The latest attack on Barack Obama from his main rival, Hillary Clinton, is that he is all talk - and talk doesn’t necessarily produce results. He may be able to deliver a good speech, but speeches don’t put food on the table. Obama has responded to this latest criticism in recent speeches, but at tonight’s Wisconsin State Democratic Founder’s Day Dinner, he reacted more forcefully and with greater passion than he has to date.

“The most important thing we can do right now is to reengage the American people in the process of governance. To get them excited and interested again in what works and what can work in our government, to make politics cool again and important again and relevant again. Don’t tell me words don’t matter,” he said, voice rising.

To hammer it home, Obama then evoked some of the most memorable lines from our nation’s greatest speeches to make the point that words can, in fact, matter and make a difference. “‘I have a dream!’ Just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self evident that all me are created equal.’ Just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words. Just speeches,” he said.

“It’s true that speeches don’t solve all problems, but what is also true is if we cannot inspire the country to believe again, then it doesn’t matter how many policies and plans we have, and that is why I am running for president of the United States of America, and that is why we just won 8 elections straight, because the American people want to believe in change again. Don’t tell me words don’t matter!”

It’s unclear if the candidate thinks his words are on par with those above spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and FDR, but yesterday at a rally in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Obama did agree that his oratory skills are above average.

“It’s true I give a good speech. What can I do? Nothing wrong with that,” he admitted. “But understand the reason why the ability to motivate people and inspire people is important because the problems we face right now are not technical…..The question is who can bring Democrats, Independents, and Republicans into a working majority to bring about change. That’s what I offer that [Senator Clinton] can’t do.”