Looking Back At Obama’s Five Best Speeches

As the first to harness the power of YouTube, Obama’s speeches have been more accessible than any President before him. This, combined with his speech-writing team and near unrivaled ability with the spoken word – who else could work a Mad Men reference into a State Of The Union? —  has often left Australia more engaged with his oratory than that of our own leaders. Julia Gillard’s misogyny smackdown, Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations, Paul Keating’s Redfern address and Gough Whitlam’s ‘It’s Time’ are speeches that will live on in local history books — but even lists of the best Australian political speeches use Obama as a jumping-off point.

Yesterday’s address was Obama’s fifth State of the Union, presenting a handy opportunity to reflect on five of the most memorable of his speeches. Of course, ranking them is unfair. Each has a different purpose; rallying voters in New Hampshire is a different prospect than farewelling a world leader.  So these are just five that stand out.

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Boston, 2004: Keynote Speech At The Democratic National Convention

Key line: “Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope.”

Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama walked onto the stage at the 2004 DNC as a relative unknown. He left the stage as the Democrats’ rising star.

It was a simpler time for Obama, reflected by the lack of grey hair. He introduced himself by relating his incredible personal background, and spoke of his father’s hard work to obtain a scholarship in America: a “beacon of freedom and opportunity”.

Before the best speechwriters in America were at his mercy, Obama delivered an inspirational keynote, and laid the groundwork for the support that would follow him to the Presidency four years later. Hilary Clinton, who he would soon torment in the primary campaign, stood and applauded. Perhaps the only Democrat underwhelmed was Presidential nominee John Kerry, who must have wondered why it took eight minutes for Obama to mention him.

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Denver, 2008: Democratic Nomination Acceptance Speech

Key line: “If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament and judgment to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have.”

After an odd early moment, when it seemed as if the Democratic Presidential nominee was calling Joe Biden the love of his life, Obama blew the huge crowd away with hope, change, and that killer smile.

Obama reflected on the past of the Democrats and made his case for the future, declaring that “the American promise has been threatened” by President George W Bush, and linking Republican nominee John McCain to Bush’s policies.

Throughout 2008, Obama demonstrated his ability to somehow stay above the fray while digging the boots into opponents. He continued this in Denver, brutally dismissing McCain and Sarah Palin while selling his personal brand of hope and change.

As he had in previous speeches, Obama poked fun at the unlikelihood of a man with his background being a candidate for President, and used this to harness excitement. The writing, delivery and setting were about as good as it gets in a political campaign.

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Philadelphia, 2008: ‘A More Perfect Union’

Key line: “This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.”

Public statements denigrating America by Obama’s former minister, Jeremiah Wright, threatened to derail his presidential campaign. In Philadelphia, the Democratic nominee addressed them, condemning Wright’s statements but refusing to disown the minister himself. Obama spoke of Wright’s profound impact on his life while countering many of his views and statements, in a powerful speech that spoke about the role of race and religion in America.

Race loomed as a divisive issue through the Democratic primary and Presidential election of 2008. Obama tackled it head-on, challenging Americans to look closer at race relations while not allowing cynics to divide the country by making it the key focus of the election.

The speech was a turning point in Obama’s campaign and became a rallying point for younger voters on YouTube, where it’s amassed over 1.5 million views. NBC named it the top political speech of the decade.

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Des Moines, 2012: Final Rally Speech

Key line: “And when the cynics said we couldn’t, you said ‘Yes, we can.’”

Iowa has been good to Barack Obama. It was there that he trumped Hilary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic Primary, which kicked his campaign into overdrive. And it was Iowa where President Obama returned in 2012, to deliver the last campaign speech of his political life.

It was the night before the election, and Obama’s pollsters had told him his victory was certain, yet the President took the stage and reached out to his supporters in Iowa with the same passion as in 2008. An emotional Obama thanked Iowa, praised Iowa, told Iowa he still needed them, and pleaded with Iowa to get behind him one more time.

The final stump speech of Barack Obama’s life ended with a spirited chant of ‘Are you fired up?’, before he walked off the stage alongside Michelle to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours’.

It could not have ended any better.

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Newtown, 2012: Vigil For Sandy Hook Shooting Victims

Key line: “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.”

Under the weight of national devastation, President Obama was surprisingly assertive when addressing a memorial service for the 27 victims of the Sandy Hook shooting.

He switched between addressing the gathering as a leader, a parent and a friend, taking it upon himself and his fellow legislators to address gun control and put a stop to tragedies like Sandy Hook. By decrying Washington’s failure to take action before the school shooting, the President boldly admitted that the 27 victims, 20 of them school children, had been let down by their Government.

The President also told stories of the heroes from the day, and offered the families of victims the support of the nation. Over a year after the speech, it is still impossible to hear Obama read through the names of each of the victims and maintain a dry eye.

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Sean works in communications for a Sydney charity. When he isn’t doing that he’s probably reading something online, watching repeats of Community or wondering why Richmond are losing again.