DNC Recap: Humanizing Hillary Clinton And The Scene In Philly

Did Bill Clinton make you think differently about Hillary? And what’s happening outside the convention hall?

President Bill Clinton painted a picture on Tuesday night of Hillary Clinton as a tireless advocate for justice and those in need during the second night of the Democratic National Convention. The bulk of the speech was a love story. The former president goes into (sometimes tedious) detail about how he met his future wife and courted her for years until she finally agreed to marry him.

From Bill Clinton’s speech:

 

“She’s insatiably curious, she’s a natural leader, she’s a good organizer, and she’s the best darn change maker I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

Humanizing someone who is hungry to become the most powerful person in the world is often not an easy task, and this year’s nominees bring with them special challenges in that regard. Did the former president make you think differently about Hillary? Do personal stories about any candidate influence your vote — and should they?

WHYY Public Radio reporter and producer Jay Scott Smith joins Detroit Today to talk about the speech. Smith, a Detroit native and former WDET intern, also gives us an update on what’s going on outside the convention hall in Philadelphia. He says it’s difficult to compare the protests and discord in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention to what’s happening this week in Philly.

“All the anger was pretty focused inside the building in Cleveland,” says Smith. “Here, it’s been more focused outside. The protests have gotten bigger and gotten louder. And, obviously, yesterday it got angrier when a number of the Bernie delegates got up and walked out. After the roll call vote made it official that Hillary got the nomination, they staged a sit-in in the media tent. And they were very upset.”

To hear more of the conversation, click on the audio player above.

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