Clinton Delivers

 

With his speech on Day 3 of the Democratic convention Bill Clinton has re-established himself as the elder statesman of the party. I thought the speech was balanced, on message and he was happy to use his unique perspective to strike the first negative blows against the opposition. It was just what Obama needed in order to begin to turn the corner towards the true general election period.

Clinton made a convincing case as he outlined the flaws of the Bush years. Some of his points were the same complaints I have had. the only negative I would mention is that Clinton failed to draw an effective connection between McCain and Bush. At the end of the day, talking about the last four years is not going to work. Democrats have to look forward, even in their criticism.

It is interesting to note that even as a conservative and someone who has never been a fan of the Clintons, I found myself rooting for them over the last two days. The amazing applause both received for their speeches, especially Bill, was truly inspiring to watch. The symbolic passing of the torch by Hillary during the roll call was political theater at its best.

It will be hard for the GOP to top the tone of this day (and I haven’t even seen Biden speak yet) and the Clinton’s have ensured they will still be talked about four years from now. The most important conclusion I can draw from the events of today is that this race is far from over.