Obama implores Americans to vote for Clinton, while Trump tells Russia to look for her emails
Democrats begin farewell to president as he praises Clinton
PHILADELPHIA — President Barack Obama swept into a boisterous Democratic convention on Wednesday night to try to unify the party behind its newly minted nominee, Hillary Clinton, even as ideologically opposing blocs of delegates clashed anew over national security policy and the leadership transition from Obama to Clinton.
While Democrats eagerly anticipated Obama’s speech as well as the convention debut of their vice-presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, they also grappled with the eight years of wartime policy under the Obama administration.
Convention organizers devoted part of Wednesday to attacking the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, on national security, but delegates also got into a shouting war on the floor over the continuing military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.
As Leon Panetta, the former defence secretary and CIA chief, spoke early in the evening, he was repeatedly interrupted with shouts of “No more war!” from several state delegations that favoured the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders during the presidential race. As the heckling persisted, Clinton’s supporters took up a counter-chant heard more often at the Republican convention to drown out the jeers: “USA, USA!”
Panetta paused frequently and kept his composure, sticking to his criticism of Trump’s comments earlier in the day that all but asked Russia to hack into Clinton’s email.
“It is inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be that irresponsible,” Panetta said.
Vice-president Joe Biden, a party leader beloved by many rank-andfile Democrats, also pilloried Trump while heaping praise on Obama. Biden, taking the convention stage to the theme music from “Rocky,” basked in a long ovation from the delegates, some of whom had hoped that he would run against Clinton for the nomination this year.
“I love you,” Biden said to his admirers. He heavily praised Obama as “the embodiment of honour, resolve, and character,” and electrified the hall when he called him “one of the finest presidents we’ve ever had.” He also talked about his son Beau, whose death last year led a grieving Biden to decide not to run for president.
But most of his speech was dedicated to a blistering verbal assault on Trump.
“No major party nominee in the history of this nation has known less or been less prepared,” Biden said. He delighted the audience by saying the Republican “does not have a clue about the middle class.”
“Actually,” Biden ad-libbed, “he has no clue, period.” The crowd responded with a “Not a clue!” chant.
Biden, however, won his most rapturous applause with a fierce argument about the promise of the country’s future.
“We are Americans, second to none, and we own the finish line,” he shouted over the din at the conclusion of his remarks. “Don’t forget it.”
Biden only briefly spoke up for Clinton, a reminder that this was a bittersweet evening for him. The convention, taking place between his native Scranton, Pennsylvania, and his adopted Delaware, might have crowned him as the Democratic standard-bearer if he had followed through on his initial exploration of a presidential bid last year.
But by forgoing a third run for the White House — most likely his last shot at the presidency — Biden was reduced to a secondary billing here before the much-watched 10 p.m. Eastern time hour.
As much as Biden and other speakers sought to rally Democrats against Trump, protesters continued to mass and march outside the convention hall to denounce everything from Clinton’s nomination to the superdelegate process in the Democratic primary rules that ultimately favoured Clinton. The police arrested several protesters on Wednesday night in the latest in a series of demonstrations unfolding around Philadelphia this week.
Before Obama even entered the convention hall here, the audience was clearly as devoted to him as they were excited for Clinton. The first lady, Michelle Obama, was received with adoration and her speech on Monday was the most talked-about moment of the first days of the convention. And even a quick flash of Obama’s face, amid a procession of past presidents on the convention screen Tuesday, brought a burst of applause.
The president is also the strongest adhesive holding Democrats together after five months of bitterly fought primary and caucus contests between Clinton and Sanders of Vermont.
According to a New York TimesCBS poll from earlier this month, 82 per cent of Sanders supporters approved of Obama’s job performance,
Clinton also drew an endorsement from former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. After two nights of convention speeches focused on Clinton’s virtues Democrats used much of Wednesday to advocate gun control sending relatives of those murdered in Newton, Connecticut, and Charleston, South Carolina to recount their stories.
But virtually all of the political anticipation Wednesday surrounded Obama and the symbolic passing of the baton to Clinton.
Delegates spent much of the day recalling the extraordinary relationship of Obama and Clinton over the last 12 years, one defined by hope and heartache at times.
And they prepared themselves to start saying goodbye to Obama.