Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made her entrance on the stage of the Democrat National Convention in Chicago to Sara Bareilles’ song, “Brave,” followed by a standing ovation and a ton of applause. Next to AOC’s speech, this was the most energy exhibited at what has been a fairly lackluster Night 1 of the DNC.
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Clinton noted the rise in energy.
Wow. There’s a lot of energy in this room, just like there is across the country! Something, something is happening in America! You can feel it. Something we’ve worked for and dreamed of for a long time.
First, though, let’s salute President Biden. He has been democracy’s champion at home and abroad. He brought dignity, decency, and competence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.
The audience broke out in chants of “Thank you, Joe,” before Clinton continued. In a sop to her Broadway production “Suffs” about the suffragette movement, Clinton waxed eloquent about how her mother was born before women had the right to vote and one woman helping to move the torch forward in Tennessee, the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment.
Since that day, every generation has carried the torch forward. In 1972, a fearless Black Congresswoman named Shirley Chisolm, she ran for president, and her determination led millions of women. Working parents, for children, the last, the least, and the lost.
In 1984, I brought my daughter to see Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be nominated for vice president.[..]
In 2016, it was the honor of my life to accept my party’s nomination for president. And nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dream.
We kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here!
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It must grate on Clinton that this future was not ushered in by her, but like the good member of the party faithful that she is, Clinton continued her rallying call to Democrats that they must, “keep going.”
I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother were here. They would say, “Keep going!”
Women fighting for reproductive health care are saying, “Keep going!”
So, with faith in each other and joy in our hearts, let’s send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House!
Clinton then went on to promote Harris’ “accomplishments.”
Kamala has the character, experience, and vision to lead us forward. I know her heart and her integrity.
Kamala carries with her the hopes of every child she protected, every person she helped, every community she served.
Since Clinton herself has no heart and no integrity, this glowing endorsement beggars belief. Of course, it would not be the DNC if the sacred sacrament of abortion rights for all was not given proper obeisance.
And yes, she will restore abortion rights nationwide.
Once again, this rendered crazy applause. When Clinton moved on to her digs at former President Donald Trump and mentioned the 34 felony convictions, the crowd began to chant, “Lock Him up!” Once they calmed, Clinton continued to promote and polish Harris’ resume.
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As Vice President, Kamala Harris sat in the situation room and stood for America’s values. I know what it takes, and I tell you, as Commander-in-Chief, Kamala will not disrespect our military and our veterans. She reveres our Medal of Honor recipients. She won’t be sending love letters to dictators.
No, that will no doubt be Vice President Tim Walz’s job, and we know he’ll do it with relish and enthusiasm.
Clinton invoked the founding fathers and then warned Democrats not to pay attention to what polls say.
We can’t let up. We can’t get driven down crazy, conspiracy rabbit holes. We need to fight for Kamala as she fights for us.
America needs every one of us. Our energy, our talent, our dreams. We’re not just electing a president, we’re uplifting our nation. Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling. And tonight, so close to breaking through once and for all.
Once again, it must grind her gears that this was not something she was able to accomplish. Still, Clinton persisted, ending her rambling and disjointed speech with… a vision?!
What do I see? I see freedom. I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper. To worship as we choose or not. To speak our minds freely and honesty.
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Then Clinton prognosticated what was on the other side of the glass ceiling that she and many other women have been trying to break for decades.
On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States. Because, my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it clears, it falls for us all!
Be proud champions for the truth and for the country we all love. I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment. That we were all here.
This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here, the future is in our grasp, let’s go win it!
Ahead of Clinton’s Monday speech, The Washington Post lamented:
In 2016 Hillary Clinton addressed the Democratic National Convention as the barrier-busting standard-bearer — the presidential nominee who many supporters felt was on track to shatter what she has called “that highest, hardest glass ceiling.”
On Monday night, Clinton will return to the convention stage in a different role — the candidate who lost to Donald Trump eight years ago and is now emblematic of a unrealized goal suddenly resurrected with the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s a bittersweet moment for many Democrats, who are eager to “finish the job,” as some of them put it this week.
“It’s about the unfinished business of electing a woman president,” said former Clinton adviser Mini Timmaraju, who leads a national abortion rights group. She said Clinton alums grew emotional at a reception the other night in Chicago and noted that some are playing leading roles in the effort to get Harris elected president.
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Night 1 was full of this fever-dream hope of getting the job done and, of course, enshrining abortion nationally. The uneven energy of the night’s events and the equally uneven speech by Clinton reflected this.