Change. It has been a central theme in Barack Obama’s speeches throughout his political rise and his appearances in Chicago over the years — including his final speech delivered as president on Jan. 10, 2017. But how much has his speaking style changed in the last decade?
Rising from a state senator to a U.S. senator to President, Obama kept his speaking style consistent, said Robert Terrill, professor of rhetoric in the Department of English, at Indiana University. “I think that even if you went all the way back to his 2004 keynote at the DNC, you’d find many of the same characteristics that mark his speeches now: a tendency to use his own life story as an exemplar; a fondness for placing events in historical context; a tendency to tell stories about specific individuals, often quoting them directly; an ability to pair optimistic idealism with clear-eyed pragmatism without making it seem forced; and, perhaps above all, a penchant for grammatically balanced phrases that invite his listeners to view things from multiple perspectives,” Terrill wrote in an email to the Tribune.
“I would suggest that one thing that distinguishes Obama’s oratorical style among many of his contemporaries is his unusual sensitivity to context and audience,” Terrill said, “He adjusts his style to suit his goals and the circumstances.” The flexibility to appeal to a variety of audiences has been a strength for Obama — who has addressed topics including the economy, mass shootings, health care and even his own religious beliefs in Chicago appearances.
Here are memorable quotes from Obama delivered in Chicago.
‘What I do oppose is a dumb war.’
Delivered: Oct. 2, 2002, Federal Plaza
From a Jan. 18, 2009, story by Patrick T. Reardon
On Oct. 2, 2002, the state senator from the South Side was one of several speakers at a rally against the Iraq War at Federal Plaza in the Loop.
“I stand before you,” Obama began, “as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances,” and he cited the Civil War as a legitimate conflict. Three times he would repeat the phrase, “I don’t oppose all wars,” providing examples each time.
‘Young people don’t shoot each other when they’re succeeding in school.’
Delivered: Sept. 29, 2004, WTTW-TV Studios
From a Sept. 30, 2004, story
A panel of high schools students grilled U.S. Senate candidates Alan Keyes and Obama on gun control, drug use and gay marriage, asking them why they hold the positions they hold and whether they applied them to their own lives.
Asked about the pressures teenagers face involving drugs and alcohol, Obama, who has admitted to using drugs in his youth, said students who abuse drugs or alcohol often “don’t know who they are or what they care about.” He said he stopped after teachers he respected asked him what his goals were in life and what he was doing to improve his community.
“Then when you start embracing that, all of those other distractions start fading away … because suddenly I was consumed and much more interested in how could I have an impact,” he said.
‘I have three words for them. What are those words? Yes, we can!’
Delivered: Nov. 3, 2004, Hyatt Regency Chicago
From a Nov. 3, 2004, story by John Chase and David Mendell
Winning nearly every major demographic and geographic division of the state, Obama captured a landslide U.S. Senate victory with voters who had been caught up in his story.
‘There are no good options left in this war.’
Delivered: Nov. 20, 2006, Chicago Council on Global Affairs Conference Center
From a Nov. 21, 2006, story by Christi Parsons and David Mendell
Then Democratic Sen. Barack Obama called for a “gradual and substantial” reduction of U.S. forces from Iraq that would begin in four to six months.
Speaking to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Obama envisioned a flexible timetable for withdrawal linked to conditions on the ground in Iraq and based on the advice of U.S. commanders. He also called for intensified efforts to train Iraqi security forces, U.S. aid packages tied to Iraqi progress in reducing sectarian violence and new diplomacy with Syria and Iran.
‘The American people weren’t just failed by a president. They were failed by much of Washington.’
Delivered: Oct. 2, 2007, DePaul University
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From a Oct. 3, 2007, story by John McCormick
Obama used the fifth anniversary of his 2002 antiwar speech to try to maximize the notion he demonstrated sound judgment by opposing an impending war that was then generally popular and backed by two of his leading Democratic rivals.
In a speech delivered in Chicago and twice again later in Iowa, Obama tried to draw a clearer distinction between himself and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who both voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
‘But there is one thing on this February night that we do not need the final results to know — our time has come, our movement is real, and change is coming to America.’
Delivered: Feb. 5, 2008, Hyatt Regency Chicago
From a Feb. 6, 2008, story by Christi Parsons, John McCormick and Mike Dorning
Continuing to split voters along lines of race, class and gender, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Obama swapped states, delegates and bragging rights as Super Tuesday produced a muddle instead of a presumptive nominee.
The hometown advantage was in full effect, with Obama overwhelmingly winning Illinois and Clinton taking both New York and New Jersey and Arkansas.
‘What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child. Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.’
Delivered: June 15, 2008, Apostolic Church of God
From a June 16, 2008, story by Jeff Long and Christi Parsons
The story of fatherhood — never a simple one for Obama, abandoned by his father when he was a young boy — was especially poignant in his Father’s Day speech at a Chicago church.
It came in the aftermath of a painful separation from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., a father figure who, as Obama’s longtime pastor, played a crucial role in his spiritual maturation.
‘It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.’
Delivered: Nov. 4, 2008, Grant Park
From a Nov. 5, 2008, story by Mike Dorning and Jim Tankersley
The Illinois senator won a larger share of the popular vote than any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He redrew the electoral map, sweeping nearly all the traditional battleground states — including Ohio and Florida — and winning some longtime Republican strongholds, such as Virginia. A crowd of 125,000 gathered at the downtown park, and thousands more spilled out onto nearby streets.
‘The cost of our health care is a threat to our economy.’
Delivered: Jun 15, 2009, Hyatt Regency Chicago
From a June 16, 2009, story by Bruce Japsen, John McCormick and Noam N. Levey
Obama presented his most detailed pitch for a $1 trillion overhaul of the nation’s burdened health care system, calling it a “ticking time bomb” that threatens America’s prosperity.
The nearly hourlong speech in Chicago to the country’s largest doctors group was a balancing act: Obama sought to preserve an emerging consensus that the time might be right to overhaul the business and practice of medicine, while fending off critics who see his plan as leading to a government takeover of health care.
‘I refuse to walk away from this industry and American jobs. I put my faith in the American worker.’
Delivered: Aug. 5, 2010, Ford Motor Co. Assembly Plant
From a Aug. 5, 2010, story by Rick Pearson and John Byrne
Obama told autoworkers at a Southeast Side Ford plant that his bailout push helped save an “industry on the brink.” He later attended a series of fundraisers.
‘Ordinary folks can do extraordinary things. That’s what this campaign is about.’
Delivered: April 14, 2011, Navy Pier
From a April 15, 2011, story by Christi Parsons and Rick Pearson
There was no shortage of hoopla as Obama returned home for the first time since formally announcing his re-election bid, using past and present stars of his playoff-bound favorite Chicago Bulls to cap an evening of fundraising that could net about $2 million.
Speaking in Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom before an estimated 2,300 people who paid $100 to $250 to attend, Obama challenged the crowd to come together for him as they did four years ago.
‘There is no doubt that there have been tensions between (International Security Assistance Force) and Pakistan, the United States and Pakistan over the last several months.’
Delivered: May 21, 2012, McCormick Place
From a May 21, 2012, story by David S. Cloud and Kathleen Hennessey
In remarks to more than 50 world leaders, Obama made clear his frustration over what the administration views as Pakistani intransigence by publicly thanking Russia and other Central Asian countries for providing “critical transit” of war supplies into Afghanistan. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sat a few feet away, but Obama pointedly did not mention Pakistan.
‘Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. That won’t change after tonight. And it shouldn’t.’
Delivered: Nov. 7, 2012, McCormick Place
From a Nov. 11, 2012, story by David Lauter
The 2012 election marked the point at which a new American electoral coalition solidified its hold on politics, one built on a growing nonwhite population and on cultural changes that have given younger voters of all races a far different outlook on political issues than their elders.
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The impact could be seen not just in Obama’s re-election and Democratic successes in the Senate, but in statewide referendums in which advocates of same-sex marriage unexpectedly won four out of four.
‘But last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So that’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months.’
Delivered: Feb. 15, 2013, Hyde Park Academy
From a Feb. 15, 2013, story by John Byrne and Dahleen Glanton
The president’s visit brought a national and international spotlight on Chicago’s gun violence. Mayor Rahm Emanuel sought to make the case that Chicago’s struggles aren’t particular to this city.
“Like every major city in the country, Chicago faces two critical challenges: the strength of our schools and the safety of our streets. Our streets will only be as safe as our schools are strong and our families are sound,” Emanuel said.
‘I care about what happens here.’
Delivered: Oct. 19, 2014, Chicago State University
From a Oct. 19, 2014, story by Monique Garcia
Obama sought to tap into his hometown popularity to energize the Democratic base in a non-presidential election year that typically sees lower voter turnout. It marked the second time returned to Chicago on behalf of then Gov. Pat Quinn, with the rally following a high-dollar fundraiser.
“We’re in the fight of our lives for the soul of our democracy,” Quinn told a crowd estimated at 6,200. “We are the government of the many, and we are taking on those who think government is of the money. They may have more money, but we have President Obama.”
‘If any part of the American community doesn’t feel welcomed or treated fairly, that’s something that puts all of us at risk.’
Delivered: Nov. 25, 2014, Copernicus Community Center
From a Nov. 25, 2014, story by Rick Pearson and Bob Secter
Saying the American experience was formed by “stitching together folks from different backgrounds,” Obama used a Polish cultural center in Chicago as a backdrop to draw a line between immigration reform and unease over a Missouri police shooting.
‘Just to give you a sense of perspective, since 9/11, fewer than 100 Americans have been murdered by terrorists on American soil — 400,000 have been killed by gun violence. That’s like losing the entire population of Cleveland or Minneapolis over the past 14 years.’
Delivered: Oct. 27, 2015, McCormick Place
From a Oct. 27, 2015, story by Rick Pearson
Returning to Chicago to speak to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Obama readily acknowledged gun violence remains an acute problem that has plagued the city’s reputation for years.
The president issued a renewed call for federal action to increase and tighten background checks of gun buyers and increase coordination of background information among all agencies — steps aimed at curbing inconsistencies in a patchwork of state gun laws.
‘Merrick Garland is an extraordinary jurist who is indisputably qualified to serve on the highest court of the land and nobody really argues otherwise.’
Delivered: April 7, 2016, University of Chicago Law School
From a April 7, 2016, story by Kim Geiger and Rick Pearson
Speaking for nearly 90 minutes in a town hall setting that featured questions from students at the University of Chicago Law School, Obama also touched on a broad array of topics that included his defense of drone technology in warfare, opposition to limiting voting rights and view that the divergence within the Democratic Party between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is not comparable to divisions within the GOP.
‘I do have one final ask of you as your President — the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. I’m asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours.’
Delivered: Jan. 10, 2017, McCormick Place
From a Jan. 11, 2017, story by Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart
Before a crowd of 18,000 people gathered at McCormick Place in his adopted hometown of Chicago, Obama pledged that his social and civic activism will continue — as a citizen.
The address presented a dichotomy of Obama’s traditional attempts to inspire optimism while also warning his belief that democracy was showing signs of gradual erosion. He cited perceived dangers that include rising income inequality, growing racial tensions, fear of terrorism and a fracturing of media that allows people to exist in their own political preference “bubbles” to hear what they want to hear regardless of fact or science.
If anything, the speech demonstrated that while Obama is leaving the White House, the 55-year-old president is not headed to quiet retirement amid one-party Republican control of the nation, a controversial successor in the White House and a Democratic Party that finds itself in disarray and without focused leadership.
‘America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story.’
Delivered: Aug. 20, 2024, United Center
From an Aug. 20, 2024, story by A.D. Quig:
Harkening back to their recurring themes of hope and unity, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama closed the second night of the Democratic National Convention with back-to-back speeches: one to rally the troops and the other to urge a return to civility.
“America, hope is making a comeback!” Michelle Obama declared at the top of her address, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Barack Obama used the first moments of his closing speech to thank his former vice president, Joe Biden, who he described as a “brother” and “friend” who navigated the pandemic and led “the world’s strongest recovery,” and “defended democracy at a moment of great danger.”
Sources: C-SPAN, The White House, Tribune reporting and archives
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