Bill Clinton described Hillary as a "real change maker"

Former President Bill Clinton. File photo.

by Lauren Dow
Journalism Intern

Tuesday night 47th President Bill Clinton spoke in support of his wife and Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton. The night’s theme was "A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families," based on Hillary Clinton's biography.

Before his speech, a brief video focused on Clinton’s time as president and his dedication to the betterment of the American people. In the video, Clinton supporters spoke about the impact of his administration on their lives, one said he saw “hearts and minds and not colors.” It is with this mindset that Bill Clinton took the stage to speak of those traits, that are even further embodied in his wife’s work.

Clinton’s speech began with his initial reaction to the first time he saw Hillary “the first time I saw her, we were in a class on political and civil rights…she exuded a sense of strength and self-possession” that drew him in, but made him awestruck.

At their eventual introduction Bill Clinton said he was “speechless” with a small chuckle. Clinton delved even further into his and Hillary’s past, and said he finally “asked her to walk the art museum they have been walking and talking and laughing ever since. In good times and bad, in joy and heartbreak.”

Bill Clinton focused on both Hillary’s innate sense of humanity and caring for others, and her ability to turn that sense into action with real results for Americans. By time Clinton met her, she was already immersed in human rights and children’s issues. She took and extra year in law school to “figure out how to make things better” for others. Clinton said she was and is “always making things better.”

President Bill Clinton suggest that she should pursue public office, and told her “I know most of the young democrats our age, who want to go into politics they mean well and they speak well but none of them is as good as you are at actually DOING things to make positive changes in people’s lives.” Hillary declined, insisting no one would vote for her.

Hillary declined Bill’s marriage proposal two times before she finally accepted, moving to Arkansas with him so he could pursue his career. Clinton went on to describe, in detail, Hillary Clinton’s commitment to social justice and human rights and how she faced and those challenges head on to provide solutions.

He highlighted how “She worked to empower women and girls around the world and worked to make the same declaration on behalf of the LGBT community around the world.”

And described her as “Insatiable curious, a natural leader and she’s a good organizer and she’s the best darn change maker [he has] met in [his] entire life.”

Clinton ended his speech by reminding voters that they had a choice between the Trump and Clinton, and that democrats will not get the changes they want if they do not elect Hillary. He said “There are clear achievable, affordable responses to our challenges but we won’t get to them if America makes the wrong choice in this election that’s why we should elect her. “

Clinton returned to Hillary’s problem solving savvy and said “You could drop her into any trouble spot and somehow some way she will have made it better, that is just who she is,” he went on to apply this to every negative aspect of the Republican platform and contrasted it with Hillary’s history of inclusion and equality. Clinton circled back again expressing his belief that Hillary is a “real change maker.”  

This change making is what America truly needs, Clinton drove this  idea home with the conclusion of his speech, which was meant with thunderous applause. He said, “Hillary will make us stronger together, you know it because she has spent a lifetime doing it, so we must elect her. In the greatest country on earth, we have always been about tomorrow, your children and grandchildren will bless you forever if you do.”

Copyright - The Gayly - 7/26/2106 @ 10:46 p.m. CDT