‘NONE OF US CAN DO IT ALONE’
Clinton targets wide coalition
On the fourth day of a convention defined by division, and months into a dark and often bizarre campaign, Hillary Clinton sought to define herself Thursday as a great uniter and a steady hand in turbulent times.
In a speech packed with policy detail, Clinton laid out a vision for a more progressive America while taking pointed and sometimes mocking aim at her opponent Donald Trump.
Clinton sold the election to a packed crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia — one still sprinkled with internal discontent — as a stark choice between herself and the Republican nominee.
“America is once again at a moment of reckoning,” she said. “Powerful forces are threatening to tear us apart. Bonds of trust and respect are fraying. And just as with our founders, there are no guarantees. It is truly up to us.”
After a lifetime in politics and decades on the national stage, Clinton faced several thorny tasks Thursday.
She had to both redefine herself to skeptical voters and take the fight to the unorthodox Trump.
She did that by pitching a host of progressive policy ideas, on corporate taxes, trade, wage inequality and college tuition.
“If you believe that companies should share profits with their workers, not pad executive bonuses, join us,” she said. “If you believe the minimum wage should be a living wage, and no one working full time should have to raise their children in poverty, join us.”
She also leaned on her experience as secretary of state to push herself as a better, safer bet for a country in turmoil.
“Ask yourself: Does Donald Trump have the temperament to be commander-in-chief?” she asked. “Donald Trump can’t even handle the rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign.”
Clinton’s speech capped a four-day convention heavy on glitz and high-profile names. Keynote speakers included her husband, former president Bill Clinton, Vice-President Joe Biden, and on Wednesday night the president, Barack Obama. Hollywood stars appeared on stage, pop stars performed, and slick videos, directed by the likes of James Cameron and Shonda Rhimes, played in the arena every night.
But the convention wasn’t without controversy. Angry supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders booed and jeered inside the arena most nights. They protested at the security gates and marched in the streets. “I can tell you tonight is a depressing night in American history,” said Vicke Kepling, a Missouri delegate inside the arena Thursday. “The whole win was based on cheating and nobody’s even talking about it. Nobody’s even acknowledging here at the DNC that there was election fraud.”
The protests continued Thursday. Sanders holdouts interrupted Clinton’s speech repeatedly. For a time, delegates marched through the concourse chanting for Green Party Leader Jill Stein. The counter chants of Hillary! Hillary! often distracted the crowd from Clinton’s speech.
Still, the protests felt more like a sideshow and less like the main event Thursday. On Monday, delegates arriving to the arena by train walked a gauntlet of fencedoff protesters, screaming and chanting just metres away. By Thursday, security had pushed the demonstrators back. A small huddle stood Thursday as delegates walked by, dozens of metres away, yelling themselves hoarse but barely audible in the rain.
Clinton’s pitch for unity was aimed as much at centrist Republicans as at the Sanders fringe. She promised to be a president for “Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, for the struggling, the striving and the successful. For those who vote for me and those who don’t. For all Americans.”
It was the high point in a speech that lacked polish and easy charm. Clinton is not a natural speaker and never will be. Still, the crowd responded well. They recognized with their cheers the history of the moment. When Clinton used an old line about the “woman card” they almost exploded with joy.
Still, while some centrists and even some longtime Republicans have turned on Trump, Clinton has yet to take advantage in the polls. Her personal popularity remains poor. Many question her integrity. At the Republican National Convention last week, she was condemned as a traitor and crook.
There a fringe that Clinton will never win. There are some that hate her beyond all logic and fact. Many others have deep misgivings about her honesty and policy record. But in her speech Thursday, Clinton set to appeal to as wide a coalition as she could. “Every generation of Americans has come together to make our country freer, fairer and stronger,” her speech said. “None of us can do it alone.”