Last night, Hillary Clinton closed the deal. Democrats spent the previous three days setting up her moment and she gave the speech she needed to give. Now, she needs to keep her momentum to win in November.
Democrats arrived in Philadelphia in a state chaos. Email leaks inflamed Bernie supporters. Embattled DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was being forced out on the day before the convention was to begin. And Donald Trump appeared to have over taken Clinton in the polls. Today, that feels like ages ago.
There were two conventions. The one before Sarah Silverman and the one after. The one before was dominated by disgruntled Bernie supporters heckling speakers and protesting outside. Once Silverman told the Bernie or Busters they were acting ridiculous, the mood changed. Michelle Obama followed with a speech that set the stage for the rest of the convention and making the case for Clinton’s historic presidency.
Bernie Sanders heartily endorsed Clinton, urging his army to fall in line behind Hillary to defeat Trump and ensure the continuity of their message. For the most part, they obeyed. The Bernie or Busters left seemed silly and petty. To get attention, they had to storm the media tent because the media was no longer covering them.
On Tuesday night, Bill Clinton stepped into the role of aspiring first spouse. He told personal stories about meeting and marrying Hillary Rodham. He reversed the traditional Clinton narrative to reveal that she, not he, was the motivator in the family them led them to activism and public service. Then he stepped into the background as much as a dynamic ex-president can.
On Wednesday, a slew of speakers made the case for continuing Democratic policies and brutally attacking Donald Trump. Joe Biden appealed to working class Americans. Michael Bloomberg eviscerated Donald Trump as a dangerous conman. And Barack Obama gave the final political speech of his career, eloquently and forcefully making the case for his presidency and offering a progressive vision for the future of the country.
By Thursday, the convention already felt complete. Clinton’s job was less about convincing people than personifying the case already made. She did it. She gave specifics about policies. She contrasted herself to Donald Trump. She praised Bernie Sanders and reached out to his voters. And she made herself the point of unity that Democrats need to win in November.
The Democrats won the convention battle. Trump’s convention wasn’t about a party; it was about a person. The Democratic convention was about America. Now, it’s Democrats job to take that message to the rest of the country.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
0 Comments