One-time Democrat Artur Davis, who was one of the first endorsers of President Obama’s presidential run more than four years ago, completed his almost unprecedented political switch Tuesday night with a sharp speech at the Republican National Convention criticizing his one-time ally.
Related: Artur Davis’ big moment at the RNC
In a 10-minute address in Tampa, Davis repeatedly used sarcasm in invoking the president’s promises from four years ago and contrasting them with what the ex-congressman cast as violations of those pledges. Here’s a closer look at five of Davis’ more memorable remarks.
1. “Maybe we should have known that night in Denver that things that begin with plywood Greek columns and artificial smoke don’t end well.”
2. “Remember the president saying of negative politics and untrue ads, ‘not this time.’ Who knew “not this time” just meant “not unless the economy is still stuck and we can’t run on our record.”
3. Remember, too, when he said, ‘this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.’ Who knew the plain English version of it was “Middle America, get ready to shell out 60 bucks to fill up your car?”
4. “This time, instead of moving oceans and healing planets, let’s get our bills in order and pay down the debt so we can control our own future.”
5. “This is no dark hour, this is the dawn before we remember who we are. May it be said of this time in our history, 2008 to 2011, lesson learned, mistake corrected.”