Bill Clinton was good Tuesday night, but not in the ways we expected, and unlike 2012, when we knew in the moment, we won’t know whether he truly helped his wife until Election Night.

The Big Dog was soft spoken, patient, almost weary, taking over 40 minutes to get the crowd to erupt in chants of “Hillary”.

The energy in the room was down, and the speech was almost dry.

But it might have done the job.

Instead of knocking Trump, his name was never mentioned. Instead of going through the issues point by point, and engaging the crowd, Clinton told stories about meeting Hillary, asking her out, and asking her to marry him.

At first, it felt like an opportunity wasted. But this is a strange election, and Bill Clinton was playing a different role; not ex-president, or an expert, but as a spouse.

Clinton made his wife real, human, caring, even likable. He reminded delegates how liberal she is at heart and in her history, while emphasizing her work for the public good.

And he unloaded a laundry list of her achievements from the grassroots level up.

Hillary Clinton was a bit of a lefty when she met Bill. Not too unlike the disagreeable Sanders delegates, who when she was nominated, paraded out of the arena and into the press tent to provoke attention.

But the young Hillary stopped protesting and got involved. Now she’s the first female nominee for president on a major party ticket in American political history.

The other female nominee, Jill Stein, snuck into the arena and led some Bernie delegates out to march.

Stein went to Harvard and she’s smart enough to know that her success elects Trump. She doesn’t care, because she’s only in it for Jill Stein.

That’s why protestors always have the luxury of purity, while those in the arena, the real change makers, are willing to compromise up and down the line, for any bit of change.

If you really care, if you’re really involved, you won’t risk it all for nothing.

You won’t run for office just for symbolism.

You won’t upstage your competitor’s historical moment just to get more press.

You just want to get things done.

And Hillary’s long career in the trenches didn’t make for great sound bytes Tuesday night. But it does mean she’s worthy of the presidency and that’s what Bill conveyed.

In the end that means it’s up to President Obama to sell the actual politics of Hillary and to pick apart her opponent, just as Bill did for him four years before.

But what Bill did on Tuesday night may be just as important, making Hillary likable again, by making her real.

He also vouched for her to progressives, not in the hall, but at watching at home.

Politics is the art of the possible, not of everything or bust, and Bill reminded us of Hillary’s talent in the arts.

But he could only do so much. He’s her husband after all.

Now it’s up to Barack Obama (going against the man who demanded his birth certificate) to argue like hell for Hillary’s cause.