Barack Obama took the stage in Chicago the night of August 20th at the Democratic National Convention to urge Americans to vote for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.
Obama characterized Trump as an agent of “chaos” while Harris would bring in a “new chapter” in American life. He said a win for Trump would bring “four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos,” and that a President Kamala Harris would give the United States a “better story.”
Obama gave the keynote speech at the event’s second night to a cheering crowd eager to hear from the Democrat star. He appeared to be trying to burnish Harris’ image, too, by describing her as a politician who “spent her entire life” trying to help people get the “same chances” she received from the country.
Obama, like much of the media, is making a big deal about the possibility of Harris “breaking barriers” to become the first female president of the U.S. While the bias of the mainstream media is not a surprise to most people, the way that outlets seem to be joining in what looks like PR support for Harris is unusual. For example, a CBS news report referred to Harris replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket as if it were a simple formality, rather than a historic replacement that came without Harris ever facing a primary contest to be decided on by Democratic voters. The network made sure, however, to note that this made Harris the first “black woman” to gain a major party’s presidential nomination.
Obama had plenty of praise for his former vice president Joe Biden, too. Looking back 16 years to the time he was preparing for his first presidential run, Obama said that picking Biden as a running mate was one of the best decisions he’s made. Using the same phrases Biden ran on during his 2020 presidential campaign, Obama described Biden as not only smart and experienced, but as someone with extensive “empathy” and “decency.”
Naturally, Obama took several swipes. at Donald Trump, saying the former president had not stopped “whining” since he made his famous ride down an escalator to announce his 2016 presidential run.
He rounded out his remarks by predicting that history would remember Biden as a great American president.
