Not much on TV can beat American Idol and the Olympics, but Obama did
By Jeffrey Jolson
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 8/29/08 – Barack Obama will our next President if Nielsen ratings are any indicator. 38 million viewers, more people watched Obama speak than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final “American Idol” or the Academy Awards this year, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Obama, speaking live to 85,000 supporters at the Denver Bronco’s Mile High Stadium as the fireworks laden finale to the Democratic National Convention, may have reached many more as the overnight rating do not include PBS or C-SPAN.
Nor could the overnights count all the folks in the rooms at the 50,000 viewing parties that the Obama campaign reported, based on viewing party kits ordered on their website. Plus there were crowds in New York’s Times Square and sports bars across the nation.
You’d have thought it was the Superbowl. And in a way it was for the Democrats. Obama gave an inspiring speech that should win over many voters. The CNN commentators generally called it the best acceptance speech they’ve ever heard, or at least since John F. Kennedy for those that had been around that long.
Reason was is that Obama didn’t just sloganeer, though there was just enough of hope, change and “Eight years is enough” to keep the huge live audience cheering. He also dealt with solid issues like the economy, war and taxes. Plus he went head-on with all the topics his critics who say he is style over substance complained he hasn’t said enough about.
During his speech Obama said: “Let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.”
He said that in 10 years, he would make the US no longer reliant on Middle East oil. He said he would lower taxes for 90 percent of Americans, not just the rich. He said he would pull tax breaks for companies that outsource American jobs. Incidentally, ex- VP Al Gore’s best line from his warm-up speech was “we are tired of borrowing money from China to pay for Persian oil.”
Obama also dealt with homeland security, health care, gay marriage, gun control and a host of other issues.
This was the sort of nitty-gritty that has often been lacking from his speeches on the campaign trail, where he has not convinced voters of his ability to improve their lives, said a British newspaper. In fact journalists from around the world flew in for the event, in numbers never seen for a convention speech.
Most importantly Obama went right after John McCain, gloves off, rebuking him for being a Bush clone and denying his own GOP Senate policy votes now that he is campaigning for President. Pundits have noted Obama did not do this earlier in his own campaign. He could not go after McCain’s new vp running mate, Alaskan Gov.Sarah Palin as McCain wisely did not announce his choice until today.
McCain and the GOP are no doubt scrambling to figure out how to even come close when their convention begins Monday.
Obama closed with a homily to Martin Luther King, who 45 years earlier to the day delivered his famous “I have a Dream” speech, and an appeal to America to continue its journey towards equality. He made only one reference to being the first black nominee of either major party. “I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree,” he said.
He said Americans would have to take responsibility for their lives, noting change did not come from Washington but “change come TO Washington.”
“We are a better country than this.”
The whole event was a star-studded spectacle with performances by Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder and others. Hollywood heavies like Steven Spielberg, Kirsten Dunst, Charlize Theron and many others mingled in the audience.
Yet Obama was the star this night. Oprah Winfrey cried so hard her false eyelashes fell off, while David Gergen, a normally restrained ex-White House counselor, described it as “less a speech than a symphony”.
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