Hillary Clinton delivered the biggest speech of her life Thursday night and when she spoke these 10 words, she made history: “I accept your nomination for President of the United States.” Never before has a woman made that statement at a major party convention in the United States.
The crowd inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia erupted in applause and waved mini-American flags and placards with Clinton’s slogan “Stronger Together.”
“I’m so happy this day has come,” Clinton said when she noted the milestone she had reached, the barrier she had broken down, the glass ceiling she had cracked.
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But she didn’t spend too long on her entry into the history books, Clinton had other ground she needed to cover in this all-important speech that was aimed not just at Democrats in the room, but millions of Americans watching at home.
She acknowledged that although she’s lived in the public eye for decades and held high-profile positions, from first lady to secretary of state, “some people just don’t know what to make of me.” So she sought to explain herself — not just what she’s done, but why. She talked about her family and the lessons she learned growing up from her parents.
A ‘brilliant’ speech
She laid out her specific plans and her principles, telling voters what she believes in, and drew repeated contrasts between herself and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. At times she did that with crowd-pleasing lines that fired them up.
“Imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons,” she quipped.
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Delivering soaring speeches in huge arenas in front of thousands of people is not Clinton’s forté. But her friend Maryscott Greenwood, who worked for Bill Clinton during his presidency and is now a frequent political commentator, said she nailed it.
“Conventions are like the Olympics of politics. Hillary just won gold,” Greenwood wrote in an email after the speech. “Very proud.”
Tom D’Angora, a delegate from New York, said it was a “brilliant” speech and watching his “hero” accept the nomination was “the most exciting thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
I was in the midst of the balloon drop, as you can see pic.twitter.com/szAAtphVai
D’Angora, who worked on LGBTQ outreach for the Clinton campaign, is a huge fan. His socks had Clinton’s face on them, his custom-made Nike shoes had her initials embossed in gold. Even his wallet is custom with photos of Clinton on it.
He said it was good Clinton mentioned specific ideas and one of his favourite parts of the speech was when Clinton “doubled-down” on gun control, he said. She told voters she does not intend to take away their guns, she just wants to make sure they don’t get killed by people who shouldn’t have them, and the audience reacted with loud applause.
“I think it was her strongest soundbite to date on that,” said D’Angora.
Clinton thanks Sanders voters
Another moment that got the crowd cheering was when Clinton thanked Bernie Sanders and his supporters, and told them: “I want you to know I have heard you. Your cause is our cause.”
Hillary Clinton appeals to Sanders supporters1:44
Samantha Herring, a Sanders delegate from Florida, appreciated the outreach.
“I thought she did a great job bringing us together,” Herring said after the speech.
Next to her, Kira Willis was having a harder time offering unconditional praise for Clinton. She does plan on voting for her, but the passionate Sanders supporter is still emotional about his loss.
“It was a really great speech and I just hope she means what she says,” said Willis, clutching a teddy bear for support. She brought it after reading an article that said the stuffed toys can reduce stress. She cried, not tears of joy, during Clinton’s speech. “I’m drained, I’m emotional,” she said.
Juda Yuen was also overcome with emotion, but in a good way. When Clinton finished speaking and the balloons and confetti rained down on the people below, the journalist was wiping away tears.
“It was just really overwhelming,” Yuen said, noting that Clinton came across as competent and presidential.
“I never thought I would see this,” she said about the gender barrier Clinton broke Thursday night. “I just felt really proud.”
The pressure, the stakes and the bar were all high for Clinton, particularly considering the strong speeches that preceded her throughout the week by her husband, President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden.
The opportunity to reach millions of voters was one Clinton could not afford to waste.
She and Trump are not that far apart in the polls and Clinton has little room for error as she tries to appeal to those who don’t like her, and to independent and even Republican voters who may be willing to vote for her.
Hecklers drowned out
Lucia Baez, a Florida teacher, said on that note Clinton hit the mark.
“She was inspiring and unifying to all of us,” she said in between taking photos on the convention floor. “Not Democrats, not Republicans but us as a human race, as people who need to work together to keep us strong.
“This was beyond this room and the effects of this speech will go on throughout the rest of the campaign,” she said excitedly.
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Clinton’s speech concluded a convention that started with doubts about whether the party would coalesce, but it finished with a sense of unity — for the most part. There were a few hecklers during Clinton’s speech, shouting things like “No more war,” which were met with loud chants of “Hillary.”
There were a few people holding up “Jill Stein” signs for the Green Party leader who has become a Plan B for some Sanders supporters.
But there were also people holding signs reading “Ladies Night” and “A woman’s place is in the White House.”
The mood in the arena was celebratory, but Democrats left with a sense of determination and ready to fight for Clinton’s victory over Trump. Heather Steinmiller said she won’t rest easy until Clinton is sworn in as the 45th president.
“Tonight is a small crack in the glass ceiling but it’s not until her hand is on that Bible that it will actually be shattered,” said Steinmiller. “We are here to witness history but also to begin our fight until November.”