U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, emerging as one of Barack Obama’s liaisons to the West, boosted his national profile in his nomination speech for the presidential hopeful Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.
Clad in his trademark cowboy hat, Salazar — who grew up on a farm with no electricity — said he and Obama were raised to believe the same thing: “That no matter who you are or where you’re from, anything is possible in America.”
Salazar said his fellow senator, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, could rescue rural America.
“The rural America I know has become a forgotten America,” he said. “With the failed policies of George Bush, the American dream has been slipping away. The White House has turned its back on you.”
Salazar said Obama would be a president “who has lived the American dream, who is on our side.”
It’s time, he said, for a president who will “cut our dependence on foreign oil,” make health care available to everyone and “make sure that no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, if you work hard, you, too, can live the American dream.”
The Colorado senator seconded Obama’s nomination for president after an initial motion by Michael Wilson, an Air Force medic who served in Iraq. Chants of “Obama!” erupted from the crowd, including the thousands of delegates.
Salazar said his parents and Obama’s parents instilled the same beliefs in their children. Obama’s grandfather defended the American dream as a soldier and Obama’s father followed the dream to America, Salazar said.
“For Barack Obama, that dream runs deep in his soul,” he said.
Jennifer Brown: 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com
