Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama formally accepted the Democratic nominations last night. (Jim Young / Reuters)
Obama & Biden vs. Romney & Ryan
It’s official! The race for the White House kicks into high gear
The Democratic National Convention concluded last night with President Barack Obama accepting his party’s nomination to run for a second term in the White House.
Tens of thousands of delegates, Democratic Party members, journalists, and volunteers packed Time Warner Cable Arena to hear the President’s speech. Some arrived as early as 2 p.m., even though the speech wasn’t scheduled to begin until 10 p.m.
President Obama was introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama, and when he took the stage, the crowd erupted in a deafening roar.
In his speech, the President defended himself against Republican attacks on his handling of the economy—an important issue in this election. He stood by his record as President, saying, “Now, I’ve cut taxes for those who need it—middle-class families, small businesses. I don’t believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China.”
Obama’s sharpest jabs at Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, came when he discussed foreign policy. Democrats have charged that Romney and Ryan don’t have enough experience with foreign policy to be President and Vice President.
A LONG ROAD AHEAD
But Obama did more than attack Romney. He appealed to voters to give him another term in the White House. The President said there’s a lot of difficult work left to do to restore American prosperity.
“America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won’t promise that now,” he said. “. . . Yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together. We don’t turn back. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes.”
As he finished his speech, his wife and two daughters walked onstage to embrace him. Vice President Joe Biden and his family joined the Obamas onstage. Confetti rained over them while the crowd cheered, waving their signs.
“I thought [Obama] did a great job in laying out what he was going to do in the next four years,” a spectator told the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps. “It’s very hopeful and optimistic, but still very realistic, about the challenges we’re facing.”
Steven Walther, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission, had similar thoughts.
“I thought it was very uplifting,” Walther said. “I think he gave everybody a reason to understand some of the difficulties of his first term and to encourage people to go forward.”
Now that the conventions are over, both Obama and Romney have their sights set on the general election. The next major stop on the road to the White House is the debates. Obama and Romney will debate three times in October. Biden and Ryan will debate one time, also in October.
Kid Reporter Andrew Liang has been reporting from Charlotte this week. Follow his coverage on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Blog and the Election 2012 website!
Andrew Liang is a member of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps.
Keep up with all the latest election news on the Election 2012 website.
Get the latest on national and international events, movies, television, music, sports, and more from the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps.
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