Tom Brokaw asked rhetorically whether Obama or Kerry would be the man more remembered from the convention , while CNN 's Jeff Greenfield called it " one of the really great keynote speeches of the last quarter-century . " Howard Fineman noted that Obama 's emphasis on parents , not government in teaching children was the same kind of language that could have been heard amongst Republicans . Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley stated , " Obama trumped Bill Clinton . Clinton gave a good speech yesterday . Obama was better . That 's hard to do in American politics . " The day after the speech , a '' Chicago Tribune '' editorial declared Obama " The Phenom " . '' The Washington Times '' acknowledged that it would likely disagree with Obama 's policies , but compared with John Edwards ' speech , " his sentiments had a freshness and a realness that Mr. Edwards ' lacked . " A reporter for Britain 's '' The Independent '' declared that the mantle of who was most likely to be the first black president had passed from Colin Powell to Obama , though another was left unimpressed , finding the speech " disappointingly free of original thought " . Kenya 's '' The Nation '' also covered the speech , and noted his use of biography , particularly his Kenyan heritage . A columnist for '' Christian Science Monitor '' acknowledged that many aspects of his speech were typical of political speeches , but that Obama had managed to make it appear as though they were something new and exciting . Speaking of the broadcast networks that had not covered the address , the column said , " They missed the national debut of what could be one of the most exciting and important voices in American politics in the next half century . " Obama 's fellow Illinois Democrats praised him after the speech . Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan reacted by saying , " He is a star ... For Barack , the sky 's the limit , " while Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said , " He hit a grand slam home run . " Senate President Emil Jones responded , " It was such a moving speech that I had tears in my eyes ... It was electrifying . When I looked around the room , all across the people were so emotional , tears in their eyes . They 're crying . A great individual , a great Illinoisan . " Governor Rod Blagojevich stated , " After the speech last night , I would think that even if he had an opponent , he might get 100 percent of the vote . " Former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun said , " Obama represents the best of what we brought from our generation ... he represents a kind of division within the Democratic Party . It 's not the old left . " New York Senator Hillary Clinton , who would later run against Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2008 and go on to serve as his Secretary of State , was quoted saying , " I thought that was one of the most electrifying moments that I can remember at any convention . " Alabama Representative Artur Davis pushed the idea of Obama running for president , stating , " If anyone can do it , Obama can ... Obama may help break down the stereotypes that an African-American politician is someone only for other blacks ... When Obama runs for the White House , he will run not as a candidate for blacks . He has the capacity to run as a candidate for everyone . " In an article entitled " An Immigrant 's Dream and the Audacity of Hope " in the '' American Behavioral Scientist '' , Babak Elahi and Grant Cos compare Obama 's speech to the one given by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 2004 Republican National Convention , both utilizing an " immigrant dream narrative " . They observe that in Obama 's rhetorical shift away from his own biography and back toward that of John Kerry , he was able to make a convincing argument that Senator Kerry , through his own service to the country , was an " honorary immigrant " , and thus that Kerry too had chosen to be an American citizen
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address