She addressed the convention following her daughter, Chelsea who shared stories of what she learned from her mother.
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Mrs Clinton also offered an olive branch to those who backed her rival Bernie Sanders, telling them their voice had been heard, even as isolated voices of dissent echoed around the Philadelphia sports arena. “I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman – not me, not Bill, nobody – more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America”, he added.
The stakes are high: A loss to Trump would not only end Clinton’s political career, it could be a devastating coda to her and her husband’s political legacy and leave the Democratic Party weaker than it has been in a generation. “This is really your night”, Clinton said via satellite to a crowd of cheering supporters Tuesday night, once delegates elected the former secretary of state. “He’s not even a real Democrat if you ask most Democrats in the country what are the real values they stand for”, said San Francisco delegate Ben Becker. But unlike Obama, she will need to provide specific reasons why Sanders backers should get behind her campaign.
Clinton hit on key issues important to Sanders supporters – a progressive platform for change that includes working to make “college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for all”. Initially, she wasn’t supposed to speak on her own, reportedly amid worries she might upstage the ticket that year of John Edwards and John Kerry.
She also attacked Trump’s statement about him knowing more about ISIS than national security officials saying “No Donald, you don’t”. He had to provide a rationale for the millions of voters who remain unconvinced that she should be his successor.
At the Republican convention last week that nominated Trump, “there were no serious solutions to pressing problems – just the fanning of resentment, and blame, and anger and hate”, he said.
The penultimate day of the Democratic National Convention was packed with the speeches from major American political figures-from former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to Vice President Joe Biden and Vice Presidential nominee Tim Kaine. Chelsea Clinton, who has been in the public eye since her childhood in the White House, took a low profile after her father left office in 2001.
“He’s not really a plans guy”, Obama said of Trump.
And he didn’t pass on the opportunity to explain why Donald Trump must lose it.
Clinton’s biggest lead – 24 points – comes from younger people with a college education. “This is a historic moment tonight… and she is going to give an incredible speech”.
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Data compiled by ratings agency Nielsen show the Democratic event in Philadelphia outperforming the Republican convention in Cleveland all three nights so far.
