“Nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office”, the two-term president will say, according to excerpts of his speech released by the White House. Speaker after speaker made it clear that this about more than Sanders; it’s about America’s “rigged” two-party system. A convention that had been consumed by drama of formally defeating Sanders had turned to showcasing the coalition Clinton will need to win – blacks, Hispanics, women and young people. Let’s put a big pic of her husband on the front page!
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She put an electrifying cap on the Democratic convention’s second night, appearing by video from NY and declaring to cheering delegates, “I can’t believe we just put that biggest crack in that ceiling yet”, she said.
Leona Bridges emphasized, however, that she doesn’t think leaving the Democratic party is the answer. But he did not offer much sense of why she did so and to what end.
The Chicago Tribune delivered the most obvious howler, positioning a thankful-looking Bill Clinton beneath the headline “Clinton claims nomination”.
The Vindicator focused on the “boost from Bill” related to his speech. “The negativity coming out of the other convention won’t work”.
“She has been around a long time”, he acknowledged. Liberals are more likely to fume that she poses as a progressive when she needs their support and then turns centrist or corporatist as soon as it’s politically convenient. “Actually doing the work is hard”. Tim Kaine accepted the vice presidential nomination and introduced himself to the country, Democrats paraded to the dais their mightiest leaders, tasked with assuring Americans that the presidency and the nation will be safe in Clinton’s hands.
Clinton’s speech at the DNC was criticized by some for being overly long, while praised by others for the sentimentality with which he spoke about his wife. And that resume painted a picture of a high-achieving woman who doesn’t crave the spotlight. He did talk about her rise, and he listed ambitious projects she has undertaken, but he didn’t describe her as politically ambitious. Her running mate, Sen.
He endorsed 68-year-old Clinton, who had served as the secretary of state under his presidency, for having a first- hand knowledge of the challenges that come with the job and contrasted it with the lack of experience of the Republican nominee – a non-politician. He then talked about her early commitment to children’s issues and what she had accomplished, almost forty years ago, in law-school internships: developing new procedures at a hospital in Connecticut (“She was already determined to figure out how to make things better”), filing a report on juvenile detention in SC (“always making things better”). You can choose to buy it or ignore it.
Martha McKenna, a Clinton delegate from Maryland, said the night felt like a celebration for Sanders’ campaign as well as Clinton’s.
Hillary will make us stronger together.
Many held signs that read, “I’m not with her”, and “Bernie, Never Hillary”. Didn’t their own candidate just endorse her?
That last word sticks out for anyone who has been watching the 2016 election for more than five minutes. It will be Clinton’s fourth time on Fox since announcing her candidacy, and first time on Chris Wallace’s show in almost five years. The investigation into her private email server while secretary of state in particular has damaged her reputation among many voters.
Bill Clinton took a different stab at talking about trustworthiness.
One official said the president stayed up until 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday working on his remarks after watching the first lady’s speech, suggesting some competition between the spouses after her well-received address.
Framing Hillary as that dependable workhorse came with another benefit, according to Jennifer Lawless, professor of government at American University.
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“In an election cycle where people are tired of the establishment, it’s a smart move to make the case that she never sought to join it”, she said. Hillary will fight to make sure discrimination has no place in America. She helped register Mexican-American voters.
