“And he will govern as someone who has lived a life that the rest of us can recognize.”, Former first lady paints a dark picture of Trump’s America, Obama reprises her 2016 advice to ‘go high’ against attacks, Former First Lady Michelle Obama: Trump “is clearly in over his head.”. This is who we still are: compassionate, resilient, decent people whose fortunes are bound up with one another. She also makes effective use of forms of appeal and rhetorical devices. A president’s words have the power to move markets. Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation. Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Michelle vs. Melania On August 25th of the year 2008, Michelle Obama gave an outstanding speech at the Democratic National Convention. We’d secured the right to health care for 20,000,000 people. Votes are already being cast. Calling Joe Biden “a profoundly decent man,” Obama said she saw firsthand during the presidency of her husband how the job requires judgment, an appreciation of history, and a moral compass. Michelle Obama: 'Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country' Michelle Obama’s speech in full from the 2020 Democratic National Convention ‘When my … We reach out because, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It is not a hard concept to grasp. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. I’ve met so many of you. He will tell the truth and trust science. And we have got to do everything we can to elect my friend, Joe Biden, as the next president of the United States. Now, Joe is not perfect. Barack and Michelle Obama's Dear Class Of 2020 speeches were particularly inspiring, because they were all about reminding youth that they are at the center of bringing change in the world. You simply cannot fake your way through this job. “I know Joe,” the former first lady said in the 19-minute video. Maybe the barriers felt too steep. Her speech echoed her convention addresses supporting her husband in 2008 and 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, but with the more intimate setting of a straight-to-camera web video without an audience. Michelle Obama’s speech Monday night at the Democratic National Convention was the heart and soul of opening night. A nation that’s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character. “No, it reveals who you are.”, On Monday, she returned to that theme. Democrats are still the party of Barack, but they are living in Michelle’s world. Indledning The speech is epideictic, as Barack Obama is praising Joe Biden. Michelle Obama painted a dark picture of Donald Trump’s America Monday, telling Democratic National Convention viewers that the president lacks the empathy and character to govern. Learn More. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Reporter covering identity politics for The Fix, Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events, Michelle Obama’s full speech to the Democratic National Convention, annotated, Congress affirms Biden’s presidential win following riot at U.S. Capitol, How members of Congress voted on counting the electoral college vote, Trump pledges ‘orderly transition’ after Biden is declared winner at the end of a violent day. Obama’s speech was a more pointed and more political one than her well-received speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, in which she employed her now well-known phrase “When they go low, we go high," without ever referring to then-candidate Donald Trump by name. SHARE. He was a terrific vice president. But this is not the time to withhold our votes in protest or play games with candidates who have no chance of winning. Bitcoin Declines After Musk Hints That Prices Are Excessive, Facebook Ends Australia News Blackout After Law Compromise, Pfizer-BioNTech Shot Stops Covid Spread, Israeli Study Shows, Elon Musk’s Bitcoin Tweet Hurts Tesla’s Own Bet in Currency, Tech Paces U.S. Stock Slump as Rotation Takes Hold: Markets Wrap. You must do something.” That is the truest form of empathy: not just feeling, but doing; not just for ourselves or our kids, but for everyone, for all our kids. He cannot meet this moment. We have got to grab our comfortable shoes, put on our masks, pack a brown bag dinner and maybe breakfast, too, because we’ve got to be willing to stand in line all night if we have to. And through you, I have seen this country’s promise. 2020 Conventions. And they see what happens when that lack of empathy is ginned up into outright disdain. And like so many of you, Barack and I have tried our best to instill in our girls a strong moral foundation to carry forward the values that our parents and grandparents poured into us. And when the horrors of systemic racism shook our country and our consciences, millions of Americans of every age, every background rose up to march for each other, crying out for justice and progress. Joe knows what it’s like to struggle, which is why he gives his personal phone number to kids overcoming a stutter of their own. But I am here tonight because I love this country with all my heart, and it pains me to see so many people hurting. “Being president doesn’t change who you are,” she told Democrats in 2012, speaking of Barack Obama. Because Joe Biden has served this nation his entire life without ever losing sight of who he is; but more than that, he has never lost sight of who we are, all of us. Four years later, the state of this nation is very different. Avec le covid, les Américains comprennent qu'ils ont un déficit monstrueux qui sert à gonfler les profits des grandes entreprises qui ne payent presque plus d'impôt et à financer l'armée la plus puissante du monde. There’s a lot of pain in it, too, a lot of struggle and injustice and work left to do. Even when you’re anxious, you’re delivering those packages, stocking those shelves and doing all that essential work so that all of us can keep moving forward. And four years ago, too many people chose to believe that their votes didn’t matter. Here’s how that could work. The virtual convention format proved tricky for many Democrats Monday night, but Michelle Obama showed there’s a way to nail it by veering away from what would normally work in an arena. Former first lady Michelle Obama's speech took on Trump and Trumpism more directly than she did in her well-received 2016 Democratic National Convention speech. So many of you are already going that extra mile. But let’s be clear: Going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. They’re sending people out to intimidate voters, and they’re lying about the security of our ballots. So if you take one thing from my words tonight, it is this: If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don’t make a change in this election. But right now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. So, it is up to us to add our voices and our votes to the course of history, echoing heroes like John Lewis who said: “When you see something that is not right, you must say something. But her speech was uniquely personal, directly addressing people reluctant to tune into political speeches. Because whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy. And it is well past time for our leaders to once again reflect our truth. 25th Amendment: Senior officials have discussed removing Trump. In her speech, Michelle Obama delves into her autobiography as a child on the South Side of Chicago and as an adult working in the public service sector. Il faut être gonflé comme Trump pour soutenir l'inverse. And if we want a chance to pursue any of these goals, any of these most basic requirements for a functioning society, we have to vote for Joe Biden in numbers that cannot be ignored. The latest: Congress affirms Biden’s presidential win following riot at U.S. Capitol, Graphic: How members of Congress voted on counting the electoral college vote, Live updates: Trump pledges ‘orderly transition’ after Biden is declared winner at the end of a violent day. SHARE. You know how much I care about all of our children. Michelle has also been judged by her skin color, some going so far by portraying her as a monkey. TRANSCRIPT: Michelle Obama – Former First Lady of the United States. “He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. They see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here, that greed is good, and winning is everything, because as long as you come out on top, it doesn’t matter what happens to everyone else. They see our leaders labeling fellow citizens enemies of the state while emboldening torch-bearing white supremacists. Have a confidential tip for our reporters? What’s our strategy? And then, make sure our friends and families do the same. And he will govern as someone who’s lived a life that the rest of us can recognize. Michelle Obama’s speech is only 14 minutes, which is an ideal amount of time to transfer emotion to an audience without overstaying your welcome. They watch in horror as children are torn from their families and thrown into cages, and pepper spray and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protesters for a photo-op. He cannot meet this moment. Michelle Obama tells 'the cold hard truth' in a searing DNC keynote speech. Duration: 18:26 8/18/2020. “Over the past couple of months, our foundation has been shaken,”… Michelle Obama had some great things to say to all the students graduating amid the quarantine and being unable to have a proper prom as a result. EMAIL. TWEET. He wants all our kids to grow up with leaders who won’t just serve themselves and their wealthy peers but will provide a safety net for people facing hard times. We have got to vote like we did in 2008 and 2012. I know Joe. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off a joint speech from their living room by excitedly congratulating the class of 2020, acknowledging that while graduating in the middle of a pandemic is certainly unexpected and … He tells the people about all the times that Joe Biden has helped him avoid or get through huge crises. He is a profoundly decent man, guided by faith. It’s what we teach our children. Maybe they were fed up. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. So what do we do now? And he’s got plans to make all of that happen. Even when you’re exhausted, you’re mustering up unimaginable courage to put on those scrubs and give our loved ones a fighting chance. “Over the past four years, a lot of people have asked me, ‘When others are going so low, does going high still work?’ My answer is that going high is the only thing that works,” she said. And that’s not just disappointing; it’s downright infuriating, because I know the goodness and the grace that is out there in households and neighborhoods all across this nation. “It is what it is,” she added pointedly, a phrase Trump used to describe the state of the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled the U.S. And if we want to keep the possibility of progress alive in our time, if we want to be able to look our children in the eye after this election, we have got to reassert our place in American history. Politics - News Analysis Trump Supporters Go Ballistic Over Michelle Obama’s Powerful Speech, ‘She’s a National Disgrace!’ By Jason Miciak August 18, 2020. Barack and Michelle Obama To Address Class of 2020. Here is former First Lady Michelle Obama's speech, delivered Monday, on the first day of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Over the past four years, a lot of people have asked me, “When others are going so low, does going high still really work?” My answer: Going high is the only thing that works, because when we go low, when we use those same tactics of degrading and dehumanizing others, we just become part of the ugly noise that’s drowning out everything else. They see people shouting in grocery stores, unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe. You know I hate politics. And I know a lot of folks are reluctant to tune into a political convention right now or to politics in general. He knows what it takes to rescue an economy, beat back a pandemic and lead our country. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. They see people calling the police on folks minding their own business just because of the color of their skin. But there is no perfect candidate, no perfect president. Even when it all feels so overwhelming, working parents are somehow piecing it all together without child care. It’s a hard time, and everyone’s feeling it in different ways. And we’ve all been living with the consequences.