trump, Obama promised Democrats that Harris would be “focused on your problems” and “won’t just cater to her own voters and punish those who refuse to bend the knee”.
The former first lady praised Kamala Harris for being a strong woman, which she attributed to the Democratic presidential nominee’s mother.
“Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency,” Michelle Obama said.
She said that Harris’s story is “your story” and Michelle’s story and the “story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life”.
The former first lady also took a dig at Donald Trump for his ‘Black jobs’ comment that he made in a June debate.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” she said.
“It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better,” Michelle Obama added.
Barack Obama praised Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, and said that he is “the kind of person who should be in politics – somebody who was born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, and took care of his neighbours”.
“He knows who he is and what’s important,” Obama told the DNC crowd.
The 63-year-old went on to say that electing Harris and Walz “won’t be easy.”
Asking Americans to vote for their future, Obama took a potshot at Republican nominee Donald Trump, stating that he “is not losing sleep over that question.”
“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually been getting worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala,” Obama stated.
Obama also praised US President Joe Biden and stated that he is “proud to call him my president, my friend.”
He also lauded Biden for being “selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.”
“History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger,” Obama said. “I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.”
He further stated that asking Biden to be his vice-president was one of his best decisions, reflecting back on the remark Biden himself used used about Harris last night.
In a compelling appeal for civility, former President Obama urged Americans to confront the coarseness of public and online discourse that increasingly defines our society. He highlighted the paradox of our times, and stated, “We chase the approval of strangers on our phones; we build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then wonder why we feel so alone.”
Urging Americans to make meaningful connections, he said, “We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time to know each other — and in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.”
As he concluded his address, Obama emphasised that regardless of being a “Democrat, Republican, or anywhere in between,” all Americans share a common desire for a nation that is more united and compassionate. He urged Democrats to play a crucial role in guiding both the party and the country back to an era where collaboration and mutual care were the cornerstones of the American spirit.
“That’s what this election is about,” Obama said. “And I believe that’s why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days — if we knock on doors and make phone calls and talk to our friends and listen to our neighbours — if we work like we’ve never worked before, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States.”
“So let’s get to work,” he declared.
It has been two decades since Barack Obama delivered his iconic speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention — a moment that marked the beginning of his extraordinary political ascent.
At the time, Obama was a relatively unknown candidate for the US Senate from Illinois. Yet, just four years later, he would be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, embarking on a historic journey to the White House.
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