Democratic National Convention, day three: President Obama speaks
PRESIDENT Barack Obama directly challenged Donald Trump’s vision of the United States in a rousing speech.
- President Obama’s rousing speech
- Vice President Joe Biden savages Trump
- Michael Bloomberg joins the Trump bashing
- Trump comment ‘tantamount to treason’
- Front pages show ‘sexism at its finest’
WELCOME to our live coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
President Barack Obama has directly challenged Donald Trump’s vision of America in a rousing speech to the Democratic National Convention.
Read on for all the highlights from day three of the convention.
2:30pm
Sam Clench
That wraps up day three of the Democratic convention. If you’re just catching up, here are some links to the biggest moments:
• Barack Obama gave a rousing speech, challenging Donald Trump’s vision of America;
• Vice President Joe Biden filled the attack dog role;
• Hillary Clinton’s nominee for the vice presidency introduced himself.
We’ll be back tomorrow with live coverage of the convention’s final day.
2:25pm
Sam Clench
Donald Trump’s campaign has responded to the day’s events with a rather pointed statement.
“Tonight was a sad night for the Democratic Party. They offered no solutions for the problems facing America - in fact, they pretended those problems didn’t even exist,” the statement read.
“They described a vision of America that doesn’t exist for most Americans, including the 70 per cent of Americans who think our country is on the wrong track. Never has a party been so disconnected from what is happening in our world.
“Instead of dealing with reality, they spoke in cheap, petty terms beneath the dignity of a convention.
“They resorted to the politics of fear, trying to convince Americans not to vote for change.
“Tonight the Democrats offered only more rewards for the rich, powerful and well-connected, and more angry, demeaning, sniping attacks against all decent Americans who want change for their families.”
2:00pm
Sam Clench
President Barack Obama directly challenged Donald Trump’s vision of America in a rousing speech to the convention, reprising the trademark theme of hope that drove his own run for the presidency eight years ago.
Obama’s speech was the polar opposite of Trump’s at the Republican convention six days ago. He described the United States as an optimistic country, with unshakeable core values that transcend politics. He framed the election as a referendum not on policies or personalities, but on America’s character.
The President walked on stage to chants of “Yes we can!” from the crowd. He started by referring to his famous “purple states” speech at the 2004 convention in Boston.
“I’ll admit it, maybe I was a little nervous, addressing such a big crowd, but I was filled with faith. Faith in America. The generous, big-hearted, hopeful country that made my story, that made all of our stories possible,” he said.
“A lot’s happened over the years, and while this nation has been tested by war and it’s been tested by recession and all manner of challenges, I stand before you tonight after almost two terms as your president to tell you I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before.”
Obama ran through a list of his administration’s achievements, but acknowledged “we’ve still got more work to do”.
“We’re not done perfecting our union or living up to our founding creed that all of us are created equal, all of us are free in the eyes of god. And that work involves a big choice this November.
“It’s not just a choice between parties or policies, the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice about who we are as a people and whether we stay true to this American experiment in self-government.”
Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama managed to strike at Trump without ever mentioning his name. The President was never going to be that subtle, and he didn’t try.
“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?” he asked mockingly, saying the choice between Trump and Clinton was “not even close”.
“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 of a country where we turn against each other and turn away from the rest of the world.
“That is not the America I know. The America I know is full of courage and optimism and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous.”
Obama took a series of potshots at Trump’s character and fitness for office.
“The Donald is not really a plans guy. He’s 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 who feel like they’ve got cheated,” the President said.
“Donald Trump calls our military a disaster. Apparently he doesn’t know the men and women who make up the strongest fighting force the world has ever known.
“It doesn’t matter to him that illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they’ve been in decades, because he’s not actually offering any real solutions, he’s just offering slogans and he’s offering fear.
“I have to say this. People outside the United States do not understand what’s going on in this election. They really don’t.
“America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.”
Obama said Trump was betting he could “scare just enough people” to win the election, and “that’s another bet Donald Trump will lose.”
The President said his travels around the United States during his seven-and-a-half years in office hadn’t just shown him what was wrong with the country.
“What I’ve also seen more than anything is what is right with America,” Obama said.
“I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together.
“There is only one candidate in this race who believes in that future, and has devoted her life to that future. A leader with real plans to break down barriers and blast through glass ceilings ... the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton.”
He paid tribute to Clinton at great length, saying “there has never been a man or woman - not me, not Bill, nobody - more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president”. He hailed her tenacity and work ethic.
“Eight years ago, you may remember, Hillary and I were rivals. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary was tough. I was worn out. Every time I thought I might have had the race won, Hillary just came back stronger.
“For four years, I had a front row seat to her intelligence, her judgement and her discipline. I came to realise that her unbelievable work ethic wasn’t for praise, wasn’t for attention ... she has never forgotten who she’s fighting for.
“No matter how daunting the odds, no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits. That is the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire.”
Obama fleshed out his vision of the United States and its values using the example of his grandparents from Kansas.
“My grandparents explained that they didn’t like show-offs. They didn’t admire braggarts or bullies. They didn’t respect mean-spiritedness, or folks who were always looking for shortcuts in life. Instead, they valued traits like honesty and hard work. Kindness and courtesy. Humility, responsibility, helping each other out. That’s what they believed in. True things. Things that last. The things we try to teach our kids.
“America has changed over the years. But these values that my grandparents taught me they haven’t gone anywhere. They’re as strong as ever, still cherished by people of every party, every race, every faith. They live on in each of us.”
Obama took another shot at Trump, referring to him as a “homegrown demagogue”.
“That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end,” he said.
“Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared saviour. We don’t look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia.
“America’s never been about what one person says he’ll do for us. It’s about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard and slow and sometimes frustrating but ultimately enduring work of self-government. And that’s what Hillary Clinton understands.”
The President ended his speech with one final tribute to Clinton - and asked for one more favour from the voters who propelled him into the White House eight years ago.
“I have confidence as I leave this stage tonight that the Democratic Party is in good hands. My time in this office it hasn’t fixed everything, as much as we’ve done, there’s still so much I want to do.
“Tonight I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you’re who I was talking about 12 years ago when I talked about hope.
“Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of adversity. The audacity of hope. America, you’ve vindicated my hope.
“This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us. To elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.
Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going.”
12:35pm
Sam Clench
After a brief video telling people who the hell he was, vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine took the stage. “Can I be honest for a second? I never expected to be here,” Kaine said.
The Virginia senator earned a big round of applause when he switched from English to fluent Spanish. “Somos Americanos todos!” he shouted (“We are all Americans”). A little later, he joined the crowd in a chant of “Si se puede”. That’s President Obama’s old “Yes we can” slogan in Spanish.
The hispanic voters will love that. Gotta lock up those sweet, sweet key demographics.
Kaine, who was an unpopular pick among left-wing Democrats, also gave Bernie Sanders a shoutout: “We all want to feel the Bern, and not get burned by the other guy!” The boos from Sanders supporters were nowhere to be found today.
As Kaine turned his attention to Donald Trump, he mentioned his son, who’s a Marine.
“I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life,” he said.
“You know who I don’t trust? Hmm, I wonder. Donald Trump! Trump is a guy who promises a lot, but you might have noticed, he has a way of saying the same two words every time he makes his biggest, hugest promises: ‘Believe me!’”
He kept repeating those two words, imitating Trump in a mocking tone each time. I’ve got to be honest, impressions aren’t his greatest talent.
“Here’s the question. Do you really believe him? Donald Trump’s whole career says you better not,” Kaine said.
“He says believe me. Well his creditors, his contractors, his laid off employees and his ripped off students all believed him.
“You cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth.”
12:10pm
Sam Clench
Meanwhile, Wikileaks has released more hacked stuff from the Democratic National Committee. This time it’s voicemails.
BREAKING: WikiLeaks releases hacked audio recordings of Democratic National Committee voicemails. https://t.co/fy965Kf5lt
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 28, 2016
11:50am
Sam Clench
Bloomberg’s speech was followed by a performance from musician Lenny Kravitz. He opened with the song Let Love Rule, reinforcing the convention’s puntastic theme: “Love trumps hate”.
11:45am
Sam Clench
Billionaire businessman and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg continued the Trump bashing from a different perspective. Bloomberg, who’s currently an independent, was once a Republican. That makes him an odd sight at a Democratic convention.
“Through his career, Donald Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits ... and disillusioned customers who feel like they’ve been ripped off,” Bloomberg said.
“Donald Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business? God help us. I’m a New Yorker, and I know a con when I see one.
“The richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy.”
Bloomberg said he’d observed Hillary Clinton during her time in the US Senate, and she “always listened” to people who disagreed with her.
“I know Hillary Clinton is not flawless, no candidate is, but she is the right choice and the responsible choice in this election,” he said.
“Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television, this is reality.
“Let’s elect a sane, competent person with international experience. Aunifier who is mature enough to reach out for advice, to build consensus and to recognise that we all have something to contribute.”
11:25am
Sam Clench
Vice President Joe Biden opened his speech by paying tribute to his son Beau, who was killed by brain cancer last year.
“In 2008, when he was about to deploy to Iraq, and again in 2012, our son Beau introduced me to the country and placed my name in nomination. You got a glimpse of what an incredibly fine young man Beau was,” Biden said.
“As Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world breaks everyone, and afterwards many are strong at the broken places.’ I’ve been made strong at the broken places by my love Jill, by my heart, my son Hunter, and the love of my life, my Ashley.
“We think about the countless thousands of other people who’ve suffered so much more than we have with so much less support, so much less reason to go on, but they get up every moment, every day.
“That’s the unbreakable spirit of the people of America. That’s who we are.”
Biden pivoted from there to speak about Hillary Clinton’s record.
“I’ve known Hillary for well over 30 years. Before she was First Lady. When she became First Lady. We served together in the United States Senate. And during her years as Secretary of State, we had breakfast in my home once a week.
“Everybody knows she’s smart. Everybody knows she’s tough. But I know what she’s passionate about. I know Hillary.
“We all understand what it’ll mean for our daughters and granddaughters when Hillary Clinton walks into the Oval Office as president of the United States of America. It will change their lives.
“There’s only one person in this election who will help you. There’s only one person in this race who will be there. Who’s always been there for you. And that’s Hillary Clinton’s life story.”
Finally, Biden took aim at Donald Trump, attacking the Republican nominee with as much venom as any other speaker at the convention.
“We should really think about this. His cynicism is unbounded. His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in the phrase I suspect he’s most proud of: ‘You’re fired.’
“Think about everything you learned as a child. No matter where you were raised. How can there be pleasure in saying you’re fired?
“He’s trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break. That’s a bunch of malarkey ... This guy doesn’t have a clue about the middle class. Not a clue.
“He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually he has no clue, period.”
The partisan crowd was pretty fired up at this point, but Biden told everyone to pipe down so he could make a serious point.
“This is a complicated and uncertain world we live in. The threats are too great, the times are too uncertain, to elect Donald Trump as president of the United States,” he said.
“No major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security.
“We cannot elect a man who exploits our fears of ISIS and other terrorists who has no plan whatsoever to make us safer. A man who embraces the tactics of our enemies. Torture, religious intolerance. You all know, the Republicans know, that’s not who we are. It betrays our values.
“We cannot elect a man who belittles our closest allies while embracing dictators like Vladimir Putin.
“We lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.”
10:45am
Sam Clench
Former Secretary of Defence and CIA Director Leon Panetta took a shot at Donald Trump’s controversial comment about Russia.
“Donald Trump, who wants to be president of the United States, is asking one of our adversaries to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States to affect our election,” he said.
10:15am
Sam Clench
Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who suffered brain damage after being shot in the head in 2011, made an emotional appearance on stage alongside her husband to endorse Clinton. She said she wanted a president who would act on gun violence.
“Strong women get things done,” she said. “She will stand up to the gun lobby. That’s why I’m voting for Hillary.
“Speaking is difficult for me. But come January, I want to say these two words - Madam President.”
Giffords: "Speaking is difficult for me. But come January, I want to say these two words: Madam President" https://t.co/g1T78lkYSL
— CNN (@CNN) July 28, 2016
9:40am
Sam Clench
You may have forgotten this, but former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley was once among Hillary Clinton’s rivals. He participated in a few of the Democratic debates earlier this year before promptly dropping out in a blaze of something not quite approaching glory.
Today, he returned to the spotlight with his sleeves rolled up to sledge Donald Trump. Here are a couple of his best efforts.
• “He says, and I quote, ‘The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese.’ I’ll tell you what. If the Chinese were really capable of designing some kind of diabolical force to hurt America, they wouldn’t invent global warming. They’d invent Donald Trump!”
• “Wages are too high? I’ll tell you what’s too high. College tuition is too high. The cost of childcare is too high. The number of American children who live in poverty is too high. Donald Trump’s opinion of himself - that’s way too high!”
We haven’t heard zingers this brutal since Bill Shorten was last in form.
9:15am
Sam Clench
The White House has released a few excerpts from President Obama’s upcoming speech to the convention. Apparently, he stayed up until 3:00am after the First Lady’s speech earlier this week, tweaking his own.
“Nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office,” Obama will say.
“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.
“No matter how daunting the odds, no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.”
Obama’s speech will reportedly focus on Clinton - not the President’s own record in office.
8:55am
Sam Clench
Fusion has noticed something interesting about yesterday’s events at the convention. While Hillary Clinton made history by officially becoming the first female nominee of a major party, most newspapers led their coverage with a photo of her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
Hillary Clinton, first woman to win the presidency! Let's put a big pic of her husband on the front page! pic.twitter.com/hRzu9VxuSE
— kelsey mckinney (@mckinneykelsey) July 27, 2016
“Sexism is often subtle, found in small encounters and micro-aggressions. But this, well, this is blatant. Choosing to run a photo of Bill Clinton on the night of Hillary’s nomination is an editorial statement that his presence at a convention is more important than her big win,” Fusion wrote.
“Choosing a picture of Bill Clinton plays into a narrative that many opponents of Hillary’s use: that she is only nominated for president because he once was. And that undermines her years of public service, her many prominent political positions, and her obvious qualifications. It’s sexism at its finest.”
That might be a little harsh. Hillary Clinton wasn’t at the convention yesterday, so there were no fresh photos of her to use on all those front pages. And while she did officially win the nomination, we’ve known the result of the Democratic primary for ages now.
But hey, I’m a guy. I’ll leave you to judge.
.@WSJ makes courageous decision to cover historic nomination of a woman with pic of her husband #HillaryClinton pic.twitter.com/qv6awW0Fed
— Kaitlyn Pritchard (@KaitPritchard) July 27, 2016
8:35am
Sam Clench
It takes a lot for Donald Trump to surprise people these days, but he certainly rose to the challenge overnight.
Trump managed to spark howls of outrage from national security experts across the political spectrum with a bizarre comment involving Russia and Hillary Clinton’s emails.
“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he jokingly said at a press conference. “I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press!”
If Russia or any other country or person has Hillary Clinton's 33,000 illegally deleted emails, perhaps they should share them with the FBI!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2016
Trump was referring to tens of thousands of emails sent and received by Clinton during her time as Secretary of State. When the State Department started to investigate a private server Clinton had set up in violation of federal rules, her staff decided those 30,000 emails were “personal”, and destroyed them instead of handing them over.
What does this have to do with Russia? Well, the US believes Russian-backed hackers were behind the recent leak of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee. And if Vladimir Putin’s cronies are capable of hacking into the DNC’s emails, why wouldn’t they go after Hillary Clinton’s?
Given that context, Trump was essentially encouraging Russia to steal sensitive national secrets. At least, that’s what his critics claim.
Politico reports Philip Reiner, a former National Security Council (NSC) official, reacted to Trump’s press conference by calling him a “scumbag animal”.
“Hacking email is a criminal activity. And he’s asked a foreign government, a murderous, repressive regime, to attack not just one of our citizens but the Democratic presidential candidate. Of course it’s a national security threat,” Reiner said.
William Inboden, who worked for the NSC under President George W. Bush, said Trump’s joke was “tantamount to treason”.
“Trump’s appeal for a foreign government hostile to the United States to manipulate our electoral process is not an assault on Hillary Clinton, it is an assault on the Constitution,” he said.
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta said Trump had gone “beyond the pale”.
Trump has been criticised repeatedly over his perceived admiration for Vladimir Putin — he’s complimented the Russian president’s leadership on several occasions — and critics argue his stance towards Russia is too sympathetic.
Last week, the Trump told the New York Times he wouldn’t necessarily honour America’s NATO agreements if Russia invaded an eastern European country.
Trump talking Putin goes from "he called Obama the n-word" to "I hope he likes me" in 20 seconds. pic.twitter.com/u1iNXOpQmL
— Elliott Schwartz (@elliosch) July 27, 2016
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