No gaffes from VP Joe Biden, so it's on to President Obama, who accepted the Democratic Party's nomination Thursday night in a speech much more heavy on policy and specifics than his convention rhetoric of 2008. Here are the Cliff's Notes.
The policy checkmarks:
"I will never turn Medicare into a voucher."
"Selfless soldiers won't be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love."
"As long as I'm commander-in-chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known."
"Climate change is not a hoax."
The GOP-directed zingers:
"They want your vote without telling you their plan."
"You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally."
"Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!"
And the requisite humble brags:
"Osama bin Laden is dead."
"The times have changed -- and so have I. I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the president."
Obama ended by circling back to his 2008 message of hope, though he projected it onto voters for the occasion: "As I stand here tonight, I have never been more hopeful about America. ... I'm hopeful because of you."
Slate economics writer Matt Yglesias put it best: "This is the speech you give when you think you're winning and just want to avoid screwing up."
