Obama's speech on Tuesday was (again) transcendent - nothing no one here knows, nothing we haven't seen before with him, and nothing we won't see again.
It's been parsed by better than me, but I'll hit it again anyway. My focus is on Obama's formulation of Americans vs. naming the Parties. Follow me over the fold...
Lieberman's email (almost assuredly ghost-written, btw...campaigns depend on a LOT of other folks to write even these emails. Hard saying if he approved it or not; some folks don't really care what their name goes on) had some language that caught my eye and reminded me of something I'd caught during Obama's speech Tuesday night.
Lieberman:
I have worked with John McCain for many years in the U.S. Senate and know from experience that he can unite Democrats, Republicans and Independents like no one else in this country.
Obama:
Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.
...
America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.
This stood out for me as possibly the phrase that will deliver the White House.
Every candidate promises to unite us - Bush said he'd be a 'uniter, not a divider'. Kerry assured us he would reach out to every American, Democrats and Republican alike.
Heck, Kerry actually got close to Obama's formula:
There were no Democrats. There were no Republicans. There were only Americans.
...but then he lost it...
And how we wish it had stayed that way.
And this, later:
The 9/11 commission has given us a path to follow, endorsed by Democrats, Republicans and the 9/11 families.
It goes on:
And that's why Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas
I'm not knocking Kerry - he gave a pretty good speech, for him, at the DNC last year. But it's standard to say I'll reach out to Democrats and Republicans. And Obama absolutely turned that on its ear, by reaching past the parties with hardly a glance back.
After he made the "Americans first" turn, he never mentioned either party by name again. And he spoke only to America for the remainder of the speech - none of this namby-pamby "My fellow Americans" nonsense...he spoke to America itself. All of us. Everyone.
Folks sitting on the sofa in Ohio aren't examing the speech, but like any well-crafted phrase, they heard this without even knowing they heard it. With that phrase, "America, this is our time", he opened the door and let everyone in and welcomed them with open arms. Children of immigrants, black, white, man, woman, blue collar and CEO's...with one phrase he made us all part of one movement, and gave us ownership of our destiny and our future.
I gotta say, it was beautiful, and I'm glad to be alive to see the history we're about to make.