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Day 2 of DNC to highlight Hillary Clinton‘s lifetime career as progressive who gets things done

Michele Obama wows the Democratic National Convention talking about why character matters so much in the Oval Office (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
Michele Obama wows the Democratic National Convention talking about why character matters so much in the Oval Office (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Tonight in Philadelphia, history will be made when Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes the official nominee of the Democratic party.

100 years in the making, Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention will tell that story, “the fight of her life, how she has worked her entire life on behalf of children, families, this country,” said Karen Finney, Hillary for America senior advisor . “You will hear from people who have worked with her – whether the fight for 9/11 responders getting health care they needed, a program like the Arkansas program that helps parents be the first teachers to their children, and  President Clinton, who is in best position to talk about her as a change-maker.

The contrast tonight will be stark with the Republican candidate, she said. Hillary Clinton has not just worked on behalf of children and families her whole life, but achieved results. “Trump has a lot of bluster, makes promises, but has a lifetime to accomplish those things but time and time again hear he has taken advantage of people for his own gain.  While Hillary Clinton has worked to get something done particularly for the most vulnerable among us, you have Donald Trump who has tried to make money off the most vulnerable among us.”

Another contrast: “You heard more policy, more ideas last night than the whole four nights – and not one new idea – at the RNC. Tonight,  people will be talking about their own experiences, humanizing, so we remember that this election is about people, not about dividing people, platitudes, bluster. Coming out of this convention will be more unified than ever, ready to take on Trump and win in the fall.

Last night, First Lady Michelle Obama gave amazing speech – commentators say it potentially may go down in history as one of the most powerful speeches at a convention. In that speech, Obama raised the issue of how important how who occupies the White House becomes a role model for children, and drew the contrast of the values represented by Donald Trump and the Republicans with the Democrats.

“Tonight, people will be talking about their own experiences, humanizing, so we remember that this is about people, not about dividing people, platitudes, bluster,” said Karen Finney, senior advisor to Hillary for America. “Coming out of this convention we will be more unified than ever, ready to take on Trump and win in the fall.”

A lingering problem – continuously raised by the media – are the polls that suggest a large share of the electorate question Hillary’s trustworthiness (or worse).

“It has oft been said that she is the most famous, least known person in the country,” said

Jennifer Palmieri, director of communications, Hillary for America. “As famous as she is, people know her resume, her big jobs – she came on the national scene in their mind in 1992 as first lady. What we want people to know tonight, and as general election gets underway, what’s that core value that has propelled her to do this. She started at Children’s Defense fund – through line of her career. She shares with Sen. Kaine  who went to Honduras. After law school pursued housing discrimination suits. Both are not show horses, but get the job done, stay at it and deliver results. That’s the spirit tonight, in the convention and through the campaign.

“As Hillary Clinton has said, we read polls, she has acknowledged she has work to do to earn people’s trust, but she realizes that there aren’t magic words that develop trust overnight. What she wants people to know about her in the course of this campaign is, ‘Look at what I’ve done, the people I’ve represented, whether working for people in Arkansas, as Senator for New York, as Secretary of State – when people needed me, they could count on me, and I’ve delivered for you.’ Let her prove that they can count on her – that’s the argument she will continue to make throughout the campaign.

The speakers on this second night of the convention will testify to that quality of character.

“Tonight  you will see people who needed Hillary Clinton, whether 9/11 survivors, people she helped in Arkansas, mostly without fanfare on her part, and sticking with it, to make sure that whatever concern this person had was delivered on.

[Clinton, Obama and Kaine] are people who know how to make progress, Palmieri said. “We are sometimes asked that Hillary been at this a long time, si that the right candidate in an election so focused on change? The answer is yes. Has she been at it a long time? Yes. But she knows change is hard fought, takes a long time, she has been at it in the trenches for decades, whatever role she has had.  And that’s what her running mate has done, too.

“Then Senator Obama transferring to President, and all that he has accomplished to make that progress. What you see represented is an incredible story of America – the first African American, the first woman – six people – the Clintons, Obamas, Kaines [whose father-in-law was a governor of Virginia and whose wife is the state’s Secretary of Education] – incredibly committed to the country, doing the really hard work to make progress and also to protect our values, against a Donald Trump who is a frightening prospect.”

The differences between the two conventions is also clear from the diversity that Democrats embrace “as a promise” while Republicans see “a problem”..

“There was more diversity on stage last night than all four days of the Republican convention – that is part of it – voices and faces, and issues,” said Finney.

The second day of the convention will feature a Pittsburgh police chief,  Mothers of the Movement who will talk about losing their children to gun violence and other forms of violence. “We will again talk about range of issues that affect people in their daily lives, that Hillary willing to take on those issues.

The first night offered a synopsis of solutions that Clinton and the Democrats offer “to make the economy work for everybody, not just those at the top. We offered more solutions in one night than the entire RNC. Hillary Clinton’s primary goal is to get out of wage stagnation and create well-paying jobs, address work-life policies like family leave, child care (and scheduling). These are not just family issues, but hold back the economy.  She would make the biggest investment in jobs creation since World War II.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was accorded the stage at the Democratic National Convention where he gave a full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president, but his supporters booed and heckled the entire night (c) 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was accorded the stage at the Democratic National Convention where he gave a full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president, but his supporters booed and heckled the entire night (c) 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Tonight will focus on Hillary but the first night’s convention gave Bernie Sanders his due, showcasing the Sanders’ representatives contribution to creating the most progressive platform in the party’s history

Throughout the night many prominent Sanders supporters – elected officials like Oregon Senator Merkley and celebrities like Sarah Silverman – spoke about while they supported Bernie and still do, they will work hard to make sure Hillary becomes the next president. And it culminated with a full-throated endorsement by Sanders, who came out to a sea of Bernie signs and cheers, looking just as it would be if he were there to accept the nomination.

But through the entire proceedings, passionate Sanders supporters also heckled speakers – early on, every time Hillary Clinton’s name was mentioned – even Sanders supporters and lionized progressives like Elizabeth Warren, even disrupting Paul Simon singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which was supposed to symbolize bridging the divide between the Clinton and Sanders supporters.

Palmieri dismissed the dissention noting there was an enthusiastic voice vote for party platform, most progressive ever adopted by Democrats, “The Senator’s campaign and our campaign came together and worked hard to develop that – in public sessions that had a lot of input – and when it was adopted, it was a very important step. In terms of what people saw last night, Sanders supporters not just in the hall – and Sanders himself very graciously offering support of her and his key validators too. In this room, there are Clinton’s and Sanders’ most passionate supporter s- not just people who believe in candidate but selected to represent them. They made our party’s primary much more substantive and productive than what you have seen on republican side, which was a race to the bottom.”

Today’s highlight will be the roll call of all 57 states and territories, so that each vote could be counted. It is expected that Hillary Clinton will become the first woman nominated to become President by a major party – a historic event 100 years in the making.

It is also likely that the Bernie supporters will not be appeased.

Asked if the campaign would do anything to tamp down the heckling, Palmieri said with a shrug, “This is democracy. It’s the Democratic party.”

Warren, Sanders, Michelle Obama headline first night of DNC

With hours to go before the Democratic National Convention gavels in at the Wells Fargo arena in Philadelphia, the Democratic National Committee outlined how it plans to offer a “stark contrast to what we saw in Cleveland, to give our country a clear vision of our vision, our values, and how we plan to move America forward, and not just a lot of verbiage.

“This will be the most exciting, innovative convention in our history,” said Rev Leah D Daughtry, CEO of the DNC.

The theme for the first day kicks off broader theme: how Secretary Clinton has spent her entire life fighting for kids and families, fighting to provide opportunity to those who are given the least, and bringing down barriers to opportunity,” said Robby Mook, campaign manager. “How we get this economy working for everyone, not just those at the very top.”

The night will feature “some of the brightest stars in the Democratic Party”: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the progressive firebrand who will deliver the keynote, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who will whole-heartedly endorse Clinton, Sen. Cory Booker, and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Sen. Warren will show that the clear choice in this election is between Sec. Clinton, fighting for working class families, getting an economy working for everyone, and Donald Trump who has spent his entire career making himself more wealthy and famous.

Senator Cory Booker will describe how Secretary Clinton is uniquely qualified to get this economy working for everyone, and her motivation and experience fighting for others.

Senator Sanders will talk about how we are stronger together when we join forces as a party to get the economy working for everyone.

First Lady Michelle Obama will talk specifically about the challenges facing families today and the type of leadership it will take in the white house to put families first.

Other speakers will include 11-year old Carla, 11 years old who approached Secretary Clinton at a Las Vegas primary event, describing how concerned she is her parents will be deported and will address how Clinton will provide opportunity and break down barriers for her family.

Over the course of the convention, President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President bill Clinton will address this same issue of Secretary Clinton’s lifelong fight for working families. It will crystalize for the voters the fights she has taken on and what she has accomplished.

“This will be a big contrast to what we saw in Cleveland,” Robby Mook, campaign manager for Hillary for America told a press briefing. “Our convention will be optimistic, hopeful, and will talk about specific plans the secretary has to get this economy working for everyone, not just the top – to keep us more secure. Senator Sanders already endorsed Secretary Clinton, he is coming to double-down and unite the party to make sure she wins – not what we saw from Senator Cruz” at the RNC.

The governor of the state of Pennsylvania supports Clinton and will be here.

“We built a platform and rules that reflect the best of our campaign, the values of party. There will be no minority reports filed in this process.”

The DNC has just launched a new mobile app, hillary2016 – novelty, as compared to 2012 where obama campaign app was intended to help traditional organizing opp, this will provide people to help – share content, text, do other things to help campaign ibn other ways without going into office – combines fewatures from traditional gaming apps – software development engineer s- dreamworks, Etsy – available coincididng with launch of convention

“We are a united Democratic party, and will hit the ground running on Friday with an event in Philadelphia with Secretary Clinton and Senator Kaine,” Fallon said. The bus tour will extend over the weekend, continuing through Pennsylvania and Ohio, with large and small events in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Youngstown OH, Columbus OH, going after those rural working class voters disaffected by the state of the economy, who Donald Trump is targeting, but we are convinced we have the plans that will speak to them, leaving no voter untouched. They will embark right after convention for those critical rust belt

Fallon said that Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s decision to step down as DNC Chair “was her decision to step down” and that she reached out to Clinton to notify her and that Clinton thanked her for her work.”

Asked why she would step down now that the primary is over and all that is left is to elect Clinton, he said, “She did it for the sake of party unity, not to distract from the convention. It’s a noble thing on her part, not to be the distraction.”

Most troubling, it has emerged that Russian state actors were behind the hack of the DNC emails, with an interest in influencing the election in favor of Donald Trump.

Trump has made comments heaping praise and admiration on Putin, and recently said he might not come to the aide of NATO.

The hack of the DNC is being attributed to Russian state actors, and is troubling on two levels – some emails disclosed a suggestion to use religion against a candidate which Fallon categorically condemned. But it was also serious if the Russians are trying to tilt the election in favor of Donald Trump.

As for why Putin might prefer President Trump over President Clinton, he said, “Candidate Trump is espousing policies that would play into Putin’s hands – abandoning NATO alliance, leaving those states on the periphery of Russia sphere of influence. [Campaign chairman and chief strategist Paul] Manafort has worked as lobbyist propping up pro-Putin candidates. Trump has made general comments praising and admiring of Putin. It’s perplexing that he would be more supportive of Putin than our long-time allies.”

He dismissed the notion that the emails could have factored into the DNC playing any role in Clinton winning the primary. “We don’t condone emails we’ve seen. It’s distressing that might have used religion. But separate from notion that the primary election was rigged [is off base]. The primary won’t be decided over random thoughts from a DNC official but at ballot box. Clinton won decisively in the popular vote, states won, pledged delegates. Sanders himself has said she is the rightful winner. Sanders’ testimonial tonight, Elizabeth Warren, Booker, validating her credentials on progressive issues like income inequality.

He said there would be a roll call vote. “Every vote will be counted. Every delegate will be counted.”

Of President Bill Clinton’s role on Tuesday, he said, “There is no better advocate for her, especially describing her career as a change agent. As the First lady of Arkansas, he has said that many of his accomplishments were the work of his wife.”

Questions of Clinton’s trustworthiness? That’s been the subject of Republican attacks for awhile – it’s the only thing that unifies them. Their convention didn’t offer a plan, the candidate was barely mentioned by many speakers. The only thing to unify them was being against Hillary Clinton. We believe it will come down to who do you trust to get things done, to fight for you. Clinton who has a record,  versus Trump, a fraud, pretending to stick up for the little guy.

As for what Michelle Obama will bring to the convention, he said, “The First Lady is one of the most popular figures in America. The way she has approached her role as First Lady along with her husband are quintessential role models for young people. We will hear of the importance of electing a leader who will communicate proper values.”

Asked how Clinton would answer the Climate Revolution March that took place on Sunday, that drew 10,000, many wearing Bernie stickers, buttons and carrying signs and a few anti-Hillary, anti-DNC activists, Fallon said, “Clinton talked about it in primary – she has the most ambitious goal to achieve the standard that Tom Steyer]  [Billionaire hedge fund operator and “green” energy magnate] laid out, by 2027.” (See: www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/climate).