Source : CNN
President Barack Obama on Wednesday harnessed the rhetorical skills that catapulted him to White House with an address to the Democratic National Convention dismissing Donald Trump in withering terms and establishing Hillary Clinton as his political heir.
Obama was in Philadelphia 12 years to the day after he shook politics with a convention speech in Boston that encouraged Americans to look at the common threads that unite them. He offered a similarly empowering vision of the nation Wednesday, saying America doesn’t need a “self declared savior” like Trump to fix it.
Undaunted by the experience of a presidency that unfolded in a time of crisis and deep ideological divides, he renewed his faith in the idea of a unified nation. The speech crystalized the two visions of America emerging this election season, following last week’s Republican National Convention in which Trump blasted Obama for leaving the country divided and plagued by crime.
“The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity,” Obama said. “The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties — about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice.”
He went on: “But as I’ve traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I’ve also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America.”
