“He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated”.
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Currently, the president’s approval ratings stand near 50 percent, which is higher than Trump or Clinton. Trump has no national security experience and few ties to the norms that have governed US foreign policy under presidents from both parties, including standing by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies threatened by countries including Russian Federation. “Donald Trump calls it “a divided crime scene” that only he can fix”, Obama said.
In a highly unorthodox move, Trump appealed to Russian Federation on Wednesday to uncover and release thousands of emails that Clinton did not hand over to U.S. officials as part of a probe into the use of her private email system while she was the country’s top diplomat from 2009-2013.
Kaine looked to build up his nice-guy image, but also take on the traditional vice presidential candidate role of attack dog.
He appealed directly to the working class white voters who have been drawn to Trump’s populism, warning them against falling for false promises and exploitation of Americans’ anxieties. “Because he’s selling the American people short”, Obama said.
Hillary Clinton surprised the crowd and appeared via satellite as the last speaker of the night. In a video address to close out the evening, she said “This is really your victory”.
The Clinton campaign spent some of Wednesday pouring water on damaging comments made by Virginia Governor and friend of the Clintons, Terry McAuliffe, the night before.
Obama and Clinton were rivals in the hard-fought campaign for the 2008 Democratic nomination.
Even though many may change their minds before the November 8 election, Sabato expects only around 80 per cent of Sanders followers will get behind Clinton.
Still, the core of Clinton’s strategy is putting back together Obama’s winning White House coalition. Women lawmakers were prominently featured, along with young activists, immigrants, and mothers whose black children were victims of gun violence or killed during encounters with law enforcement.
Also on the docket to take the stage: Joe Biden, who has served as vice president for two terms, and the former Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. “I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me”, Obama told the delegates.
“I’m just thinking out there that there are little girls who were just like me in 1968, that was 40 plus years ago, looking out there and watching and saying, ‘Yeah that is a possibility because I see it, ‘ ” she said.
Capping the somber section of the program focused on gun violence, a group of Broadway singers performed a rousing rendition of “What the World Needs Now Is Love”, as the audience sang and swayed in unison.
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“I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before”, he said, comparing this moment in the nation’s history to 2004, when he gave his first DNC speech – the one that made him a political star. They’ve shown up in huge numbers, with stages and booming sound systems, Bernie tees, hats, buttons, and posters.
