Fired up and ready to go four years ago, Hawaii delegates to the Democratic National Convention were just as enthusiastic Thursday night after President Barack Obama laid out his vision for the next four years in accepting his party’s nomination for another term in the White House.
"I couldn’t be more excited," Gov. Neil Abercrombie said by telephone from Charlotte, N.C. "What an atmosphere."
He called the Hawaii-born president’s speech the capping moment of a weeklong buildup of momentum that aims to energize the party base and set the tone for the general election season.
"This was full of enthusiasm and optimism and a really fierce determination to let them know that we’re not backing down an inch and we’re going to be fighting for the people of the country and for what we stand for in the Democratic Party," Abercrombie said.
Obama’s roughly 40-minute speech concluded the three-day convention.
The president acknowledged limited progress in fixing the nation’s economic woes, but Hawaii delegates said he struck the right tone in asking for another term to finish the work that has begun to slow the decline and turn things around.
"The president delivered a clear message to the American people tonight," U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said. "He has done a good job, but he understands there is more work to do, and he outlined his vision for the next four years in bold terms."
Hawaii Democratic Party Chairman Dante Carpenter called the night "surreal," noting the diversity of the crowd and its faith in Obama.
"The message this week has been positive and extremely dynamic," he said. "You have such a diverse array of delegates discussing the path forward for our country in an open and convivial fashion."
Hawaii sent 38 delegates to the convention, with Abercrombie announcing the delegation’s votes — all for Obama — on the convention floor Wednesday.
