[ad_1]
President Joe Biden solidified the Democratic Party’s decision to elevate Kamala Harris to lead the fight against Republican Donald Trump for the White House in a convention speech on Monday (Aug. 19), praising his vice president as the best hope for preserving American democracy.
Biden took center stage on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, winning a lengthy standing ovation from party faithful and delivering a farewell speech to the party he has served for half a century — even though he still had five months left in his term.
After his daughter Ashley introduced Biden, Biden wiped away tears and waved to the crowd holding signs that read: “We (support) Biden.” He replied with a big smile: “I love you.”
“Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and America? I ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz?” Biden said.
Biden has repeatedly criticized Trump and pledged to be the “best volunteer” Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Waltz, have ever met.
Biden’s speech in Chicago kicked off four days of events fueled by enthusiasm for Harris and relief that Biden had abandoned his own reelection bid and endorsed her to succeed him.
The president reluctantly made the decision to resign on July 21 amid intense pressure from party leaders who feared the 81-year-old incumbent was too old to win or serve another four years.
Biden said: “I love this job, but I love my country more,” and the audience shouted “We love Joe”.
Biden, who ran as running mate to Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, urged Democrats to unite behind the candidate. If Biden wins the Nov. 5 election, she would become the first woman, black and South Asian to be elected president of the United States.
Harris is riding a historic whirlwind heading into the convention: Her campaign has broken fundraising records, packed stadiums with supporters and swung polls in some battleground states in Democrats’ favor.
She walked onto the stage and hugged Biden after his speech on Monday.
Just a month ago, Biden was expected to give a high-profile speech later this week accepting the Democratic nomination for another four-year term. Instead, he will be heading to California for the holiday.
Biden abandoned his reelection bid after a poor performance in a debate with Trump on June 27, leading longtime allies, major donors and other party supporters to call for his resignation.
In his speech, Biden touted his administration’s achievements – boosting the U.S. economy and strengthening U.S. alliances overseas – and called on Americans to elect Harris as their successor to the White House.
He condemned the racism and white supremacy that continue to plague the United States, saying they have no place in the country.
He contrasted Harris, a prosecutor, with Trump, a convicted felon, and listed what he called the former president’s foreign policy failures, accusing him of capitulating to Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaving NATO in limbo.
Biden criticized Trump for calling the U.S. a failed nation. “He’s a loser,” Biden said passionately.
Unlike most speakers earlier in the program, Biden acknowledged the anger of the thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered outside the chamber on Monday and said he had been working nonstop to achieve a ceasefire.
“Those who took to the streets to protest had a point,” he said. “A lot of innocent people were killed on both sides.”
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters gathered in a nearby park to pressure deputies to drop their military support for Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The number of pro-Palestinian protesters was smaller than the tens of thousands that organizers had predicted, but a small group left the main march and broke through a security cordon near the convention center, drawing riot police who detained four people.
Harris guest star
Harris, 59, made a surprise appearance earlier in the evening and vowed to defeat Trump, drawing cheers from the crowd.
“Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear, and let us always remember that in battle we shall be won!” Harris, who will formally accept the nomination on Thursday, told a cheering crowd.
Democrats also cheered on failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, whose defeat to Trump in 2016 dashed hopes of becoming the first woman to win the White House.
Clinton, who became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major U.S. political party, received a standing ovation when she took the podium on Monday.
“My life story and the history of our nation shows that progress is possible but not inevitable,” said Clinton, who also lost to Obama for the 2008 presidential nomination.
She praised Biden for restoring decency, dignity and competence to the White House.
“Now, we are writing a new chapter in American history,” Clinton said. “Kamala’s character, experience, and vision will lead us forward.”
Clinton has repeatedly slammed her former opponent. “Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial and woke up to make his own history by becoming the first presidential candidate to be convicted of 34 felonies,” she said with a laugh.
Read more by Euractiv
[ad_2]
Source link
