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Michelle Obama’s Stirring Speech Brought the Democratic National Convention to Tears
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 25: First lady Michelle Obama acknowledges the crowd after delivering remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Michelle Obama, the first black first lady in American history, gave a profound 15-minute address to the Democratic National Convention that drew cheers, left some delegates openly weeping and went a long way to uniting and firing up the party for November’s presidential election.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 25: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (R) claps during first lady Michelle Obama’s speech on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Former president Bill Clinton was also in the audience on Monday – caught on camera mouthing the word “wow” as Michelle Obama delivered one of the most passionate speeches of election year. On Twitter, President Barack Obama wrote: “Incredible speech by an incredible woman.”
Incredible speech by an incredible woman. Couldn’t be more proud & our country has been blessed to have her as FLOTUS. I love you, Michelle.
— President Obama (@POTUS) July 26, 2016
She made reference to a speech made by Hillary Clinton when she conceded defeat to Barack Obama in 2008, saying:
“We weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time” after a bruising primary campaign.
Clinton “has the grace and the guts to keep coming back and put cracks in that highest and hardest glass ceiling until she finally breaks through, lifting all of us with her, that is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to this stage tonight.”
“The story of generations of people who have felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation but who kept on striving 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.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 25: First lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Her voice cracking with emotion, she continued:
“And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters, and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”
Veteran civil rights activists John Lewis and Jesse Jackson were present. Some delegates could be seen wiping away tears.
“So don’t let anyone ever tell you this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again because this right now is the greatest country on earth,” she said.
She went on to say:
“And as my daughters prepare to set out into the world, I want a leader who is worthy of that truth, a leader who is worthy of my girls’ promise and all our kids’ promise. A leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children.”
After a rocky start to the convention, with supporters of Bernie Sanders rebelling over leaked emails, she also urged Democrats to get to work and recapture the spirit of the past two elections when she was such a force for her husband.
“So in this election we cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best. We cannot afford to be tired or frustrated or cynical. No, hear me: between now and November, we need to do what we did eight years ago and four years ago.”
I want a leader who is worthy of my girls’ promise and all our kids’ promise.
Michelle Obama said of her and Barack’s advice to her daughters: ‘When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level.’
She spoke of the young black boy who looked up at the president and asked:
“Is my hair like yours? And make no mistake about it, this November when we go to the polls, that is what we’re deciding. Not Democrat or Republican, not left or right, no – this election and every election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.”
The one person she trusts, she said, is Hillary Clinton.
“What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life. And when I think about the kind of president I want for my girls and all our children, that’s what I want.
“I want someone with the proven strength to persevere. 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.”
“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 tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well informed.”
Watch the moving speech here:
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Alex Wong/ Win McNamee/ Aaron P. Bernstein
