Obama casts Harris as the inheritor of the movement he created

FORMER US president Barack Obama cast Vice-President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night (Aug 20) as the inheritor of the political movement he created, saying her candidacy had rekindled the hope that propelled him to the Oval Office 16 years ago.

In back-to-back speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, former first lady Michelle Obama and her husband, the 44th president, brought thousands of Democrats to their feet time and time again, using the chants of “Yes, we can” to revive the spirit of the 2008 election.

“Now the torch has been passed,” Barack Obama said, evoking the words of John F Kennedy at his 1961 inaugural, months before Obama was born. “Now it’s up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake, it will be a fight.”