President Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night where he gave a resounding endorsement of nominee Hillary Clinton. The night that also served as an introduction to Clinton’s running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, whom Obama called “as good a man, as humble and as committed a public servant as anyone I know.”
When Obama took the stage, the crowd erupted in chants of “Yes We Can!” Obama smiled wide and said “I love you back!” He went on to deliver a classic Obama speech, full of hope, optimism, and inspiration. “I stand before you again tonight, after almost two terms as President, to tell you I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before,” the President said. “How could I not be? After all we achieved together?”
“It’s fair to say this is not your typical election,” Obama said to laughter. “What we heard in Cleveland wasn’t particularly Republican, and it certainly wasn’t conservative … Just the fanning of anger, and resentment, and hate.” The President compared the bleak outlook offered by Republicans at the RNC to the America he’s come to know during his travels around the country. “The America I know is decent and generous,” he said. “What I’ve seen, more than anything, is what is right with America.”
Obama moved to endorse Clinton. He reflected on their fiercely competitive 2008 primary. “Hillary was tough,” he said. “I was worn out. She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rodgers, it was ‘backwards in heels.'” He then offered her the Secretary of State job, which he stressed gave her the ability to manage crisis. And he spoke of how she defies the odds, “And that’s why I can say with confidence, there has never been a man or a woman — not me, not Bill, not anybody — more qualified to serve as President of the United States of America.” The president and former president locked eyes across Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. “I hope you don’t mind, Bill, but I was just telling the truth, man.”