Hillary Clinton's Speech Not Great but pointed to Obama, Your Comments?

Transcript: Hillary Clinton’s Convention Speech

I am honored to be here tonight. A proud mother. A proud Democrat. A proud American. And a proud supporter of Barack Obama.

My friends, it is time to take back the country we love.

Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines.

This is a fight for the future. And it’s a fight we must win.

I haven’t spent the past 35 years in the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women’s rights at home and around the world . . . to see another Republican in the White House squander the promise of our country and the hopes of our people.

And you haven’t worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership.

No way. No how. No McCain.

Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our President.

Tonight we need to remember what a Presidential election is really about. When the polls have closed, and the ads are finally off the air, it comes down to you — the American people, your lives, and your children’s futures.

For me, it’s been a privilege to meet you in your homes, your workplaces, and your communities. Your stories reminded me everyday that America’s greatness is bound up in the lives of the American people — your hard work, your devotion to duty, your love for your children, and your determination to keep going, often in the face of enormous obstacles.

You taught me so much, you made me laugh, and . . . you even made me cry. You allowed me to become part of your lives. And you became part of mine.

I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism, didn’t have health insurance and discovered she had cancer. But she greeted me with her bald head painted with my name on it and asked me to fight for health care.

I will always remember the young man in a Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said to me: “Take care of my buddies; a lot of them are still over there….and then will you please help take care of me?”

I will always remember the boy who told me his mom worked for the minimum wage and that her employer had cut her hours. He said he just didn’t know what his family was going to do.

I will always be grateful to everyone from all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the territories, who joined our campaign on behalf of all those people left out and left behind by the Bush Administrtation.

Source: npr.org via politisite

Read The rest of the Speech HERE

DENVER — Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s speech to the Democratic National Convention today is perhaps the most highly anticipated address (aside from Barack Obama‘s acceptance speech) of the week.

Questions about Clinton’s relationship with Obama have lingered in the months since the primary ended and a number of supporters of the New York senator have said that they cannot support Obama under any circumstances.

So, what does Clinton need to do tonight to heal the wounds of the primary? We polled a number of sharp Democratic operatives on just that question. Their takes as well as a few of The Fix’s own observations are below. Have thoughts of your own about Clinton’s upcoming speech? Sound off in the comments section.

1. Acknowledge her supporters: Clinton won more than 18 million votes in the primaries and, for many of those who voted for her, the candidacy was less a campaign than a cause. (Side note: Clinton’s campaign did a poor job of putting those passionate advocates front and center — allowing Obama to look like the movement candidate with grassroots energy behind him.) Given how strongly many Democrats feel about her, Clinton must spend some time in her speech making note of the sacrifices made by those who worked and voted for her. By revisiting what was accomplished during her campaign, Clinton, in effect, primes the pump with her supporters for a pitch for Obama.

2. Use Humor: One of Clinton’s secret weapons, which she used only sparingly in the primaries, is her sense of humor. Hard to believe for some but the New York senator is genuinely funny and thinks quickly on her feet. Humor is a great disarmer and Clinton would do well to throw a few self-deprecating references into her speech tonight a la Al Gore‘s now-famous: “I used to be the next president of the United States” line.

3. Connect Clinton-Obama Messages: In the speech with which she bowed out of the presidential race, Clinton suggested that, despite the heated campaign, she and Obama were not all that different — that Obama’s campaign was a logical extension of her candidacy. “I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic party is a family and now it is time to restore the ties that bind us together,” Clinton urged at the time. “We may have started on separate journeys but today our paths have merged.” Clinton must pick up on that idea tonight, arguing that the differences between the two candidates in the primaries were largely personality-driven not policy-focused.

4. Go at McCain: The old adage — the enemy of my enemy is my friend — still holds. And, while lots of Clinton supporters may be skeptical about Obama, they agree with the Illinois Senator on many more issues than they do with John McCain. Clinton would do well to throw some red meat to the crowd tonight — hitting McCain as out of touch on the economy, as a third term for President Bush, etc. — for two reasons: First, it will remind her backers of why they are Democrats in the first place and, second, it will get the Obama partisans, many of whom are tepid toward the Clintons, on her side during the speech. “She will talk about the differences between Republicans and Democrats, making clear some of the important distinctions between Senators Obama and McCain,” predicted former Clinton senior adviser Howard Wolfson.

5. Bigger is Better: The more magnanimous Clinton appears, the better for both herself and Obama. For Clinton who still seems to be mulling her next move in politics, any road that she will head down is made less bumpy by emerging as a leading advocate for Obama over the next few months — starting with tonight’s speech. It does Clinton no good to be seen as a timid or unwilling endorser; the more sweeping she is in her praise for Obama, in the idea that the man and the moment have come together, the more she will endear herself to those Democrats who grew alienated from her and her husband during the primary process. And, the more gracious Clinton is tonight, the easier it is for Obama to return the favor on Thursday and, in doing so, start the healing process in earnest.

Source: voices.washingtonpost.com via politisite

Update: 10:45 ET-Clinton Gets Longer Applause the Michelle Obama

Update 10:54 ET- Sen. Hillary Clinton tells convention delegates: “Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president.” (Source: CNN)

Update 1055 ET – Fox News States that Clinton is using clips from her old speeches. Added that she remembers fallen Democrats.

Update 11:06 ET – Keep Going! Excellent Oratory, Clinton, “If you hear the dogs, keep going, If you See the torches keep going”!

She will end it here!

Update 11:10 ET – She probably got 3/5 didn’t do well with Humor in this speech but made sure that each concluding sentence in a paragraph pointed to supporting Obama.

Update 11:18 ET – Karl Rove relates that, “Hillary Gave a great Speech”. “She hit on all 4 of the points that she needed to”. “He further related, “Hillary probably convinced most in the room that they should support Obama”.

Please comment on the speech. Let other readers see your take on the speech.

Standing on that stage

Dear

Standing on that stage tonight in front of 20,000 Democrats unified behind Senator Obama, I saw a bright future for America. I saw millions of people across the country working as one to elect the next Democratic President. I saw a new President and a new Congress giving a voice to the voiceless. I saw America, the land of endless potential, regaining its role as a leader in the world.

I couldn’t be prouder of our party, of our nominee, and of all the work you and I have done together over the course of this campaign on behalf of the American people.

I knew that as I stood in front of that podium, I wasn’t alone. I had you, and everyone who has supported me, standing right up there with me. And that means the world to me.

Thank you again for everything you’ve done. Now let’s get to work helping elect Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and all of our great Democratic candidates!

Sincerely,