Barack Obama to accept nomination tonight, describe his plans
He'll address 75,000 Democrats in a stadium setting already being criticized by Republicans. On the anniversary of King's 'dream' speech, aides say Obama will speak of the course he will set.
DENVER — Barack Obama accepts his party's nomination tonight before 75,000 supporters at Mile High Stadium as he lays out his vision for political change on everything from healthcare and education to international diplomacy.
The first African American to be nominated to be president by a major political party, Obama takes the stage on the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, considered one of the most significant moments in the struggle to overcome racial prejudice in the United States. Obama, now 47, was 2 years old when King declared that he looked forward to the day when his children would "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
But the campaign said today that Obama's speech would be less about the historic nature of his achievement than about his plans.
"I think what Sen. Obama wants to do is make sure everyone watching at home is going to have a clear sense of where he wants to take the country, that we're on the wrong path and Barack Obama is going to put us back on the right track both here at home and overseas," campaign manager David Plouffe said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Communications director Robert Gibbs, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," put it this way: "He's going to be talking to millions of Americans individually tonight about the pain that they feel in their lives and what we can do to bring jobs back to this country and create a better life."
Already, Republicans are belittling the setting. The Obama campaign has set up a stage in front of Roman columns, much as the George W. Bush campaign did in 2004, but the GOP is pointing to it as evidence of hype.
"This Roman-like facade, a facade with Roman columns, is a perfect metaphor or icon for the point that it's an interesting production, but behind it there's not much there," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in Denver as part of a GOP rapid-response team.
Pawlenty, widely considered to be on John McCain's short list as the Republicans' vice presidential nominee, told ABC's Diane Sawyer, "My goodness, it's amazing that we're three days into the Democratic convention and 60 or so days from the actual election and they're still trying to plead with the American people and convince us that Barack Obama is ready to be president."
McCain, who is expected to announce his running mate as early as Friday, told a Pittsburgh radio station today that he hadn't made up his mind.
