CHARLOTTE- President Barack Obama's acceptance speech the final day of the Democratic National Convention addressed the question the Republican Party posed to the American public in Tampa, Fla.: are you better off now than you were four years ago?
Obama ascended the stage to the mingling of chants, applause and a call for "four more years." He immediately intertwined the convention's theme of "forward" into his speech, using the single word to encapsulate a message of hope, similar to that he delivered in 2004, and four years later in 2008.
"The first time I address this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope," he said. "That dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward."
The theme challenged the narrative the Republican's presented of the blue party, and instead suggested the nation is advancing, although it has not yet reached its ultimate goal.
"I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy," Obama said.
The Democratic presidential nominee referenced the growth in the auto industry as evidence of an improved economy, championing a message of optimism in the midst of an economic recession. Obama equated a revived auto industry in Wisconsin and Michigan to a symbol of growing jobs in the nation.
"We're offering a better path, a future where you keep investing, where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy, where we build a supply of natural resources that is right beneath our feet," Obama said to an applauding audience.
The President expressed his intention to increase the number of jobs available within the country, as opposed to overseas, as the avenue to improving the country's financial situation.
"We can help take factories and small businesses double their exports and create millions of jobs in the next four years," he said. "You can make that happen. You can choose that future."
He presented the national election as the opportunity to cast a ballot in support of a dreamed future, offering the delegates a sense of empowerment.
"(America's story is) the promise that hard work will pay off, that responsibility will be rewarded and that everyone plays by the same rules, from main street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C.," Obama said.
The President discussed the achievements of specific citizens in the United States who were persistent in their work and personal endeavors. He praised a woman who earned national recognition from her research while living in a homeless shelter and celebrated a lottery winner's decision to return to work as an auto worker.
"I'm hopeful because of you," he said, again giving the delegates a feeling of power and acceptance.
While he proposed an even playing field within the United States, he affirmed the future will bring the country to new heights in the international community. He advocated for a more independent nation, less reliant on other countries for manufactured goods and natural gas.
"In a world of new threats and new challenges, you can chose leadership that has been tested and proven," he said in reference to America's decreased dependency on foreign oil, the end of the war in Iraq and the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Each mention of the death of Bin Laden produced applause from those in attendance, eager to see another four years similar to the last.
"We don't turn back," Obama said before the crowd drowned out the remaining words of his speech. Red, white and blue confetti fell from the ceiling as people lingered in the Arena.