Hillary Clinton’s historic moment finally arrived on Tuesday night, accompanied by an intensely personal speech from her husband Bill, that sought to recast her image as a symbol of the political establishment.
“She’s the best darn change-maker I ever met in my life,” insisted the former president, recalling decades of Hillary Clinton’s work as socially radical. “This woman has never been satisfied with the status quo in anything.”
On a night when she became the first woman to be nominated by a major party to run for the White House, Hillary Clinton fully embraced the historical significance of the occasion.
She joined the party by live satellite link from New York to the accompanying sound of breaking glass, disrupting a black and white montage of the 44 male presidents of the United States who have gone before her.“I can’t believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet,” said Clinton. “If there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, can I just say, I may become the first woman president but one of you is next.”Amid a growing populist challenge from Republican Donald Trump and scenes of revolt from some Bernie Sanders supporters, her husband’s powerfully persuasive speech may go some way to restoring momentum to the campaign.
“Hillary will make us stronger together,” he said. “You know it, because she spent a lifetime doing it. I hope you will do it. I hope you will elect her. Those of us who have more yesterdays than tomorrows tend to think more about our children and grandchildren.”
The speech capped a pivotal day for the party, as it sought to move on from scenes of division, and capitalise on Clinton’s symbolic breakthrough.
She will address the crowd directly on Thursday in a formal acceptance of the nomination but for now, speeches first from Michelle Obama and now from Bill Clinton have done the most to counter a much darker vision of America presented by Republican candidate Donald Trump.“If she wins she’s coming back for you to take you along on the ride for America’s future,” said former president Clinton as he recalled campaigning with coalminers in West Virginia and urged to the party to do more to create more new jobs in the US economy.
It was almost the only overtly political message of his own. In contrast with past speeches, where the former president has risked overshadowing the campaign, this one sounded more like the personal speeches made by the wives of male candidates.
In an azure blue tie that picked out the colours of the arena, and with his hands shaking slightly, Clinton delivered a highly personal account of their courtship and marriage that seemed at times to be an attempt to make America fall in love with the girl he first met in the spring of 1971.
Skipping over the awkward moments in a very public, and at times visibly flawed, marriage, Clinton instead said: “I married my best friend,” recalling two failed proposal attempts and then describing when Clinton’s water broke during her pregnancy with Chelsea – undoubtedly a first in a speech about a US presidential candidate.
“The first time I saw her was in a class on political and civil rights … [she had] big blond hair, big glasses, wore no makeup and exuded a sense that I found magnetic,” said a clearly infatuated and somewhat awed Clinton. “I knew I might be starting something I couldn’t stop.”
After spending nearly an hour describing her political and personal accomplishments he turned only briefly to her opponent. And he issued a direct challenge to the two-dimensional “cartoon” image of his wife which had been painted by her political foes.
“How does this square with what you heard at the Republican convention? One is real, the other is made up,” said Bill. “You just have to decide which is which my fellow Americans … Good for you, because earlier today you nominated the real one.”
Source : www.theguardian.com/
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