I heard the first few minutes of Hillary Clinton’s speech on the radio. I was worried. It was stilted. Seeing her on television didn’t initially assuage those concerns, as her eyes were wide and her words did not flow smoothly. But a few more minutes in and she was on a roll. It wasn’t the transcendent rhetoric of Barack Obama or the smooth delivery of Bill Clinton. But it was good — damn good! She began to smile and exude warmth. She was no longer alone up there. When that isolation subsides, good speakers emerge. And she did.
She began to embrace the audience and they her. It will be referred to as a “workman” type speech and “effective.” It was these things. But, it was also a speech about who she is and what she wants to do. It was about where she came from and the values instilled in her by hard-working parents. There were no gratuitous stories, only real ones. She lambasted Donald Trump, not simply because he is her adversary, but because he is not who he claims to be.
Hillary Clinton focused on the positive, credited President Obama and Vice President Biden and all leaders who’ve made America stronger. She did this while skillfully sharing what still needs to be done.
She did not seek to please everyone by playing it safe. “If you believe” she said before each pillar of her platform, “then join us.” She laughed, she connected, and while I would have had her smiling sooner, the result was a much needed look at the real Hillary Clinton. Tonight we heard from a woman who wants us to know that we can trust her with our futures. She did that well and looked radiant in the process.
The first female presidential candidate from a leading political party gave a strong speech, intellectual and from the heart, about her but more about us. It was history in the making, and it was memorable — a long time coming and worth every minute of the wait — a credit to so many women who worked to make this possible — who would no doubt love to have been on this earth still to witness what we did tonight.
