2004: The Birth of "Hope"

After Obama’s acceptance speech last two nights ago, I decided to search for Obama’s speech from the 2004 Democratic Convention and to contrast it to his more recent speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention. I heard Obama trying to figure out what has happened. While acknowledging the incorporation of additional variables into the equation (aka corporate donors) I was bewildered by what happened to Obama when it came to the issue of personal responsibility. In his 2004 speech Obama said,

“Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn.They know that parents have to teach, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. People don't expect -- people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.”

I am all for personal responsibility, but only when it applies to everyone, especially the corporate sponsors of his campaign. Over the course of the year, 9 banks have failed, the U.S. has experienced a terrible mortgage crisis, the U.S dollar is sucking, and telecommunication firms were implicated in helping the current administration violate our civil rights by spying on our phone conversations and emails. When is Obama going to point his finger of shame at these entities the way he effortlessly does at poor black people?