"Madam, President,” chanted supporters, as Hillary Clinton sealed the Democratic Party nomination for the president of the U.S. on Wednesday night. The 68-year-old former First Lady and former Secretary of State will be the first woman to run for the most powerful office in the world on the ticket of either of the two major parties in the country.
“She is the best change maker I have known in my whole life,” her husband and former President Bill Clinton said, in a speech in which he narrated the story of his arduous efforts to woo Hillary – she rejected his marriage proposal twice – in the early 1970s as she pursued her passion for social change.
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“The third time was the charm,” Mr. Clinton recalled. "You remember that house you like?" I said, "While you were gone, I bought it, and you have to marry me now." We were married in that little house on October 11, 1975. I married my best friend,” Mr. Clinton said.
Charm, he does best, and Mr. Clinton hardly had to strain to electrify the crowd. Still popular 15 years after he left office, Mr. Clinton recalled his days in office as an era of prosperity and hope for all Americans and credited his wife for a lot of it. The former president also praised his wife for her work as the Secretary of State.
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“She flew all night long from Cambodia to the Middle East to get a ceasefire that would avoid a full-out shooting war between Hamas and Gaza, to protect the peace of the region. She backed President Obama's decision to go after Osama Bin Laden.”
'She is the only option'
The camaraderie at the Democratic convention was unmistakable through the nomination process as the array of speakers itself was a show of the Democratic Party’s vision of America. A former black attorney general, a serving white police chief, disability and women activists, black mothers who lost their children to violence – all told the same story in different ways – electing Ms. Clinton was the only option for them.
The group of black kids who were born in crime prone in neighborhoods in New York, but educated through a special effort supported by Ms. Clinton recited William Henley’s poem 'Invictus,' which inspired Nelson Mandela.
“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” “Black Lives matter,” slogans boomed in the arena as Pittsburgh police Chief Cam McLay spoke about the need for better relations between the police and communities.
National security vision
Ms. Clinton’s national security vision was emphasised as much as her idea of an inclusive America, by several survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks who spoke. She was a Senator from New York in 2001 when the terrorists brought down the World Trade Center towers.
The unity stage was set by Bernie Sanders who called for a suspension of the voting process as it was underway and suggested that the convention elect Ms. Clinton unanimously.
He had the final word
When Larry Sanders, a delegate representing overseas Americans, rose in support of his brother Mr. Bernie Sanders, it was a poignant moment. "I want to bring before this convention the names of our parents Eli Sanders and Dorothy Sanders. They did not have easy lives and they died young. They would be immensely proud of their son’s accomplishments. They loved him." But many other Bernie Brothers were dejected and disappointed as the night wound down.
Photos: AP