It’s been a minute since the 2008 election run, when we would hear Obama’s voice daily on the nightly news. Believe me, I’m glad that mess is over but I sometimes enjoy revisiting the campaign speeches that brought us to this historic place. There’s always Youtube, of course, but that kinda search can get messy. Take a look at Obama’s official video podcast channel (yes, podcasts still exist) on iTunes if you want a neatly edited list of 44 important moments from 2007 and 2008. Included in the podcast library are his acceptance speech at the DNC as well as his election night speech when he declared our victory as he stared into the crowd with the confidence of purpose.
More important than his political speeches are those focused on certain key topics influencing our global culture. “A More Perfect Union” is the most thought-provoking discourses on race by a politician in recent times—or as Jon Stewart described, “the first time a politician spoke to me as if I’m an adult.” (There’s even a great vid on a group of Bronx students discussing that speech.) His “Father’s Day” speech spoke on the importance of the family structure, his “Anti-War Speech at DePaul” is a bold diatribe on the weight of our wars, and his “Speech on Patriotism” is a wake-up call to those who define their love for a country as standing in line with the status quo. And so on.
There are other channels up there that offer other speeches, in audio and video, in both English and Spanish. After the election, Obama’s transition team started posting his weekly video address to the country on Youtube. Each of those is offered here as well, and will be updated weekly.
