Democratic National Convention

Former+President+Bill+Clinton+addresses+the+crowd+at+the+2016+Democratic+National+Convention.+

Former President Bill Clinton addresses the crowd at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

On Tuesday July 26th 2016, the Democratic National Convention’s second day began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democrats from across the nation flocked to show their support for candidate Hillary Clinton, her running mate Tim Kaine, and pledged candidate Bernie Sanders. Philadelphia was chosen as the epicenter of the historical event due to the city’s affiliation with the hub of American Democracy. Because the state has 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is labeled as a state a candidate cannot afford to lose. The first Democratic National Convention was held on May 21st to May 23rd 1832 in Baltimore, Maryland, with nominees Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. The first Democratic National Convention established new rules, which set the framework for political conventions that take place today.

Among the enthusiasm of many voters, the Convention was also making major changes in its committee during the course of the week. The Democratic National Convention opened without Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the head of the convention committee due to her resigning her position as a result of emails being leaked that showed favor of candidate Hillary Clinton. Throughout the course of the week, many speeches were given within the Pennsylvania Convention Center. These meetings of council member and civilians, are known as caucuses, and include the communities of African Americans, Hispanics, women, and veterans. A key event in the women’s caucus was when Donna Brazile spoke, making her the first black female to keynote at the DNC. Brazile quoted First Lady Michelle Obama during her speech, declaring “When things get low, we get high”.

As the evening progressed, roll call took place in the Wells Fargo Center, and this process is the beginning of formalizing Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee. As Vermont was called on to cast their votes, Senator Bernie Sanders addressed the crowd and asked that the proceedings be suspended and ask for Clinton to be nominated by the acclimation. During the evening, many speakers took the stage at the Wells Fargo Center, some including the Mothers of Movement, Madeleine Albright, Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham and America Ferrera. The keynote speaker for that night was Former President Bill Clinton, who spoke of his early life with his wife Hillary, and the early makings of her career. “I’ve lived a long, full, blessed life. It really took off when I met and fell in love with that girl”, recounts the Former President. The night ended with a performance by singer Alicia Keys. Bill Clinton’s speech was in line with the theme of the second day of the convention: A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families”. The focus of the speakers were to demonstrate how Clinton has spent her entire career working to make a difference for children, families, and our country.

“I think Hillary will be elected because Trump is too xenophobic”, says Senior Maya S. “The DNC addressed a lot of pertinent issues by both discussing potential initiatives for changing problems and by inviting those affected by problems (i.e. Police brutality) to speak and share their experiences, thereby encouraging empathy.”