HISTORY FOR HILLARY
Clinton secures nomination
Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president of the United States by a major political party Tuesday, marking a historic moment in American politics and putting a formal end to her long primary battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“Eight years ago, our party nominated and elected the first person of colour to ever serve in the White House,” congressman John Lewis said, seconding Clinton’s nomination. “Tonight we will shatter that glass ceiling again. We’re the party of tomorrow, and we will build a true democracy in America.”
Clinton’s nomination came on the second day of a contentious national convention in Philadelphia. Amid protests and sweltering heat, the party tried to pivot away from the discord that marked Monday’s program and toward the unprecedented nature of the Clinton campaign.
But moments after her nomination was sealed, a vocal crowd of Sanders supporters walked out in protest. Dozens of them occupied a media tent outside the Wells Fargo Center. Some taped their mouths shut. Several sobbed. Many complained the convention had been rigged.
As the protest carried on, speakers on stage fought to keep the focus on Clinton and her landmark campaign. “The right wing has thrown everything at her — not only the kitchen sink, but the stove, the refrigerator, and the toaster,” said California Sen. Barbara Boxer. “And guess what? She’s still standing.”
Boxer didn’t mention the bruising primary battle that Clinton fought with Sanders. But in many ways it was as long and angry as any other in her career.
The wounds from that fight were visible everywhere in Philadelphia Monday. Sanders loyalists booed Clinton’s name inside the Wells Fargo Center, while outside, his supporters marched in the sun. When Sanders addressed the convention Monday night, he urged his supporters to unite and back Clinton as the party’s nominee. But many seemed unwilling to heed his pleas.
Still, the arena Tuesday initially seemed to lack the flinty edge so evident the night before. Sanders diehards could still be seen in the crowd. One woman held up a banner reading “Election Fraud” during the roll call vote. Another unfurled a full-sized Sanders flag on the floor.
But if there were boos they weren’t audible in the lower bowl. And in a bid for party unity, Sanders himself rose after the roll call vote and asked that the nomination be made unanimous. Despite some loud objections, the vote passed and the party was, officially, united behind Clinton.
But it was at that point that the protest began. It’s hard to say how many delegates were involved. They were set up outside in a circle of reporters that seemed 10 deep.
For more than an hour police blocked the entrance to the media tent, while dozens of others waited in the wings. Eventually, the crowd cleared. But a block remained outside.
Many seemed angry at the idea they should vote for Clinton by default, just to stop Donald Trump. “I saw Hillary Clinton in an interview and they asked her why should we elect you president and her answer was ‘Well, because I am a woman,’ ” said Derel Stroud, a Sanders supporter.
“Well Hillary, it’s not because you are a woman — it should be based on the policies that you put in place and your record.”
The Sanders mutiny involved a small fraction of the delegates in the hall, but it drew outsized attention. The angry protesters pulled focus away from the program inside and reinforced the narrative of a party in disarray.
Inside, a host of speakers sought to portray Clinton as an experienced and compassionate leader, reiterating her record on such issues as health care for first responders after 9/11, and reproductive rights.
“I have known Hillary Clinton for many years. She is one of the most qualified candidates to ever run for president,” Lewis said. “She could have done anything with her life, but she decided long ago she didn’t want to just do well, she wanted good.”
The nomination marked another milestone in a political career unlike any other. Clinton has been a fixture in American politics for more than 25 years.
As first lady, senator, and secretary of state, she has been in the public eye — and often in the heart of controversy — for most of her adult life.
She moves now into a general election campaign against the unpredictable Donald Trump. It makes for a remarkable contrast: a career politician and the first woman candidate against a bombastic outsider who has never been afraid to trade in sexist clichés.
“I’ve seen her in action. I know what kind of leader she will be,” said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said. “Tonight we made history, but the fight has just begun.”