But away from the Wells Fargo Arena, his supporters have been holding anti-Clinton demonstrations. Let me tell you, it was tough because Hillary was tough.
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At one point, a video was played featuring Republicans such as Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio warning about the GOP nominee, an attempt to shake the confidence of Republican voters and attract independents to Clinton. She didn’t speak, but gave Obama a hug and linked arms with him as the two walked the stage. A political lifetime. It was at the Democratic convention only a dozen years ago that Obama rocketed onto the national political scene with that keynote address for John Kerry. From introducing himself as a symbol of American diversity to becoming a target of bogus birtherism propagated by among others this year’s Republican nominee for president. Obama rejected that portrait.
“Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me”, he said. “We don’t look to be ruled”.
Black voters backed Hillary Clinton in this year’s primary in even wider margins than they supported Obama against Clinton in 2008.
Bill Clinton’s reaction after Obama spoke: “Loved it”.
One of Wednesday night’s best-received speeches came earlier when Biden, the folksy vice president with Rust Belt roots, made a direct appeal to angry working-class voters who have been moving toward Trump.
I have just finished watching President Obama’s speech at the DNC.
It wasn’t immediately known how many people had been detained. But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions.
As a few other speakers did, Obama acknowledged Clinton’s shortcomings as a candidate.
He urged Democrats to come together, to rally behind Clinton, reaching out to party idealists who had aligned themselves with Sen. “That’s what happens when we try”.
She related her own experiences as a Latina who often was not taken seriously to the challenges that Bernie Sanders delegates have faced. That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end. “Folks, you can not believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth”. My girls remind me all the time. His racist comments about Latinos and immigrants are reportedly spurring naturalization drives for Americans who are more determined than ever to gain their citizenship in order to vote against Trump. Sharon Belkofer, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother from OH who talked of losing her son in Afghanistan, and the two warm hugs the president gave her and how he had inspired her to run for local office at age 73. His first speech came at the convention in 2004, when he was a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in IL. A majority of states are controlled by Republicans as Democrats saw hundreds of seats in state legislatures swing to the opposition party under Obama. The contested Senate seats then were in states he’d lost twice. As a leader, he acknowledged that “we’ve got more work to do”, but the outcome of this election will influence the work ethic of the leaders orchestrating that progress.
Trump, appearing at his Miami area golf course, set off a firestorm by effectively encouraging Russian hackers to find Clinton’s State Department emails. These are the surrogates who can fan out across the country on behalf of the Democratic ticket.
“It nearly feels like they’re setting us up … to be scapegoats for if, knock on wood, Trump does become president”, he continued.
Pennsylvania’s biggest city is also extremely politically important to Democrats.
Obama’s role at the convention this week draws a direct line back to the first time he helped the Clintons, in 1992, before they even knew who he was.
Kenney wouldn’t say how many officers will be on the streets during the protests, but said the city’s “exemplary” police force is ready. “We’re going to keep her feet to the fire to do all the things she did an about-face on under pressure from Bernie and said she supported”.
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Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal.
