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Michelle Obama, in DNC speech, says “hope is making a comeback”
Washington — Former first lady Michelle Obama celebrated Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy in a speech at the Democratic convention Tuesday, comparing her candidacy to that of her husband Barack Obama’s in 2008.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” she said, alluding to his iconic 2008 campaign on hope.
“Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?” she said, receiving huge applause on the second night of the convention. “We’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country we love. A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for too long. You know what I’m talking about? It’s the contagious power of hope!”
Michelle Obama has spoken at every convention since 2008, when her husband was first nominated. Eight years later, she delivered her memorable line, “When they go low, we go high.” In her 2020 speech, she said then-President Trump “is clearly in over his head” and “cannot meet this moment.”
The former first lady sought to contrast Harris and Trump throughout her speech, while only mentioning the former president once.
“Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others, she understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward,” Harris said.
She touted Harris “as more than ready for this moment,” calling her “one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.”
“It couldn’t be more obvious of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great,” she said. “Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next.”
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.”
Then, she quipped, “who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?”
It was a reference to Trump, who in the June debate against President Biden claimed that immigrants were taking “Black jobs.”
She called on Americans to “do something” to help elect Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“In some states, just a handful — listen to me — a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner. So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt. We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us,” she said. “Let us work like our lives depend on it, and let us keep moving our country forward and go higher, yes, always higher than we’ve ever gone before.”
Given Obama’s popularity, Democrats and Republicans have speculated for years that she might run for the White House, though the former first lady has consistently expressed her distaste for politics.
After Mr. Biden’s rambling debate performance in late June, a Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered voters found that Obama was the only Democrat who defeated Trump in a hypothetical matchup. She had 50% support, compared to Trump’s 39%.
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Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
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To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
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Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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