Michelle Obama's Emotional Speech Rouses Democratic Convention Audience — Watch and Grade It
Did the Democratic National Convention peak on Night 1?
Michelle Obama will certainly be a tough headliner to follow, thanks to a profoundly personal speech that talked plainly about her own experiences as First Lady, laid our her rationale for why Hillary Clinton deserves to be president, and threw more shade than an oversized beach umbrella on Republican nominee Donald Trump — without ever mentioning him by name.
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Below are five of the more provocative passages from Obama’s speech — which seemed to unite even the most divided Democrats into fits of thunderous applause.
* Obama explained that when her daughters Malia and Sasha, ages 7 and 10, set off for their first day of school in Washington eight years ago, protected by “big men with guns, the only thing I could think was, ‘what have we done?’ See, because at that moment I realized that our time in the White House would form the foundation for who they would become. And how well we managed this experience could truly make or break them. That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight. How we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith. How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is ‘When they go low, we go high.'”
* “When Hillary didn’t win the nomination eight years ago, she didn’t get angry or disillusoned. Hillary did not pack up and go home. Because as a true public servant, Hillary knows this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments. So, she proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as Secetary of State — travelling the globe to keep our kids safe. And look, there were plenty of moments whenHillary could have decided this work was too hardm that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs. But here’s the thing: What I admire most about Hillary is she never buckles under pressure… And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”
* “When I think about the kind of president I want for my girls and all our children, I want someone with the proven strength to persever. Someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white, and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Look, because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips, and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions, you can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.”
* “Hillary understands that the president is about one thing and one thing only. It’s about leaving something better for our kids. That’s how we’ve always moved this country forward, by all of us coming together on behalf of our children. Folks who volunteer to coach that team, to teach that Sunday school class, because they know it takes a village. Heroes of every color and creed who wear the uniform and risk their lives to keep passing down those blessings of liberty. Police officers and protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe. People who lined up in Orlando to donate blood becasue it could have been their son, their daughter in that club. Leaders like Tim Kaine, who show our kids what decency and devotion look like.”
* “That is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to the stage tonight. The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, intelligent, black young women — playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”
What did you think of Michelle Obama’s DNC speech? Grade it in our poll below, then sound off in the comments!
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