I agree with the many here who were impressed by him. His speech was VERY strong. Even conservative commentators on Fox were wowed. Whether we agree on the issues or not is largely irrelevant. Much of politics is in the presentation and his presentation is impressive. He shouldn't be underestimated.
For what it's worth, here are my impressions: He reminds me of many young liberals who are going through the "no heart" (Churchill) phase of their life. He struck me as a social conservative in many ways. He said that with minor adjustments to welfare policies many people could be helped who really need help, but his overall message was people need to take charge of their own lives and lift themselves up to success.
Most of his speech segments could have been delivered at an RNC convention. Typically, I thought, "Everything you just said is true, but you've come to the wrong (i.e. vote for kerry) conclusion!"
Like many blacks, he has conservative values, but like most blacks he believes the lies of the lefties and fails to identify himself with conservatives.
Specifically, he spoke against people who label themselves as "_________-Americans" (fill in the blank - he gave several examples.) He spoke against the poverty pimps when he echoed Cosby's recent rants about education.
I hope he matures and passes into Churchill's second phase quickly. There is a lot of good in him.
Thanks