NEW YORK TIMES, TWITTER
US President Barack Obama took to the stage Thursday to officially accept the Democratic nomination for a second term in office.
Delivering his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, his promise to America was a far cry from the exuberant speeches along the 2008 campaign trail. "Forward" replaced "Change" on the signs delegates waved for the cameras.
Noting the speech's somewhat more serious tone, The New York Times wrote that Obama: "laid out a long-term blueprint for revival in an era obsessed with short-term expectations."
“You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades,” Obama said.
Obamaplays safe: "the speech of a front-runner who thinks he can win if the current dynamic is maintained" nyr.kr/OrSl6o
— John Cassidy (@TNYJohnCassidy) September 7, 2012
However, there were still plenty of one-liners that sent the audience and the twittersphere into a flurry, as the President set a new Twitter record - at least in politics - by receiving 52,757 tweets per minute (TMP).
Twitter's government page reported that Obama's line "I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the president," was the most popular on the social network.
Other quotes that prompted the most reaction include:
"I will never turn Medicare into a voucher" Obama's direct hit at Paul Ryan and his now infamous voucher plan for elderly health care.
— Cherron(@sweet_amBtion) September 7, 2012
Word. “@barackobama: “No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money.”—President Obama”
— Leslie Anne Sy (@lesliesy) September 7, 2012
"Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did." - @barackobama #dnc2012
— Mashable US & World (@mashusworld) September 7, 2012
In comparison, Mitt Romney last week only managed 14,289 TMP during his speech, with both Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama topping the Republican nominee with 22,000 and 28,000 tweets per minute respectively.
