Bubba goes for soft sell in love story
PHILADELPHIA — Bill Clinton wants everyone to love his wife as much as he does.
The former President spent 40 minutes pairing rom-com details of their courtship with her political and public service biography to try to show America what he sees — a woman who is “the best darn change maker” he’s ever met.
“She always wants to move the ball forward. That’s just who she is,” Clinton said of his wife, ticking off all the times she’d devoted her time to public service from work on desegregating schools and helping improve education in their early years together to her efforts as secretary of state. “You could drop her into any trouble spot, pick one . . . and somehow, some way, she will have made it better. That’s just who she is.”
And he spent much time on their personal relationship, adding human touches like her repeated refusals of his marriage proposals and how nervous he was at first to talk to her.
“We’ve been walking and talking and having a laugh together ever since,” he said after telling an anecdote about the first time he tried talking her up — by pretending he needed to register for classes to follow her on campus at the Yale Law School and being called out by the registrar.
The humanizing if at times meandering speech was much needed for the Democratic nominee to become the first female President in U.S. history.
Polls show her neck-and-neck with Republican rival Donald Trump, and the second-most unpopular nominee in modern history behind Trump.
The former President slammed those negative perceptions as distortions from Republicans after rattling off her biographical high points.
“How does this square with the things that you heard at the Republican convention? . . . One is real, the other is made up,” he said, arguing Republicans are threatened by Clinton, and the only way they can beat her is by turning her into a caricature.
“Your only option is to create a cartoon, a cartoon alternative. They’re running against a cartoon,” he said.
“Earlier today you nominated the real one,” he said to huge cheers.
“Hillary will make us stronger together. You know it because she’s spent a lifetime doing it. I hope you’ll do it. I hope you’ll elect her.”
The speech concluded the big speeches of the night — but the newly minted nominee followed up with a surprise satellite video that showed a slideshow of U.S. Presidents leading to a graphic of glass shattering and then Clinton.
“Hello, Philadelphia. I am so happy for this great day and night,” she said.
“I can’t believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet,” Clinton continued. “If there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, I might become the first woman President, but one of you is next.”