The Barack Obama event in Fort Worth Thursday night was great, with a capacity crowd the Fire Marshall had to cap at just over 13,000. It was the 50-minute version of his speech on change, and how together we can achieve it in the ways this country needs most, politically speaking: internationally, economically, in energy and climate change, the education system, and more. He dismissed the charge of 'Hope-monger' that so many of his adversaries would like to pin on him with a familiar refrain of his ("I know it's not going to be easy: if it was, it would have happened already!"), pointing out that he's not promising that he will change everything, but that together, we will.

Some of the better quotes:

"A Bush won't be on the ballot in November....He'll be back here in Texas...y'all are going to have to figure out what to do with him."

"Not a single great thing was ever accomplished in this country that didn't start with someone having hope."

"Hope is not facing serious challenges and mountainous obstacles and naively pretending they don't exist. Hope is seeing those insurmountable odds and still, somehow finding something within that says, 'We're going to do this, we can make it,' and overcoming those challenges."

"This is a movement, and now, it's time to move."

"Si, se puede."

"We are the change we've been waiting for."

Special props to Matthew and Mary Beth, who are not particularly (or at all?) Obama supporters or registered Democrats, but who came anyway, not just to listen, but to be a part of something historic, something special. And a shout out to all our friends and neighbors who also got out to the event, enduring bad traffic and long lines of people to lend their ears and give change a chance.

Posted by Jonathan on 29 February, 2008 | Permalink
Tags: Barack Obama (4) | Comments (2)