CHICAGO — He once forged his political career here but on Tuesday, President Barack Obama returned to the hometown to play the role of elder statesman.
“It’s good to be home!” Obama opened to an almost deafening reception at the United Center. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up!”
That nostalgic reference to Obama’s well-known chant “Fired Up! Ready to Go!” brought another roar.
As the closer for the night, immediately following his wife and former First Lady Michelle, Obama’s remarks weaved nuts and bolts Democratic principles along with what he saw as a roadmap for the party. He paid tribute to Joe Biden, his former vice president — one of the few speakers to do so Tuesday night — and said making that pick was one of the best decisions he had made.
He called for Americans to spurn divisiveness that grows into blind hatred of one another. Obama made the case for Kamala Harris, ticking through her accomplishments as attorney general then as vice president, saying she helped take on drug companies, the high price of insulin and lower health care costs.
At the same time, Obama took shots at Trump, including chiding the former president for having “this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” he said, gesturing with his hands in a way to indicate something small. It was one of his biggest laugh lines of the night.
“We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos,” Obama said to cheers. “We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.”
Obama also had kind words for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate.
“I love this guy, Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics,” Obama said. “You can tell those shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff.”
Gwen Walz, the governor’s wife, then showed up on the big video screen in the arena, gesturing that she wholeheartedly agreed with Obama’s comments.
The former president also pushed for the United States’ role in the world to be a “force for good.”
“We shouldn’t be the world’s policeman,” Obama said. “We can’t eradicate every cruelty and injustice in the world, but America can be, and must be, a force for good. Discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate change.”
Jim Messina, who managed Obama’s second run for the White House, said Obama’s role on Tuesday was to help put this political time into perspective.
“Tonight’s really about him becoming the explainer-in-chief to explain this moment,” he told NBC News. “People forget he was the first to realize Kamala was gonna be a star. When she was the attorney general, he said to all of us: ‘Watch the attorney general in California, she’s really good.’”
Harris has turned Biden’s old campaign on its head. Since the president stepped aside on July 21, Harris’ campaign has raised an eye-popping amount: nearly $500 million.
“I mean, that’s insane, and it shows the groundroots enthusiasm,” Messina said, also referencing the massive crowd for Harris in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Asked if this moment for Harris was reminiscent of the 2008 magic that Obama wielded over voters, Messina said there’s room to grow. he said the Harris campaign had yet to ascend to the next level and really become “a movement.”
“We’re not there yet,” he said.
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