| In this speech, she argued that we must create coalitions to get the votes we need. She said that the social bargain that created the middle class is under threat. She told her family story, as a daughter of the middle class. She criticized CEO pay and corporate profits. She had a stunning statistic: more people went bankrupt last year than graduated college. She got huge applause for asked 'What does no child left behind mean?' She criticized shipping jobs overseas, and made a very interesting argument that linked that trend to the Bush deficit: She said that debt is the reason we can't be tough on China... You can't be tough with your banker.
As you might imagine, there was one area that ran into rough spots, and that was the part about the Iraq war. A number of people shouted criticisms and diagreements, including an organized group which I understand was Code Pink. There was a definitely a counter-reaction against the hecklers, though I don't think there was great enthusiasm for her position. She defended the non-binding resolution, and pointed out that she would not have started the war in October 2002 if she had been President. She argued that we need 60 votes to cut off funding. She proposed capping troop levels, and promised to end the war as President.
The war aside, she got a strong reaction to the rest of her speech. Energy independence and health care got her big cheers. She said that she can put together coalitions to make healthcare happen, not just make speeches about it or propose some bill that won't be passed. (I took this as an argument against the other Democrats.) She said she can 'actually get results' and smart, strong leadership to provide solutions that everyone knows we need.
Then she made a strong pitch that she is electable: I know a thing or two about winning campaigns. We have to stand up and fight back.
She got big applause for 'the first woman President.' She promised to face global warming, genocide in Sudan, war in Iraq.
Her big line at the end was We are that change.
Her ending rock music was 'You ain't seen nothing yet.'
Overall, she definitely aimed to sound more 'moderate' than Edwards -- or at least tempering expectations of what the current Congress can do -- while arguing that she is able to make coalitions and pass important bills. She also clearly was making the argument that she (in her own right, and as part of Bill Clinton's campaigns) actually has beaten the Republicans. |
