Obama's Speech

It’s not a secret that Barack Obama is a great speaker. I remember reading on the internet someone saying that if he was as good as politician as a speaker this country would be really different from what it is now. But what makes him such a good speaker? I think it is the fact that he knows exactly what to say, and not less important, when to say it. In the specific case of his acceptance speech some days ago, the use of traditional representations of America that we have studied in class was evident and I would say even necessary after a campaign that divided the country in opposite poles. The Manifest Destiny, the American Exceptionalism, the American Dream, the American Empire and the Melting Pot, besides the emphasis in values as freedom and democracy were main themes through all his speech. As a foreigner, and from a part of the world that doesn't really like American politicians, I have to admit that the last five minutes of Obama’s speech gave me chills.
It is possible to keep analyzing the speech and probably more interesting things are going to show up, but for me it seems clear that after all this years these traditional ideas are still alive, and from time to time they become some kind of secret weapon that anybody who needs mass support uses. After all, I think ideas as the Manifest Destiny, the American Exceptionalism, and the American Dream to name just a few, are the ones that have been able to keep such a diverse country together through all this years.