The former president’s brand of retail politics was on full display during night three of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Former President Bill Clinton delivered a speech at the DNC on Wednesday that hailed Kamala Harris “the president of joy”, took aim at Donald Trump’s age, and resumed the role that former President Barack Obama had assigned to him 12 years ago: Explainer-in-Chief.
“If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you’ll be proud of it for the rest of your life”, Clinton said of the Harris-Walz ticket. “Your children will be proud of it, your grandchildren will be proud of it.”
Obama first gave Clinton the ‘explainer’ nickname after Clinton delivered a blockbuster convention speech in 2012 that helped get Obama re-elected to the White House. In a way that voters understood, Clinton offered a detailed rebuke of Mitt Romney’s economic plans—remarks that would become among some of his most memorable, and that Obama would go onto mention repeatedly at campaign stops that election cycle.
“President Clinton made the case in the way that only he can”, Obama told supporters in New Hampshire. “Somebody emailed me after the speech and said, ‘You need to appoint him Secretary of Explaining Stuff.’ I like that.”
And on Wednesday night, his voice somewhat weaker with age, Clinton once again laid out a coming election as a stark contrast between the two parties.
“Every four years, we get to change the requirements for the job”, Clinton said. “Will this president take us backward, forward? Will this president give our kids a brighter future in advance. Will this president bring us together or tear us apart? Will the President increase security and stability and freedom that we enjoy and extended to others as we can we the people we have to make a decision.”
“In 2024, we got a pretty clear choice”, the former president said.
“Clinton is unparalleled at speaking to Americans in ways that are relatable and understate”, veteran Democratic strategist Matt Bennett told Newsweek.
