Hillary Clinton was supposed to be president. After all, she won the most votes in 2016.
In her speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, she reminded the crowd and the country not just of what might have been but what will be if Kamala Harris finally shatters that glass ceiling and makes it all the way to the White House.
Clinton took the stage to thunderous applause that simply would not end. Even as she tried, again and again, to give her remarks, the crowd of joyous Democrats kept on clapping and cheering for her.
And then, after nearly two minutes, they finally allowed her to speak.
“There is a lot of energy in this room,” Clinton said. “Just like there is across the country. Something is happening in America. You can feel it. Something we've worked for and dreamed of for a long time.”
Clinton thanked President Joe Biden for bringing “dignity, decency, and competence back to the White House.”
She told the story of Shirley Chisholm, the Black congresswoman who ran for president in 1972 and inspired the women who came after her.
She spoke at length about Harris’ experience as a lawyer.
“As a prosecutor, Kamala locked up murderers and drug traffickers. She will never rest in defense of our freedom and safety,” Clinton said. “Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history: the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions.”
That’s when the crowd broke into a righteous chant, years in the making: “Lock him up! Lock him up!”
Clinton, unlike her 2016 opponent, was far too gracious to join in the fun. But it didn’t stop the crowd from using the words of the convicted felon against him.
And then Clinton—whose critics used to accuse of her being too stiff and not being able to deliver the kind of soaring speech that would inspire others—gave one hell of a closing.
We are opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone. Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling. And tonight, so close to breaking through, once and for all, I want to tell you what I see through all those cracks, and why it matters for each and every one of us.
What do I see? I see freedom. I see the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our lives, our loves, our families. The freedom to work with dignity and prosper. To worship as we choose or not. To speak our minds freely and honestly. I see freedom from fear and intimidation, from violence and injustice, from chaos and corruption. I see the freedom to look our children in the eye and say, “In America you can go as far as your hard work and talent will take you,” and mean it.
And you know what? On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris, raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States! Because, my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls and clears the way for all of us.
So for the next 78 days, we need to work harder than we ever have. We need to beat back the dangers that Trump and his allies pose to the rule of law and our way of life. Don’t get distracted or complacent. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Volunteer. Be proud champions for the truth and for the country we all love.
I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here, and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through! The future is here! It is in our grasp! Let's go win it!
Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing.
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