Thoughts About Obama's Speech

What a different emotional register from John McCain's; Obama seems on the verge of tears; the enormous crowd in the Xcel center seems ready to lift Obama on its shoulders; the much smaller audience for McCain's speech interrupted his remarks with stilted cheers. (Note: there was a large overflow crowd for McCain's speech, and he repeated his remarks for them later in the evening.)

McCain appealed to Clinton supporters based on their resentments, pointing out that the pundits and party elders seemingly anointed Obama; Obama appeals to them based on their hopes, promising that Clinton would play a major role in securing universal health care.

Obama thanked his grandmother above all else; without her, he said, none of this would have been possible. She is white, of course. The explicit message is obvious. The implicit message: this thing, this event, is much more than just a step for racial equality.