Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters as she arrives for a rally at McGonigle Hall at Temple University in Philadelphia on Friday.
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In her address, Clinton outlined “how we’re going to empower Americans to live better lives”. “Donald Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan”, said Doug Elmets, a Reagan administration aide, echoing a famous debate quip by vice presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
But Clinton aides are confident that the same reason Republicans are disaffected – Trump atop the ticket – will be the same reason that most liberal Democrats will overlook issues they have with Clinton and not vote for a third party option.
Referring to her nomination as the first woman running for President from a major U.S. party, she said: ‘When all the ceilings are broken through, the sky’s the limit’.
In Colorado Springs, Trump at times seemed to brush off the fierce convention-week Democratic criticism, which went so far as to question his sanity.
This childish outburst continued on Friday in Colorado, when Trump said, “After watching that performance last night, such lies, I don’t have to be so nice anymore”. Sounding more like a pundit than the subject of all the vitriol, he pronounced her speech “so average” and “full of cliches”. But he grew harsher as his event went on.
Clinton didn’t speak in 1992 when her husband was first nominated as a presidential candidate. Despite her decades on the public stage, many know Clinton as much from Republican attacks as her resume, a fact Clinton confronted head-on: “I get it that some people just don’t know what to make of me, so let me tell you”.
After four successful days in Philadelphia, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Democrat in America that isn’t feeling proud and motivated.
“He’s going to bring us jobs, he’s going to close the border, he’s going to stop the terrorists from coming into this country”, said Phil Rutledge, a Trump supporter.
Clinton, looking at moderate Republicans who have seemingly resigned themselves to supporting Trump, opened a new line of attack in her speech by simply noting that Trump can’t – or won’t – change.
Trump is also focusing on OH and Pennsylvania, as states where he might make headway with blue-collar white men. Democrats hammered home those themes this week with an array of politicians, celebrities, gun-violence victims, law enforcement officers and activists of all sexual preferences and races.
Their goal is to turn out the coalition of minority, female and young voters that twice elected Barack Obama while offsetting expected losses among the white men drawn to Trump’s message.
Still, those speeches, capped by Obama’s rousing endorsement late Wednesday night, could have energized the crowd sufficiently for Clinton to be carried through with cheers however she performs. Mr Kaine told CNN he found the Republican gathering “dark and depressing”.
Lacking Obama’s sweeping rhetoric or the “feel-your-pain” sensitivity of her husband, Clinton leaned into her wonky image, saying: “I sweat the details of policy”.
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The campaign has turned to Leslie Dach, a former Wal-Mart executive and aide to former President Bill Clinton, to convince Republicans – particularly those in business – to back Clinton.
