Joe’s show on for young and old
NEW YORK: Democrats brought together party elders and their young progressive wing on day two of their national convention, where the personal tragedies of candidate Joe Biden also played a prominent role.
Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton lined up against Donald Trump, doubling down on criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama of the “chaotic” and “divisive” president.
Mr Clinton slammed Mr Trump’s pandemic response, saying: “COVID hit us much harder than it had to.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command centre. Instead, it’s a storm centre. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes – his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there.”
The prominent role given to Mr Clinton drew criticism amid growing evidence of his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Hours before Mr Clinton’s speech was screened, new photos emerged showing him getting a massage from one of Epstein’s young accusers during a trip to Africa.
Far-left firebrand Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez was given a brief, prominent role but in her 60 seconds she didn’t mention Mr Biden by name.
Instead, the New York congresswoman nominated her progressive mentor, Senator Bernie Sanders, who had been Mr Biden’s last challenger for the nomination, as her choice for president, a tradition at conventions where the second placegetter in the primary race is symbolically nominated.
Coronavirus concerns have turned what is normally a four-day extravaganza into four nights of prime-time speeches, many recorded, from across the country.
Mr Trump described it as a “snooze” and it appears American audiences agreed, with 28 per cent fewer viewers for the first night than in 2016.
A short video by the widow of former Republican presidential candidate John McCain illustrated his close friendship with Mr Biden, one of several notable Republican endorsements.
The evening was brought to an emotional ending by Mr Biden’s wife, Jill, who gave a moving speech about how her husband had raised his two boys as a single father after the loss of their mother, Neilia, and sister Naomi, in 1972.
Dr Biden said she was
“heartbroken by the magnitude” of the loss of more than 170,000 American lives to the pandemic, and said Mr Biden was the right person to heal the country.
“How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding – and with small acts of compassion. With bravery. With unwavering faith,” she said.
“There are times when I couldn’t imagine how he did it – how he put one foot in front of the other and kept going. But I’ve always understood why he did it … He does it for you.”