Obama speech a hit with Arkansas set

Attendees: Words ‘helpful, inspiring’

PHILADELPHIA -- Arkansas voters handed Barack Obama landslide losses in the state in 2008 and 2012, but the two-term president got high marks from Arkansas delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

In a week when Hillary Clinton claimed her party's nomination, delegates expressed satisfaction with Obama's leadership, and confidence that he's leaving the country better than he found it.

And Wednesday night, when Obama addressed the crowd, they stood on their feet, waving blue Obama placards or holding aloft "Yes We Can" posters.

The Arkansans broke into applause again and again. And when Obama said: "America is already great. America is already strong," they cheered.

Afterward, the speech got high praise.

"For me, you know, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I've never seen him in person, so I'm just so happy," said Clinton delegate Tippi McCullough of Little Rock. "I think he and Hillary leaving the stage like that, that couldn't be a more perfect ending."

Chris Burks, counsel for the state party, called it "a fabulous speech, a historic night."

"If I meet President Obama, I want to thank him for that speech and thank him for inspiring me and millions of Americans," he said.

"It was kind of a classic Obama speech in a lot of ways," said Jay Barth of Little Rock, a Hendrix College professor attending the convention. "I think it was a helpful speech. I thought the whole night was a solid night of speeches."

Earlier, Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Vince Insalaco said the 44th president successfully guided the nation during perilous economic times.

"If you look at where the president started and how we have been growing and fixing issues, it's pretty exceptional just how far the country has come," he said.

Things were a mess when Obama took office, Insalaco said. "They were talking about a global depression. I'm not making those words up, I'm not exaggerating, I'm not politicizing. Now we've been in economic recovery for years," he said.

That assessment was shared by Delta Regional Authority federal co-Chairman Chris Masingill. "[Obama] came in and he turned around the economy, and he continues to fight for working families," he said.

Metro on 07/28/2016






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