DiversityInc, of course, is specifically interested in issues of diversity and related issues. What follows is a list of the issues we feel are most important to our audience with an explanation of how Obama addressed each.
On affordable education
"Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American--if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education."
On providing affordable healthcare to everyone
Obama's mother died from cancer when he was rather young. During his speech, he said it pained him to watch his mother argue with insurance companies--while she was suffering from the cancer--because the companies wouldn't cover her. So it shouldn't be much of a surprise that he wants coverage for all--especially children.
"Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible healthcare for every single American," he said. "If you have healthcare, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most."
On family leave and bankruptcy laws
"Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.
"Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations."
On equal pay for women
Obama certainly made it abundantly clear: Women should be paid the same wage, for the same jobs, as men. Under his administration, he'll do what it takes to ensure this happens.
"And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons."
On gay rights
While Obama still has not decided to support legalized same-sex marriage, he certainly believes gay couples should have rights similar to those afforded the chance to marry.
"I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."
On immigration
"Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This, too, is part of America's promise--the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
America's morale
With the economy in flux, home foreclosures at an alarmingly high rate, unemployment high and with the United States, as a whole, unsure of the war in Iraq and its effects, Obama made one of the most telling comments of the entire speech within its first few moments. As such, he was extremely critical of President Bush and his administration:
"Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less," Obama said. "More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay and tuition that's beyond your reach. These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
"This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
"This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
"We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.
"Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land--enough! This moment--this election--is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough.'"
On tax cuts to the wealthy & promoting small businesses
How many times have we heard "Bush's tax cuts truly only favor the top 1 percent of money earners in this country"? Under an Obama presidency, the tax cuts would be pulled back--and the middle class, 95 percent of it, would see the greatest reduction in overbearing taxes.
"Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it," Obama said. "Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
"I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will cut taxes--cut taxes--for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class."
On an over-dependence on Middle Eastern oil
For the last few years, we've often heard politicians saying there's a need for a comprehensive new energy plan. We've finally heard a specific plan from a politician--and it's Obama.
"And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
"Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and John McCain has been there for 26 of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Sen. McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
"As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy--wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced."
How will he do all this?
Perhaps the greatest question yet to be answered is how Obama plans on accomplishing all of these goals. He addressed that as well:
"Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime--by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow," Obama said. "But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less--because we cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy."
Odds and ends
Clearly, Obama has addressed many issues that involve diversity, and he hasn't shied away from brutal honesty in saying that it's going to take time--and a lot of money--to get where he believes America should be. Yet, for the first time in recent memory, in Obama, Democrats have a candidate not afraid to speak his mind, a candidate not afraid to admit it's going to take a lot of time to accomplish much of what he wants to accomplish and a candidate who treasures and values his own diverse background.
Even better, Obama will use that diverse background to fix a lot of what has been broken over the last eight years.
Click here to read what the pundits had to say about Obama's speech.
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