Barack Obama Makes History, Accepts Nomination; "A New Politics For A New Time"

Denver, CO (AHN) - Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) walked onto a stage in front of 75,000 cheering fans in Denver and became the first African-American to serve as the presidential nominee for a major political party. After three nights of build-up, Obama finally accepted the nomination, thanking family, friends, supporters and the Democratic party.

"Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey," Obama said. "Especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours - Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Obama covered a wide range of topics, beginning with fiscal crisis. "Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. 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," Obama said.

"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," Obama declared to thunderous applause.

"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 4th, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough,'" Obama said.

Obama layered his vision for the future with criticism of McCain. Overall, Obama's speech mirrored a stronger tone for the convention as a whole after widespread criticisms of the 2004 Democratic gathering that nominated Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Pundits blamed Kerry for not setting a hard enough tone at the convention, not allowing it to be a platform to attack incumbent President George W. Bush.

"I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans," Obama explained. "I just think he doesn't know... It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it."

"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% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class," Obama explained.

Obama also made a bold statement about America's energy crisis, saying "for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East."

"Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six 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 Senator McCain took office," Obama said.

"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 dollars 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 five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced. America, now is not the time for small plans."

In the end, Obama appealed to his historic candidacy admitting, "I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington. But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you. For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past."

"You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time," Obama said.