sockparade

speeches

History is full of great speeches.  Some of the most influential speeches in my life are:

• Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.
• Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech:
• Robert F. Kennedy’s “Mindless Menace of Violence” speech after MLK’s assassination:
• J.K. Rowling’s Harvard University Commencement Speech

And now, after watching Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, I am adding it to my short list of life-influencing speeches. If you missed Obama’s speech last night, please take the time to watch it.

Not that reality is all about rhetoric and great speechmaking, but I do believe that the masses need to be inspired to hope for and work towards progress.

While I’m on the topic of Obama, here’s a great NYT article that Lawrence linked me to about Obama’s stance on economics.

In all fairness, as independents, the husband and I will be tuning into the Republican National Convention next week.  This brings a whole new meaning to “tough act to follow.”

EDIT:  I am adding Barack Obama’s Call to Renewal speech about religion and politics and Barack Obama’s Yes We Can speech.

i think mccain choosing liz lemon as VP was nice. more people tuned into obama than the 2008 beijing opening ceremonies, the 2008 oscars, and the american idol finale. not combined of course.

Hey, I had no idea you enjoyed the JK speech that much! Do I get some chicken broth for sending it first (was I the first)?

Yep, you get credit for sending me the JK speech. I think her commentary on failure and her commentary about how imagination drives empathy were brilliant and inspiring.