Emanuel Cleaver, Black Caucus chairman, keeps ‘hope’ alive at DNC

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The first few hours of a party convention can be sleepy, but Emanuel Cleaver, a Democratic representative from Missouri and the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, just woke everybody up.

A United Methodist preacher by trade, Cleaver's passionate speech brought the entire crowd in the Time Warner Cable Arena to their feet and even some to tears.

"Yes, President Obama! Continue to have hope," Cleaver shouted. "Continue to speak of hope to the American people, because it is impossible for hope to overdraw its account in God's bank. The tough days our nation faced may have caused us great pain, but they must not and will not cause us to lose our hope. Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart. Hope inspires me to believe that any day now, we will catch up to the ideals put forth by our nation's founding fathers. Hope is the motivation that empowers the unemployed, enabling them to get out of bed every single morning with unbounded enthusiasm as they look for work."

Cleaver diverted his speech from the prepared remarks, chanting "Hope on! Hope on! Hope on!"