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Convention Keynote Speeches and Election as President
I remember watching Senatorial candidate Barack Obama giving the Keynote speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004 and saying out loud, “ladies and gentlemen, your next President!” As a student of politics, I saw everything in this State Senator from Illinois and US Senate candidate that could propel him to the Presidential nomination. That speech is worth watching, because it reminds me why he won two terms with a vote plurality and electoral college majority.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) gave the Keynote in 2016. Honestly, I didn’t remember her speech. I went back and watched it. She led off with a special shout out to Bernie Sanders. This while she was there to offer Hillary Clinton as the nominee. Two minutes in when she declared her loyalty to Hillary, some Bernie Bros started shouting in unison — “we trusted you,” audibly interrupting her speech. Eventually they were quieted, but the damage was done. I think she sealed her fate that night. She is not a shoe-in for the nomination in 2020. Her equivocation has left people wondering.
Longevity of Politics
Convention speeches are coveted by politicians because there is a longevity to our politics. Our campaigns last a year or more. Politicians rise through the ranks. The speech itself puts them in front of a prime time media audience with full…
