Former President Bill Clinton headlined the Democratic National Convention’s second day of speeches Wednesday night as delegates officially nominated President Barack Obama.
Clinton sounded a bit hoarse when he first addressed the crowd, but generated plenty of applause throughout a lengthy speech that lasted about 48 minutes. The line that garnered the most cheers during the first part of his speech referenced first lady Michelle Obama, whose address to the convention Tuesday night was highly regarded by convention-goers.
“I want to nominate a man … who had the good sense to marry Michelle Obama,” Clinton said to raucous laughter and cheers.
The former president then sought to contrast Obama’s economic vision with that of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Clinton ascribed a “trickle down” economic philosophy of lower taxes and spending cuts to Romney, while asserting that Obama wants to raise taxes on top earners and lower taxes on the middle class as part of a “balanced approach” to reducing the national debt.
“If you want a winner-take-all, you’re-on-your-own society, you should support the Republican ticket. But if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we’re-all-in-this-together society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” Clinton said.
He also focused a bit on higher education, citing a statistic that the U.S. now ranks 16th in the world in the percentage of young adults with college degrees. Obama has advocated for lower student loan interest rates and income-based repayment plans to curtail the rising costs of college, Clinton added.
At the end of his speech, Clinton was joined by Obama on stage to wild cheers from the crowd of delegates. The two embraced while Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” played in the background.
Clinton remains an immensely popular politician among Americans. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted before both parties’ conventions, Clinton has a favorability rating of 69 percent, compared to 53 percent for President Obama. Clinton’s current rating ranks higher than at any point during his eight years in office.
