But it lacks an essential Clinton signature: Many, many words, weaving here and there, in support of an argument that sometimes does not even sound like an argument until he has it all tied to the end. As president, his state of the union addresses sometimes reached nearly 90 minutes. And eight years ago, he spoke out against the Democratic National Convention nominating Barack Obama for a second term in a well-received address that lasted 48 minutes.
That appearance won him the label of ‘seller in chief.’ At this convention, he was more than the “comeo in chief,” with remarks that lasted about five minutes and were before the major non-cable networks began covering at 10 p.m. There were no indications that convention planners wanted him for more than that, and there were some Democratic activists critical of his policies and personal transgressions who wanted even less, as they did not at all.
His remarks reflect a long-held Clinton belief – that a light touch, delivered in conversational sounds, can land with more force against an opponent than florid indignation.
“If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day on TV and watching people on social media, then he’s your man,” Clinton said of Trump.
“Donald Trump says we are leading the world. “Now we are the only major industrial economy that has tripled its unemployment rate,” Clinton said. improvisation, insult, and blustery proclamation.
“In this job interview, the difference is strong,” Clinton said. “You know what Donald Trump will do in four years’ time: guilt, bullying and resentment. And you know what Joe Biden will do: build better. ”
It was crisp and captivating, but in no way was it vintage Clinton. That requires loquacity. In politics, his opinion is that words like food are on the buffet line: People like to fill their plates. One of his favorite lines on a crowded stage at political events is “Everything that needs to be said has been said, but not everyone has said it yet.”
A recent CBS News Democrats poll found that 56 percent of Clinton wanted to belong to the virtual convention, while 44 percent did not. That is not a robust majority for a president who left office after surviving an impeachment two years earlier, with ratings for a residency in the 1970s and overwhelming support from Democrats.
But Clinton’s relationship with his party has undergone many changes. In 1988, his nominating speech by Michael Dukakis was intended to be a stellar opportunity for a young politician on the rise. But too much ambient noise in the conventional hall of Atlanta, combined with a somewhat faint text, led to a disaster that drew ridicule.
Now, Clinton, spoke a day before his 74thth birthday, is an older leader, even if the loudest voices among progressives, especially younger ones, do not consider him uniform as an older statesman. Years ago, just when he was 50 years old, Clinton sometimes made a sarcastic remark about age, telling audiences how, “I have more yesterday than tomorrow.”
But here he is, almost a quarter of a century later, still at play, 40 years after his first speaking role at a Democratic convention in New York City in 1980. In the old days, people would look to Clinton, then known for his greatness. appetite, and commenting on whether his hefty frame might require a visit to the mate. These days, he makes comments about whether he has gone over it slim to vulnerable.
But he seemed to be tough enough because he was targeting a president two months older than him on behalf of a Democratic challenger who was nearly four years older.
“In a time like this,” Clinton said, “the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it is a storm center. There is only chaos. One thing never changes – his determination to deny responsibility and blame ‘The dollar never stops there.’
