Reaction from people who were at Time Warner Cable Arena to hear President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday night:
• State Sen. Emanuel Jones , 53, of Decatur, Ga., a delegate to the Democratic National Convention: “The president laid out exactly what he’s going to do in the next four years. What excited me the most was his passion, sincerity and convictions for America and Americans.”
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Christine Harrill, 25, a senior political science major at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas:She said she appreciated that the president said student loan interest would not go up. She currently has $20,000 in student loans and will be the first college graduate in her family. Harrill, a member of the Young Democrats, also was glad to hear the president say the wouldn’t turn Medicare into “vouchercare.” “I want to make sure I have Medicare when I retire in 50 years,” she said.
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Pennsylvania delegate Raye Johnson, 66:“I approved of it 100 percent. I thought he was very detailed with his plan for the future.”
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Gaston County volunteer Kim Fair:“He is just so eloquent. It moved me so much... What he stands for, how he loves his wife…I’m just so inspired by him and Michelle and his family.”
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California delegate Leo Aguilar, 41:“The last portion, when he was talking about hope and what’s at stake... We need to make sure we keep the country on the road that we’re on. …I think he now understands the country. I think he now feels the country....He talks from the heart, from the soul.”
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California delegate Max Kanin, 26:“What he showed was how he draws from others for inspiration. I think that shows he does have humility... That makes him all that more strong a president."
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NC delegate Steve Ivester, 68, from Hickory:He described Obama’s speech and the entire convention as “a moment in history. …I felt like this convention was North Carolina’s gift to the nation.”
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Elizabeth Glynn, 46, of Newton, chair of Catawba County Democrats:She said she’s never been moved to tears by speeches, but that she cried several times during the president’s and Michelle Obama’s speeches. “I don’t know how people could not have caught on fire. I have never been at anything like this before.”
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Coco Kimelman, 18, a freshman at New York University:She said she was excited because this will be her first vote and because the campaign has focused on women’s health issues. She knew some other young people were disappointed at being shut out of the larger stadium event, but that it was understandable. “They did it for our safety. It would have been really bad if we were drenched.”
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Grant Albee, a 17-year-old from Washington, D.C., agreed:“It would have been awesome to see the 60,000 people. I feel bad for the people who couldn’t get in. But this place was rocking tonight.”
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