He has the crowd on its feet when he discusses immigration. Which leads into his endorsement of Hillary. The crowd stands and cheers.
"Hillary forcefully argued for the mission that took out Osama bin Laden"
He's very forceful in his praise of Hillary. As to her being President:
Hillary Clinton is respected around the world not just by leaders, but by the people they serve. She’s worked closely with our intelligence teams, our diplomats, our military. And she has the judgment, the experience, and the temperament to meet the threat from terrorism. It’s not new to her. Our troops have pounded ISIL without mercy, taking out leaders, taking back territory. I know Hillary won’t relent until ISIL is destroyed. She’ll finish the job – and she’ll do it without resorting to torture, or banning entire religions from entering our country. She is fit to be the next Commander-in-Chief.
Towards the end, he says (from the prepared remarks):
That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.
That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own. That’s what Hillary Clinton understands – this fighter, this stateswoman, this mother and grandmother, this public servant, this patriot – that’s the America she’s fighting for.
And that’s why I have confidence, as I leave this stage tonight, that the Democratic Party is in good hands.
Now he knocks it out of the park. Wow.
Time and again, you’ve picked me up. I hope, sometimes, I picked you up, too. Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you’re who I was talking about twelve years ago, when I talked about hope – it’s been you who’ve fueled my dogged faith in our future, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long. Hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; the audacity of hope!
America, you have vindicated that hope these past eight years. And now I’m ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen. This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.
Original Post
I wanted to miss Joe Biden so I was late tuning in to the DNC. Tim Kaine starts off very boring. 3 minutes in and he's already talking about his faith. (His "north star for orienting his life".) He took a year off from school to be a missionary in Honduras to teach kids how to be welders and carpenters.
Michael Bloomberg was terrific. He had some excellent lines bashing Trump -- there was no mean-spirited name-calling, and it was much more effective as a result. The worst he called Trump was a "dangerous demagogue." Some highlights: [More....]
Throughout his career, Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders, and contractors who feel cheated, and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. Trump says he wants to run the nation like he's run his business. God help us.
I'm a New Yorker, and New Yorkers know a con when we see one! Trump says he'll punish manufacturers that move to Mexico or China, but the clothes he sells are made overseas in low-wage factories. He says he wants to put Americans back to work, but he games the US visa system so he can hire temporary foreign workers at low wages. He says he wants to deport 11 million undocumented people, but he seems to have no problem in hiring them. What'd I miss here?!
Truth be told, the richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy. He wants you to believe that we can solve our biggest problems by deporting Mexicans and shutting out Muslims. He wants you to believe that erecting trade barriers will bring back good jobs. He's wrong on both counts.
His message: You don't have to love Hillary. But you owe it to yourselves, your children and grandchildren to keep Trump from becoming President, and especially Commander in Chief:
Now, I know Hillary Clinton is not flawless; no candidate is. But she is the right choice — and the responsible choice — in this election. No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is reality.
...There are times when I disagree with Hillary. But whatever our disagreements may be, I've come here to say: We must put them aside for the good of our country. And we must united around the candidate who can defeat a dangerous demagogue.
Bernie Sanders is in the audience listening to Tim Kaine. I'm surprised he isn't back home in Vermont already.
Okay, so Tim Kaine is plain, nothing fancy, not exciting and he's not inspiring me. But he's qualified, experienced and level-headed. With Trump, we'd be living on the edges of our seat for four years, wondering if his next impulsive move would be the end of all of us.
Si Se Puede!
The woman who introduced Obama was an uninspiring choice. Nor did I like the video of Obama's presidency: Very depressing. Milking Sandy Hook and Orlando. Boring announcer, his voice had no character. Trite. I hope when he speaks live, Obama has something more interesting to say.