Philadelphia: When her husband first ran for president in 2008, Michelle Obama cautiously entered the political arena, fully supportive of his candidacy yet wary of the country’s partisan battles.
Two terms later, the first lady known for her wit, style and tact has emerged as a political force, and on Tuesday she electrified the Democratic National Convention with an impassioned endorsement for Hillary Clinton that brought the crowd to its feet. With a determined look and a big smile, the current first lady lauded the former first lady, making the link between the woman who would be America’s first female president and her hopes for her two teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia.
“The hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country,” Mrs Obama said, in a thinly veiled swipe at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who will battle Clinton at the polls on November 8.
“We know that our words and actions matter not just to our girls, but to children across this country,” said the 52-year-old Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer.
“This election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives,” she said.
“There is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend, Hillary Clinton,” she said, before outlining the qualities of her husband’s 2008 primary rival. “Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”
From Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s vanquished primary rival, there was a much more pragmatic embrace. “Based on her ideas and her leadership,” Clinton was a better choice than Trump and “must become the next president of the United States,” he said.
The opening day of the four-day convention in Philadelphia was dominated by boos and jeers from disgruntled Sanders supporters almost every time Clinton’s name was mentioned. Sanders had called on his supporters to get behind the Democratic nominee twice before his primetime endorsement speech. That included a text message sent to supporters asking them not to protest on the floor of the convention as a “personal courtesy” to him. But Sanders’ self-styled
“political revolution” appeared to have transformed into a revolt. Sanders himself was booed by some sections of the audience when he told the crowd: “Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her tonight.”
As the boos and chants of “Bernie! Bernie!” continued inside the convention hall throughout the evening, Sanders protesters outside tried to breach security barriers.
