I thought John Kerry’s speech was powerful and persuasive last night. He let the people know who he is, what his values are and how he came to hold them through foundational life experiences. I have to admit I was more than a little worried about his ability to pull it off but I think most people will agree that the man came off as, yes I'm going to say it, Presidential.
The thing I liked most about the speech was the same thing I have been enjoying about the rest of the convention. That is, the Democrats seem to be saying that there are not partisan issues and values here, only American issues and values. They are saying that the rich heritage of equality, economic prosperity, security and individual freedoms that this country is founded on have been neglected by the current administration in the paranoid haze of our bizarre post-9/11 world and that they want to build a bridge back to those values. They want to renew our faith in those values in order to unite the nation, making us stronger, safer and more prosperous.
My favorite part of his speech was where he talked about our great American innovators and declared that it’s time to ask bold questions and be innovative again:
"Two young bicycle mechanics from Dayton asked what if this airplane could take off at Kitty Hawk? It did that and changed the world forever. A young president asked what if we could go to the moon in ten years? And now we're exploring the solar system and the stars themselves. A young generation of entrepreneurs asked, what if we could take all the information in a library and put it on a little chip the size of a fingernail? We did and that too changed the world forever.
And now it's our time to ask: What if?
What if we find a breakthrough to cure Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's and AIDS? What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem cell research to treat illness and save millions of lives?
What if we do what adults should do – and make sure all our children are safe in the afternoons after school? And what if we have a leadership that's as good as the American dream – so that bigotry and hatred never again steal the hope and future of any American?
… It is time to reach for the next dream. It is time to look to the next horizon. For America, the hope is there. The sun is rising. Our best days are still to come."
I know it may seem silly, but I need that kind of intelligent optimism. I want America to succeed and prosper and I fully believe that it can. There were a lot of powerful and memorable speeches given this week. From Carter & Clinton on Monday, to Obama on Tuesday, to Sharpton & Edwards on Wednesday, to the great speech by Mr. Kerry last night and they have all combined to renew my confidence in the possibility of a new America, fully restored in its commitment to all Americans.
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