CHICAGO — Former President Bill Clinton, a titan in the Democratic Party with a talent for connecting with rural white voters, Wednesday praised Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for her ability to move the country forward and touted her middle-class roots.
“Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race with the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and yes — the sheer joy —to do that on good and bad days. To be our voice,” he said.
On the third day of a Democratic National Convention that heavily focused on passing the torch to the next generation, Clinton said he loved “seeing all these young leaders.”
He highlighted Harris’ time working at McDonald’s and how she picked a running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who got his start as a school teacher.
“I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president — she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonald’s,” said Clinton, who was known for his affection for the Golden Arches during his presidency.
Clinton, who was born in Hope, Arkansas, said as “the man from Hope, we need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us.”
The last time Clinton gave a speech during the DNC in Chicago, he was accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in 1996.
Praise for Biden
Clinton gave a tribute to President Joe Biden and commended him for his work on the economy and steering the country during the coronavirus, and his support for Ukraine and working for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“And then he did something that’s really hard for a politician to do, he voluntarily gave up political power,” Clinton said.
Biden suspended his reelection bid last month after a disastrous June 27 debate that sparked fears among Democrats that he couldn’t beat Donald Trump this November. After Biden announced he would not seek reelection he endorsed Harris to pick up the mantle and the party has coalesced around her as she and Walz sprint to Election Day.
Clinton likened Biden’s decision to quit the race to that of the first president of the United States, George Washington, who stepped down after two terms, setting a precedent for how long a presidency should last.
Democrats hearing this from Clinton erupted in cheers and started a chant, “Thank you, Joe.”
“It’s a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party,” Clinton said of Republicans.
Clinton said that Trump would not care about Americans, and called the former president selfish. He drew a stark contrast between the two candidates, saying that Trump would only care about himself and when it comes to Harris, “every day will begin with ‘You, you, you, you.’”
Clinton, who turned 78 this week, and now is the same age as Trump, who turned 78 in June, said that “the only personal vanity I want to assert is that I am still younger than Donald Trump.”
But he warned Democrats to not “underestimate your adversaries,” and he advised them “as somebody who spends a lot of time in rural areas,” in Arkansas and New York, to talk to their neighbors.
“I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don’t disagree with them if you do,” Clinton said. “Treat them with respect.”
He warned against overconfidence, saying there can still be slip ups before Election Day on Nov. 5.
“We’ve seen more than one election slip away when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfidence,” Clinton said.
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