Obama Acceptance Speech Word Cloud

I love the way Wordle visually depicts the essence of a long written work — like like last night’s acceptance speech — into a word cloud. (I’ll do the same for McCain next week, too).

click for a larger version:

Obama_accept_speech

via Wordle

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What's been said:

Discussions found on the web:
  1. dblwyo commented on Aug 29

    Barry – thanks for that. Interesting. Just finished listening to CSPAN’s YouTube posting of the entire speech. My own stance is studiedly neutral observer and analyst who tries to match my own assessments of issues and challenges to candidates positions and statements. For proof and approach – the same I try to bring to the analysis of markets and the economy – you can check out:
    http://tinyurl.com/6mtmbk or http://tinyurl.com/6efzts
    Now that’s preamble – Barry touched all the bases, his policy recommendations were exactly the ones I think are required, he was direct, emotional and authentic and he spoke pointedly to values. While not my candidate per se this is the best major political speech I’ve heard in decades. Speaking analytically and professionally. Not to start a war here – agree or disagree – take his checklist and run down it and come to your own conclusions instead. This was as constructive an effort as we’ve heard since at least 1980…and perhaps 1960 IMHO.

  2. Adam commented on Aug 29

    well i don’t mean to stir up anything, but this is a quasi-politic post? so it has broke that Palin as GOP VP nom. i just can’t help but think of one word: “risk”. :(

  3. mickslam commented on Aug 29

    It was a stunning speech.

    The election is over if Obama follows through even slightly on the election path he laid out last night.

    He addressed the most important issue of all – does he have the temperment to be president? – with cold-blooded efficiency. After last night, nobody can doubt that he could push the button or send troops to battle to win.

  4. Brian commented on Aug 29

    Look at how small and marginal the words “taxes” and “invest” are. Also note that the word “incentive” appears to be missing.

  5. Renting in Mass commented on Aug 29

    I’m looking forward to comparing this with McCain’s speech. Any guesses for what the biggest words will be? I’m going with taxes, troops, and drilling.

  6. Adam commented on Aug 29

    For McCain I expect: taxes, troops, drilling and inexperience (in reference to Obama)

  7. Jeff M. commented on Aug 29

    @Renting in Mass & Adam: You forgot “the surge”, “POW” and “Hanoi Hilton.

  8. AGG commented on Aug 29

    Obama’s speech promises a LOT.
    Can he keep these promises?

    In an interview (the full text is at the Counterpunch web site) the following answer was given when asked about the “failure” of the present economic system in America:
    Michael Hudson: What do you mean “failure”? Your perspective is from the bottom looking up. But the financial model has been a great success from the vantage point of the top of the economic pyramid looking down? The economy has polarized to the point where the wealthiest 10% now own 85% of the nation’s wealth. Never before have the bottom 90% been so highly indebted, so dependent on the wealthy. From their point of view, their power has exceeded that of any time in which economic statistics have been kept.

    You have to realize that what they’re trying to do is to roll back the Enlightenment, roll back the moral philosophy and social values of classical political economy and its culmination in Progressive Era legislation, as well as the New Deal institutions. They’re not trying to make the economy more equal, and they’re not trying to share power. Their greed is (as Aristotle noted) infinite. So what you find to be a violation of traditional values is a re-assertion of pre-industrial, feudal values. The economy is being set back on the road to debt peonage. The Road to Serfdom is not government sponsorship of economic progress and rising living standards; it’s the dismantling of government, the dissolution of regulatory agencies, to create a new feudal-type elite.

    The former Soviet Union provides a model of what the neoliberals would like to create. Not only in Russia but also in the Baltic States and other former Soviet republics, they created local kleptocracies, Pinochet-style. In Russia, the kleptocrats founded an explicitly Pinochetista party, the Party of Right Forces (“Right” as in right-wing).

  9. VegasBob commented on Aug 29

    I’m a Republican and I agree that Obama’s speech last night was the best political speech I’ve heard in the last 50 years. Even conservative commentator Pat Buchanan called it “magnificent.” Methinks McCain could find himself in deep deep trouble, and I don’t think Sarah Palin will help very much…

  10. Al commented on Aug 29

    I thought Barack’s speech was the best I have ever heard. The thing I like most about him is that he is a leader, not a product of political packagers.

    After hearing of the Governor Patin my first thought was this is a nominee of a committee. I think they were looking for someone with no negatives. Never mind that she brings nothing to the party. With VP prospect like Lieberman and Romney I can’t imagine why neither of them were picked other than the fact that each has some negatives.

    At any rate I made a website containing the full text and video of Baracks acceptance speech in case anyone has seen it yet or wants to memorize the speech.

    http://www.obamasacceptancespeech.com .

    Count me in as an Obamacan.

  11. ObamaLoveSux commented on Aug 30

    Obama leader???

    He is a pre-packaged media delivered good looking guy in an expensive suit.

    If it wasn’t for the Jake/Jerri Ryan sex scandal he wouldn’t have made it to the Senate. Start reading history before you come here with this nonsense.

    He is as much of a leader as I am pope material.

  12. Vk commented on Aug 30

    I don’t see “hope” in there :(

    Now we really are in a recession.. Obama has given up hope

  13. Peony commented on Aug 30

    A very different reading….

    Can [the] One keep [the] promise?
    People [know] McCain country
    American [values do] work
    Lives [under] Bush [have been] better
    Democrats [too] young [to] change America
    Washington [and] Iraq need John [McCain] [to] [achieve] higher progress
    John [McCain] [has] years [on] the job
    Together Americans make [progress] [and do] care

  14. crystal commented on Sep 4

    it is so interesting to me that republicans are so quick to say obama has no experience, be careful, the way they tote palin she sounds more experienced than mccain. surge sure ok, oh wait, no need for a surge if we weren’t in that god forsaken war to begin with…hmmm oh no lest we forget that….mccain we all know you were a POW…ok and you can ride that for how long? Palin, be careful, you degrade being a community leader yet many american’s need community leaders to get the help they need, because the world you and mccain live in don’t require help, and lets see, u kill everything that moves, but hmmmm, don’t believe a woman has the right to make a choice about her body…hmmm interesting, can’t trust me with a choice how can you trust me with a child? And for god sake stop calling the obama’s elitist, it’s just code words for racist thoughts….(let’s not get to uppity now and forget our places)

  15. Cragnomad commented on Sep 24

    Obama: “pre-packaged media delivered good looking guy in an expensive suit.”? Are you serious?!

    Using statements like this just discredits your entire opinion. Calling Obama someone who where’s an expensive suit is very risky considering the guy he’s up against who’s wife owns 13 luxury cars and shows up to the republican national convention in a $300,000 outfit. They say Obama is an elitist, and he’s out of touch? He has the lowest income out of every major candidate that has campaigned even in the primaries! McCain’s shoes alone cost more than Obama’s entire outfit put together.

    As for what has been said about politician packaging, it’s true. Palin is without a doubt a gimmick to try and win the votes of Hilary supporters and to solidify the conservative base. But it is also a demonstration of the self-serving decision making that we have to look forward to if McCain gets elected. Someone like Romney would have been a much smarter choice to serve our country, but he wouldn’t have won the election. All McCain cares about is winning and he will do anything to win. He is an old, desperate man.

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