Former U.S. President Mr. Bill Clinton, with his daughter Chelsea feet away, kept his remarks yesterday in Philadelphia, where a record-breaking crowd for a Clinton campaign rally ascended on Independence Hall, to a minimum, acknowledging both the departure of a “great president” to term limits and the reality that today’s election, moreover both candidates, represent a change in America: one who’ll move the country forward, that of course being his wife, and the other, Mr. Donald Trump, who’ll do the opposite.
Mr. Clinton swiftly relinquished the stage to Mrs. Michelle Obama, who said that, perhaps, the last and most important thing she can do as First Lady is make the case for an outstanding mother, bold and brilliant women and a leader who takes the job of president seriously.
We need to do everything we can to get her elected president, said Mrs. Obama, “this election is on us… it’s in our hands.”
Jabs at Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, of course occurred last night – Mrs. Obama said we need a president “that sees our diversity not as a threat but as a blessing” and Congressman Mr. Bob Brady characterized Mr. Trump as a whiner and cry baby, adding that Philadelphia won’t have to steal the election because the City will earn it – from mostly every speaker, but more prominent was the advocacy for Mrs. Hillary Clinton, who’s maintaining a single digit lead over Mr. Trump, whose path to 270 electoral vote isn’t impossible but rather difficult.
You have someone outstanding to vote for in Mrs. Clinton, said President Barack Obama, who took his time at the podium and even bragged a bit about the successes he accomplished over nearly eight years while in the White House: millions of Americans have health insurance; “marriage equality is a reality from coast-to-coast”; poverty is falling; incomes are rising; and Osama Bin Laden is dead.
When Democrats are in charge, America is stronger, Mr. Obama, who painted Mrs. Clinton as not just his hoped for successor but an extension of his legacy, stated.
The president called Mrs. Clinton “smart, steady and tested” and someone who’ll come to the Oval Office more prepared than either he or Mr. Clinton were. Uniquely unqualified, in almost every way possible, is Mr. Trump, said Mr. Obama, who asserted that the real-estate mogul lacks a basic understanding of the world and has an “utter contempt for the values that makes this nation great.”
Mrs. Clinton on Monday night in Philadelphia didn’t rail hard against Mr. Trump – she actually expressed regret for how angry the tone of the campaign became – and her speech was uplifting, unifying and, most noticeable, urgent.
“If you believe that America thrives when the middle class thrives, then you have to vote. If you believe all of our kids should have good schools and good teachers no matter what zip code they live in, then you have to vote. If you believe college should be more affordable, you have to vote. If you believe we must reform our criminal justice system so that everyone has respect for the law and that everyone is respected by the law, you have to vote. If you believe we need to protect our kids and pass common-sense gun safety reforms, you have to vote. If you believe we must raise the minimum wage and finally guarantee equal pay for women, then you need to vote!”
Mrs. Clinton, who Mr. Obama recalled was praised by many Republican leaders prior to her candidacy, said “America’s best days are still ahead of us,” and that she will be a president for all Americans, “not just the people who supported me during the election.”
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
The role of men is changing in the 21st century. Want to keep up? Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
Photos courtesy of the author.