Five Takeaways From Wednesday at the Democratic Convention
If you missed the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., we live blogged it here.
But if you want a quick review, we’ve compiled five things that struck us about the night:
It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It: In other hands, the very wonky speech that former President Clinton delivered on Wednesday could have been a snoozer.
The address was policy heavy and serious. Even though he threw in some jokes, Clinton consistently told the Democratic delegates and the television viewers to “listen.”
“You all are having fun,” he said at one point. “But this is serious. I want you to listen.”
He talked about the need for compromise and how Obama is committed to “constructive cooperation.” He talked about Obama’s record — at length and with many numbers. He offered a rebuttal of Republican attacks and a detailed discussion of Republican policies. Finally, he gave Obama an unflinching endorsement, and he received an equally unequivocal endorsement from the crowd.
That said, the speech was delivered with typical Clinton charm. Everything was explained with a folksy disposition that kept the crowd engaged.
Israel Is A Touchy Subject For Democrats: The party platform became a distraction today for Democrats. On orders from the president, delegates voted to amend the platform to include both a reference to God and to declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.