Style + SubstanceĪt the podium, Obama almost always adopts a high, or formal, style. He accesses a vast vocabulary, is comfortable with literary allusions and even happy to throw in the odd bit of Latin. Certainly not casting himself in the role of ‘a knock-about’. Neither does he use his mastery of language as an instrument of superiority. The unique ‘Obama-esque’ style is rather more enigmatic. This is the speech that set Obama on the path to his presidency. In 2004, then Illinois senate candidate, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. At this point, Obama was not particularly well known. This fine example of oratorical mastery helped to propel him forward in the minds of his party, his country and the world. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. It’s that fundamental belief - I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper - that makes this country work.

The audacity of this b