Regular Americans and luminaries from the spheres of politics and entertainment took the stage throughout the evening, aiming to bring harmony to the party, extolling the party’s ideological virtues and its chosen standard-bearer, Hillary Clinton.
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Bill Clinton headlined Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton closed the historic night with an expansive and passionate testimonial, offering a deeply personal – though sanitized – account of their relationship. “She had thick blonde hair, big glasses, wore no makeup, and she exuded this sense of strength and self-possession that I found magnetic”. Most of all he was struck by a “self-possession” he found magnetic. On his third attempt at asking her to marry him, he was successful.
Later, he said, he chose to go with her when she registered for classes. “You gave me that chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the best decisions of my life: asking Al Gore to be my partner”.
One of Hillary Clinton’s closest friends, IL delegate Voda “Betsy” Ebeling, announced with a quavering voice, “This one’s for you, Hill – 98 votes”.
“A real changemaker represents a real threat, so your only option is to create a cartoon, a cartoon alternative”, he went on. But his most memorable recent speeches at the DNC have been for President Barack Obama.
The Democratic Party has made history by nominating Hillary Clinton to run for USA president as the first woman to head a major party’s presidential ticket.
And, of course, he was aware how much has changed in the Democratic Party that nominated him 24 years ago. Declaring that Clinton was “about to shatter the glass ceiling again”, his prime-time burying of the hatchet could have been a symbol for supporters of Vermont U.S. Sen.
The party he faces now chants “No TPP!”, showing its vehement opposition to the latest multinational trade proposal.
“They’re running against a cartoon”.
He was repeatedly extolled as a leader “whose fight for inclusion, justice and fairness has invigorated our party” (Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe) and a man “who electrified Nebraska and the United States” (state party chairman Vince Powers). And it has come out fully for marriage equality and broad rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
The Democratic convention has been filled with disruptions and bitter struggles between supporters of Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
“You could drop her into any trouble spot”. Casting her experience as an attribute, he added, “She’s been worth every single year she’s put into making people’s lives better”.
Clinton’s moment was preceded by a roll call vote, a respectful gesture by the DNC for the millions of voters and hundreds of delegates who continued to support Bernie Sanders. We’re going to get a house.
What Bill delivered was a paean to his wife’s grit and grace.
While her aides believe his past transgressions are old news to voters, they have flared up anew at times during the campaign, with Mr Trump often leading the charge. She always wants to move the ball forward.
The first 24 hours amounted to a rocky, raucous start for Democrats. The initial enthusiasm inside the arena and around it was clearly more devoted to the party’s runner up than to its nominee-in-waiting. And a new band of progressive activists with little allegiance to any party showed they were more interested in a visual and vocal demonstration of defiance than any concession towards unity. Some marched to a media tent just outside the Wells Fargo Center and staged a sit-in.
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Bill Clinton and Obama’s relationship had frayed during the Democratic primary in 2008.
