Obama: Clinton is ready
President says never has a person been more qualified for job
PHILADELPHIA — President Barack Obama went before the delegates of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia late Wednesday to recount successes of his two terms in office and to resoundingly call on the country to elect Hillary Clinton as his successor.
“You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office,” he said after noting some of his challenges and accomplishments. “Until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis, or send young people to war.
“But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions. She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran. Even
in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.
“That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America.”
Mrs. Clinton joined the president on the stage after his speech, sparking raucous cheers from the delegates.
Mr. Obama’s remarks endorsing Ms. Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, began somewhat sentimentally.
“A lot has happened over the years,” he told the crowd in the Wells Fargo Center. “And I stand before you tonight to tell you that I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before. How could I not be after all that we have achieved together?”
Mr. Obama also took some swipes at businessman Donald Trump, Mrs. Clinton’s Republican opponent.
“He’s just offering slogans, and he’s offering fear,” the president said. “He’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.
“That is another bet that Donald Trump will lose. Because he’s selling the American people short. We are not a fragile or frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago.”
Mr. Kaine preceded Mr. Obama to the stage with a speech in which he introduced himself to the delegates, as well as to the national stage.
“The brightest future for this country is the future that we build together,” he said before recounting his younger days in the Midwest. He occasionally tapped into the Spanish that he learned during nine months working with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Honduras in 1980.
There had been concern that Mr. Kaine would be challenged during his appearance by progressive activists who were frustrated by Ms. Clinton’s choice of a more centrist running mate. Though there were scattered “Bernie” chants during his speech, the former mayor of Richmond and Virginia governor was mostly treated politely by those in the arena. And when he gave a shoutout to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was watching from box seats with his wife, there were more “Bernie” shouts, which Mr. Kaine endorsed and encouraged.
“Do all the good you can and serve one another,” Mr. Kaine preached, sizing up the philosophy he said he shares with Ms. Clinton, Mr. Sanders and others in the Democratic Party. “Pretty simple.”
Some of Mr. Kaine’s jabs at Mr. Trump seemed almost light-hearted, including his turns at mimicking the Republican nominee. It was Vice President Joe Biden, whom Mr. Kaine hopes to succeed, who stirred the crowd during an earlier speech with an intense and urgent warning that Mr. Trump must not be elected.
“He’s trying to tell you he cares about the middle class,” Mr. Biden said. “Give me a break! That’s a bunch of malarkey! This guy doesn’t have a clue about the middle class. Not a clue!”
The remark sparked a chorus of “Not a clue” chants from the delegates.
Mr. Biden's plain-spoken appeal makes him a party favorite, and after two terms as vice president had considered entering the race himself before declining. And in what might very likely be his last speech on a national stage, he concluded on an optimistic note, one that combined criticism of the Republican nominee with a paean to America.
“We've had candidates before who attempt to get elected by appealing to our fears,” but such approaches fail, he said, because “We do not scare easily.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking during the evening’s early segment, said, “There’s a tug of war for America’s soul,” and that the country should elect Ms. Clinton because she is “trusted, tested and tried.”
“We must choose reconciliation over retribution,” he said. “It’s healing time, it’s hope time, it’s Hillary time.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a veteran of 30 years in the Senate, was saluted with a video tribute as he nears his retirement at the end of the year. He used his minutes on the arena stage to thank “the team” that worked with him, then issued a blistering assessment of his Republican opponents.
“The only thing Mitch McConnell has accomplished is to set the stage for a hateful conman, Donald Trump,” he said. “Republicans, you should have been careful, because Donald Trump learned it from watching you.”
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who waged a short-lived campaign against Ms. Clinton for the Democratic nomination, told the delegates that he had learned that “Hillary Clinton is as tough as they come.” He then pivoted to criticize Mr. Trump and his negative campaigning.
“To hell with Trump’s American nightmare,” he said. “We believe in the American dream.”
Other speakers included California Gov. Jerry Brown, former Congressman and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said it was “imperative that we elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States.”
“The bottom line is, Trump is a risky, reckless and radical choice, and we cannot afford to make that choice,” he said, calling on his fellow Independent voters to support the Democratic nominee. “Together, let’s elect a sane, competent person.”
Democrats were brought to their feet by the appearance of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot by a gunman in 2011.
“In Congress, I learned a powerful lesson: Strong women get things done,” said Ms. Giffords. She lauded Ms. Clinton as the only candidate willing to take on the gun lobby.
“Speaking is difficult for me, but come January, I want to say these two words: 'Madam President.'”
Ms. Giffords, whose gait still reflected the lasting damage done in the shooting, capped a series of speakers who addressed gun violence.
They included Christine Leinonen, the mother of a young man killed last month in the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub. She was followed by Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who last month led a 15-hour filibuster for tougher gun laws.
“There is no reason to feel helpless,” Mr. Murphy said. “We can change this.”
The convention concludes tonight with Ms. Clinton’s acceptance of her historic nomination.