WASHINGTON – Former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday night made a fierce choice for voters in the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention: Everyone chooses a “go-to-work president” in Democrat Joe Biden or re-elect Donald Trump, who it would use a second term to “make debt, bullshit and smaller.”
“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. “Exploring, distracting and destroying works great as you try to destroy and emerge. But in a real crisis, it collapses like a house of cards.”
In contrast, Clinton said, Democrats are “united in offering you a very different choice: a go-to-work president. A down-to-earth, get-the-job-done guy. A man with a mission : to take responsibility, not to shift the guilt; to concentrate, not to distract; to unite, not to divide. ”
It was vintage Bill Clinton, both a favored distinction from Biden and a wild, ridiculous critique of Trump.
“Donald Trump says we’re leading the world. Well, we’re the only big industrial economy that has tripled its unemployment rate,” Clinton said.
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes – its determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The goat never stop there. “
Clinton framed the November election as a hiring decision, the same way he did in his memorable 2012 convention speech in support of then-President Barack Obama.
“In this job interview, the difference is stark,” Clinton said in his pre-recorded remarks. “You know what Donald Trump will do in four more years: guilt, bullying, and forgetting. And you know what Joe Biden will do: build better.”
Since Clinton’s speaking role was announced earlier this summer, some in the party have questioned whether Clinton’s “New Democrat” vision of America still belongs to today’s increasingly progressive Democratic party.
Clinton’s speech Tuesday, though brief, should satisfy those doubters.
The former president once again showed that he can deliver a compelling message about economic opportunity and a strong social safety net, the same message that Democrats have brought to victory in presidential elections since the Great Depression.
“Joe Biden wants to build an economy that is much better suited to our changing world. Better for young people. Better for families, work and raise their children. Better for people who have lost jobs and need new ones. Better for farmers who are tired of collateral damage in trade wars, “Clinton said.
“Joe will not just put his signature on a check and try to trick you into thinking it came from him. He will work to make sure your salary reflects your contribution to and your interest in a growing economy.”
Yet there was no diminishing Clinton status among Democrats to ignore. For the first time in 30 years, the former president did not receive a key-speaking lock at the convention, a decision that reflects his wounded legacy in the Me Too era.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak Wednesday night.
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