William Tong photo
A view from the convention floor as Michelle Obama took the stage.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is keeping a daily diary for the Independent this week as he attends the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Michelle Obama is the best communicator in public life in America today. Of course President Obama is and was great last night. But Michelle speaks from a deep reservoir of personal strength, clarity and certainty that break through all of the noise and chaos around us. Barack fills me with hope and optimism, and a spirit of community and decency. Michelle gives me purpose and strength and direction.
A lot of words were said yesterday at the convention, and I could expound on any one of them. The word that stuck with me last night was when Barack Obama talked about “restoration.” Many speakers have talked about taking back our country, that we should do something or we’re not going back, or they talk a lot about the fight.
The concept of a restoration, and restoring who we really are, resonated with me last night. The Obama speeches brought a great deal of optimism and hope into the room, which is undeniably contagious. But I think a restoration goes beyond hope. It is hope plus, then aspiration and desire and purpose to get back to a place that we can all embrace and recognize.
Kindness. Helpfulness. Service. Duty to each other. Lincoln’s bonds of affection. Rule of law. Respect for rules and process and institutions. Respect for each other. Barack and Michelle took on the difficult task of convincing all of us, and showing all of us that the threads that tie us together are still there as a country, and that it should be our effort to discover them and give them strength and power again.
I think President Obama admitted in his remarks that some of this talk may seem hopelessly naïve. Pretty high minded stuff that can feel abstract and elusive. But I guess if we can’t talk about who we are, how we should treat each other, then what is the point of this convention? What is the point of our institutions? What is the point of public service at all if we can’t talk about and focus on serving each other?
I will admit that when President Obama came out, my eyes welled up and I just stared up at the big screen for a minute. Just seeing him, in this setting, reminded me of how I felt at this convention in 2008, when I first served as a delegate. He reminded me how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve fallen. Obama reminded me how much we need to restore a country that has given me and my immigrant family so much.
Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo must have noticed that I was quiet and trying to hold it together, and she bopped me on the head with a sign that said “vote.” It was a playful gesture, supportive and kind. But I know she also wanted to snap me out of it, to focus me on where we are and what we are doing, and to get my head back in the fight where we all belong.
See below for previous entries in this series:
• Tong’s DNC Diary Day 2: Kaboom!
• Tong’s DNC Diary Day 1:“There’s A Pit In My Stomach”