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Obama speaks on behalf of Hillary Clinton at Democratic convention – live coverage
Obama speaks on behalf of Hillary Clinton at Democratic convention – live
(35 minutes later)
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Obama to speak
Obama on Trump: 'not really a facts guy'
Here’s what’s left:
The president now turns his attention to Clinton’s opponent. He says Trump left people feeling they were cheated, and asks, “Does anyone really believe that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion?”
Sharon Belkofer, to introduce a film about the president. “You’re all probably wondering, who the heck is this sweet little old lady.”
And then there’s Donald Trump.”
The crowd laughs. She says she’s a mom to three who served in the military, a retired nurse, grandma of 10 and now a great grandma. The DNC bio has this:
Boooo!
Sharon Belkofer is the mother of fallen Lt. Col. Thomas Belkofer. Her son was killed when a suicide bomber detonated a minibus in a convoy carrying Belkofer and three other high-ranking officers in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Don’t boo,” Obama says. “Vote!”
Here’s the film:
Applause. Obama:
The president is next.
The Donald not really a plans guy. Not really a facts guy, either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated.
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Does anyone really believe that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice? If so, you should vote for him. But if you’re someone who’s truly concerned about paying your bills, if you’re really concerned about pocketbook issues, and seeing the economy grow, and creating more opportunity for everybody, then the choice isn’t even close. If you want someone with a lifelong track record of fighting for higher wages, better benefits, a fairer tax code, a bigger voice for workers, and stronger regulations on Wall Street, then you should vote for Hillary Clinton.
03:37
Kaine: 'Hillary is ready'
Kaine is nearing the finish line. He says Clinton is ready. “And when I say ready, I use ready for a very specific reason. When I lived in Honduras I learned that the best compliment you could give someone was to say they were “listo” ... prepared, battle-tested, rock-solid, up for anything... and friends, Hillary Clinton is lista!”
He closes:
Hillary is ready. She’s ready to fight, she’s ready to win. And she is ready to lead. God bless.
Happy cheering for that. The podium disappears again. Kaine walks around and says hi to everyone. His wife Anne comes out and waves to. The camera goes to Chelsea Clinton who’s clapping. he delegates all wave their Clinton-Kaine signs. There’s syncopated clapping. The Kaines are still wandering about the stage and waving. Now they wind down and exit.
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Kaine points out that Ohio governor John Kasich refused to attend the Cleveland convention “because he thinks that Donald Trump is such a moral disaster.”
“Is there anyone in this building who believes him?”
No!
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03:31
Kaine keeps it up hitting Trump. “Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth.”
It becomes a chant:
Not one word!
Not one word!
Not one word!
Kaine: “To me it seems like our nation it’s just too great to put in the hands of a slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting, one-man wrecking crew.
“Don’t take it from me. Take it from former first lady Barbara Bush. She said she didn’t know how any woman could vote for him after his offensive comments.”
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03:29
Kaine unveils Trump impression
Kaine says Clinton was not afraid to step up against thugs and dictators.
Kaine says Americans trust Clinton to protect them and to help solve their problems, “and on a personal level, as he’s serving our nation abroad, I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life.”
That’s a pretty dramatic line that gets good cheers. He continues:
“You know who I don’t trust? I wonder? Donald Trump! DOnald Trump. Trump is a guy who promises a lot. But you might have noticed. He has a habit of saying the same two words right after he makes his biggest promises. You guys know the words I mean? “Believe me.”
Now Kaine rolls out a Trump impression, listing promises Trump has made – the wall that Mexico will pay for, the fast destruction of Isis, “there’s nothing suspicious in my tax returns” – believe me!
Kaine’s Trump impression boils down to making himself sound stupid when he says Believe Me.
Kaine: Does anybody in this massive auditorium believe that Donald Trump’s been paying his fair share of taxes?
Crowd: NO!
Kaine: “Hey Donald, what are you hiding? And yet, Donald still says, ‘believe me.’ Believe me. Believe me? Believe me? Most people, when they’re running for president, they don’t just say “believe me.” They respect you enough to tell you how they’ll get things done.
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03:23
Kaine now takes a dig at Trump.
“Hillary has a passion for kids and families. Donald Lump – Donald Trump has a passion too. It’s himself!”
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03:22
Kaine says that “I spend a time with a lot of Republican senators who, once the’ve made sure nobody’s listening, will tell you how fantastic a senator Hillary Clinton was.”
How many times has that happened?
Kaine keeps going. And then he gets his first real big applause of the speech.
“We must love our neighbors as ourselves,” he says. Sounds plagiarized. “Hillary Clinton and I are compañeros de alma,” he says. “We share this belief: Do all the good you can. Serve one another. That’s what I’m about. That’s what you’re about. That’s what Bernie Sanders is about. That’s what Joe Biden is about. That’s what Barack and Michelle Obama are about. And that’s what Hillary Clinton is about.”
¡Si se puede! someone yells.
Kaine repeats the phrase, and it turns into a big chant.
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03:18
Kaine describes his work as a civil rights lawyer. We’re at the top of page two now. He describes winning a Richmond city council race “by a landslide margin of 94 votes.”
He started in politics at the local level. (Who’s that in contrast to?) Then he became mayor, lieutenant governor and governor.
“I was a hard-times governor,” he says. “But hey, tough times don’t last, and tough people do.”
Who’s that standing to cheer down front? Virginia, of course.
Kaine turns to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. “We shed tears and held each other up, but afterwards we rolled up our sleeves, and fixed a loophole in our background check system to make us safer.”
Kaine is now a senator on the armed services and foreign relations committees, and on the budget committee with... Vermont’s Bernie Sanders.
Saying “Bernie Sanders” is all it takes to get this crowd to cheer their heads off. The camera moves to Sanders, in the audience. He smiles a bit.
Kaine: “WE all should feel the Bern, and we all should not want to get burned by the other guy.”
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03:14
Kaine continues his biography, making some political points along the way. He describes himself in the 1970s as “this goofy guy who had been off teaching kids in Honduras.... Well, Anne and i have now been married for almost 32 years.”
The camera now moves to Anne’s parents, Lin and Jinks, “90-plus and going strong.”
“Lin’s still a Republican. But he’s voting for a lot of Democrats these days,” Kaine says.
“If any of you are looking for that party of Lincoln, we’ve got a home right here for you in the Democratic party.”
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03:11
Kaine speaks Spanish
“I humbly accept my party’s nomination to be vice president.”
He was born in Minnesota. Grew up in KC. His dad ran a union ironworking shop. His mom was dad’s bes salesman. He learned about hard work and faith.
Jesuit boys’ school. “Men for others.” Where his “faith became vital.” Then he went to Honduras.
He switches to Spanish.
The crowd cheers that. A standing ovation even, for some.
¡Somos Americanos todos!
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03:08
04:10
There’s a big anti-TPP chant breaking out in Missouri. Those rabble-rousers are recognizable as some of the strongest Bernie-backers.
Here Obama moves into a section that was released earlier: “Hillary’s been in the room” (ad-lib bold):
Kaine has committed the mortal trespass, for the Sanders wing of the Democratic party, of supporting free trade.
You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis, or send young people to war. But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions. She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran. Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.
Adding to the distraction is some strange mic business, where we hear someone talking technical talk. That goes away.
That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman – not me, not Bill, nobody - more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America.
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03:06
The lectern that pops up and down does not pop up for Kaine. We spoke too soon, there it is.
Kaine walks the lip of the stage as they play some exciting 70s cop drama theme music and the delegates stand and clap.
Kaine thanks his family. Notes his son Nat deployed with his Marine battalion two days ago “to protect and defend the very NATO allies that Donald Trump says he now wants to abandon. Semper Fi, Nat!”
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04:08
We have an advance copy of Tim Kaine’s remarks and they’re three full pages, when most speeches have been running one page or less.
Obama:
Get comfortable, America. You’re about to meet Tim Kaine.
“Now, eight years ago, Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination.”
3.03am BST
Somebody yells out: “Four more years!” People laugh. Obama continues:
03:03
We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary’s tough. She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers, backwards and in heels. Every time I thought I might have that race won, Hillary just came back stronger.
Scott announces Tim Kaine, and everyone claps for Tim Kaine, but it turns out they’re just clapping for a video, because no essential points are entrusted simply to speakers anymore, because the way people intake information is by watching TV. It’s a tribute video to Tim Kaine. “They still live in the same house they moved into 24 years ago.” Stuff like that. “Virginia was named the best state in the country to raise a child.”
But after it was all over, I asked Hillary to join my team. She was a little surprised, but ultimately said yes – because she knew that what was at stake was bigger than either of us. And for four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment, and her discipline. I came to realize that her unbelievable work ethic wasn’t for praise or attention – that she was in this for everyone who needs a champion. I understood that after all these years, she has never forgotten just who she’s fighting for.
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04:07
Instead of more Kravitz we’re going to watch that Fight Song video we saw last night again.
Obama says “we are stronger together.” Is that the line he was up till 3am writing?
Now here’s Rep Bobby Scott from Virginia. He’s not on the speaker’s list. But he’s here to introduce the running mate.
But he gets the crowd on its feet and cheering a lot, by listing all the different American groups who come together in his vision of unity.
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Then this part gets a Hillary! chant going:
02:58
That’s the America I know. And there is only one candidate in this race who believes in that future, and has devoted her life to it; a mother and grandmother who’d do anything to help our children thrive; a leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings, and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American – the next President of the United States, Hillary Clinton.
Adam Gabbatt
Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!
Wikileaks released its latest disclosures on Wednesday – 29 voicemails mined from the emails it leaked over the weekend, writes Adam Gabbatt:
4.05am BST
But whereas the Democratic National Committee emails rocked the Democratic party, revealing bias against Bernie Sanders and forcing DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to quit, the voicemails are much, much, much less interesting.
04:05
The voicemail with the most potential to be juicy is from the film producer husband of a Democratic operative. But there is no juice. The film producer leaves a message saying he and his wife could speak to the recipient later that day.
Obama: 'not your typical election'
The voicemails appear to have been sent as audio files to recipients’ email addresses, which is likely how they were obtained by Wikileaks.
“We’re not done perfecting our union,” Obama says. Or living up to the creed, we’re all created equal.
Three of the messages relate to a reception for ambassadors at the White House. But there is nothing scandalous. The messages are essentially RSVPs.
“I think it’s fair to say, this is not your typical election,” Obama says. People laugh. He says there’s a “fundamental choice about who we are as a people.”
Four of the leaked voicemails are from the same female voter. The woman, who identifies herself as a Democratic party member, leaves a series of angry messages regarding the party apparently being too soft with Bernie Sanders.
The parties have always had differences, he says, but there’s nothing wrong with that. “But what we heard in Cleveland last week wasn’t particularly Republican, and it sure wasn’t conservative. What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision...there were no solutions. Just the fanning of resentment and anger and hate. And that is not the America I know.. the America I know is decent and generous.
The Vermont senator is “getting way too much influence” in the party, she says. “I don’t understand it. You guys are losing me,” she warns.
“Sure we have real anxieties about caring for sick parents... racial divisions.. the madness in Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures.”
Many of the other voicemails are very short – people leaving a phone number and requesting a callback.
Here a delegate stands up and starts yelling about TPP.
Among the longer messages is an invite to a parents’ meeting at a school.
“We are challenged to do better,” Obama says. “To be better.”
“All parents are invited Friday morning at 8.50am,” the message leaver says. “We’ll be discussing ways to help students navigating change. Specifically around change to our buildings.”
As he travels the country, he says, what he sees more than anything is “what is right with America.”
The woman leaving the voicemail mentions the name of a school in Washington DC, before urging parents to attend the meeting.
4.01am BST
“There’s also free babysitting available,” she says.
04:01
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Obama says change is never easy.
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Texas is standing up and maybe it’s someone in Texas who is trying to say something.
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No Hillary No? Is that what the Texas person is saying?
02:53
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Kravitz starts out with a slow jam version of Let Love Rule. The crowd seems into it. But all anybody does at concerts anymore is stand there and film it on their iPhone so they can not watch it later. Kravitz plays his guitar a bit and someone in the band knows their way around the saxophone.
04:00
How can Hillary Clinton keep us safe from ISIS if she can't keep us safe from Lenny Kravitz?
Obama: 'I am more optimistic' than ever
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Obama says back in 2004 in Boston, when he made his name at the DNC, he was filled with faith in the country.
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Somebody is yelling something but they are shushed.
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Obama continues: “I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before.”
02:51
He is, he explains, because the economy has recovered, job creation is healthy, health care is now an American right, because we’re weaning from foreign oil, troops are coming home, and “we delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.”
“Please welcome Lenny Kravitz.”
The “success” – in his opinion – list continues: Iran, Cuba, Paris climate deal, student loans, consumer protection, combat veteran homelessness, and marriage equality.
The crowd complies. Wow that’s a lot of backup singers.
Marriage equality gets a big cheer.
“By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started.”
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03:57
Obama says his girls were young then, now “amazing young women.” And he mentions “my brilliant wife and partner Michelle,” and the crowd cheers like crazy. She “somehow hasn’t aged a day,” Obama says. “I know, the same cannot be changed for me. My girls remind me all the time. ‘Wow you’ve changed so much daddy.’ Then they try to clean it up. ‘Not young, but more mature.’”
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03:56
The crowd all has stick signs reading Obama.
He’s announced. He walks out. He waves. Must be some Democrats in here by the sound of it. The president’s looking casual. Strides over to the lectern. Forgoes the trip up to the far end that Kaine and Biden took. Dang is that Coldplay? There’s all kinds of clapping and cheering. In addition to the Obama signs there are rainbow flags and some TPP signs.
Thank you, Obama says. A few times.
The clapping continues. We’ll have video of this for you shortly.
“Thank you so much everybody.”
The crowd chants:
Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!
“Thank you so much everybody!”
Person: I love you!
President: I love you back!
They’s darn excited. Here now they let him start. So “twelve years ago tonight...”
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03:53
Any second now...
President Obama's remarks are in the teleprompter: "Hello, America. Twelve years ago tonight, I addressed this convention...
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03:50
The crowd here in the DNC is singing along to the video of Obama singing Amazing Grace after Charleston.
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03:48
This is true.
Reporters have received embargoed, prepared remarks for almost everyone tonight. Not for President Obama. (Yet, anyway.)
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03:48
Pressure’s on, Obama:
Aides say @POTUS has been through 6 drafts of tonight's speech over past week. Stayed up til 3AM rewriting after watching @FLOTUS speech.
Tfw you realize you can't outdo your wife. https://t.co/H9IE4lqSkl
