Former President Bill Clinton returned to the Democratic National Convention stage on Wednesday, August 21 to denounce Donald Trump as selfish and praise Kamala Harris as focused on the needs of Americans, giving another of his emblematic, off-the-cuff addresses.
Clinton said November's election would be "'We The People' versus 'Me, Myself and I,'" firing up the third night of the DNC before vice presidential nominee Tim Walz got the chance to introduce himself to a national audience.
Democrats are hoping to build on the momentum that Vice President Kamala Harris has brought since taking over the top of the party’s presidential ticket last month. They want to harness the exuberance that has swept over their party since President Joe Biden stepped aside while also making clear to their supporters that they face a fierce battle with Republicans and former President Donald Trump.
Clinton, the nation’s 42nd president and a veteran of his party’s political convention going back decades, was once declared the "secretary of explaining stuff" by Barack Obama, whose reelection bid in 2012 was bolstered by a Clinton stemwinder at that year's DNC. Now 78 – the same age as Trump – Clinton's delivery was sometimes halting and his movements slower, but he delivered homespun lines about the election and urged Democrats to back Harris.
'Don't count the lies, count the I's'
"What does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself," Clinton said. "So the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the I's."
Clinton also said he was glad to have "a coach on our team," warming up for Walz, the Minnesota governor who has become known among supporters as a folksy, Midwestern teacher, football coach and dad. He's also been the target of Republican criticism over how he's portrayed his National Guard service and his personal story.
Organizers dubbed the night "a fight for our freedoms," with the programming focusing on abortion access and other rights that Democrats want to center in their campaign against Trump. Speaker after speaker argued that their party wants to defend freedoms – especially abortion access and voting rights – while Republicans want to take them away.