One of the Best Speeches of This Campaign

I recently re-watched Barack Obama's speech in Iowa in which he essentially celebrated his primary nomination by thanking the people who made his campaign possible--the voters of Iowa who catapulted him to a national candidacy that could overcome the inevitable.

The speech is available here on YouTube and here as a transcript.

To get an idea of the enthusiasm and the passion of the crowd and of Senator Obama, begin watching at 17 minutes.

Why This Speech is Effective

• Senator Obama thanked the people who made his candidacy possible
• It is far too rare for politicians to go back to their base and thank the people who made their candidacy possible. Senator Obama was extremely smart to do this.
• Senator Obama is subtly reminding the country that he is popular in "white America"
• By holding an event in a largely white state that he won, he is trying to counter the idea that he cannot win white votes
• Senator Obama is extremely gracious to Senator Clinton
• Senator Obama stays on message
• Emphasis on hope and change
• Subtle attacks against John McCain, who is linked to George Bush

My final comment is that I struggle to imagine how Senator McCain can win in the fall with an orator like this as an opponent and a crowd that is this excited. (I still think it is possible since democrats seem to specialize in loosing elections).