Former US President Bill Clinton.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Chicago: Americans in 2024 have a clear choice between "for the people" versus "me, myself, and I", former president Bill Clinton has said, as he rooted for Kamala Harris in the race for the White House and said she will be the "president of joy".
Clinton on Wednesday took the crowd at the National Democratic Convention through Harris' life story and said he believes that her candidacy represents for the country.
Her story is that of an America they all know is possible, he said, referring to the 59-year-old Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage.
America faces a “clear choice” between Harris and Donald Trump in November, Clinton said.
“In 2024, we gotta pretty clear choice, it seems to me,” Clinton said. “Kamala Harris, for the people, and the other guy, who has proved even more than the first go-around that he’s about me, myself and I.” “Kamala Harris will work to solve our problems, seize our opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure every single American, however they vote, has a chance to chase their dreams," Clinton, 78, said.
Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 election to former President Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee.
Clinton said he wants America that more joyful, inclusive, and future-focused.
"Where we weather the storms and earn the benefits together. That's the America Kamala Harris will lead. She's already made her first presidential decision, picking a running mate,” Clinton, who served two terms in the White House until January 2001, said.
Clinton riffed on the famous “place called Hope” line he gave at the 1992 Democratic convention to encourage Americans to vote the “president of joy,” Harris, into the White House.
Clinton, who is from Hope, Arkansas, famously said in the 1992 convention, “I still believe in a place called Hope.” On Wednesday, the former president said: “From a man who once had the honour to be called in this Convention, a man from Hope, we need Kamala Harris - the president of joy - to lead us.”
“Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and yes, the sheer joy, to get something done. I mean, look, what does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself. So, the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the ‘I’s.’” Clinton went on to criticise Trump's “vendettas, his vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies.” “He is like the tenors opening up before he goes on stage, like I did, by saying, ‘me, me, me, me, me.’ When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you, you,” Clinton said.
Clinton took a jab at Trump’s age.
“Two days ago, I turned 78, the oldest man in my family for four generations. And the only personal vanity I want to assert is I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” he said.
Clinton is just a few months younger than Trump, who turned 78 in June this year.
If Trump wins in November, he would be the oldest president at his swearing-in at 78 years and 219 days, surpassing President Joe Biden’s previous record of 78 years and 61 days.
He said Harris and her running mate Tim Walz have improbable, all-American life stories that "could only happen here, with careers starting in community courtrooms and classrooms." "Two leaders who have spent a lifetime getting the job done. A presidential election is a job interview for the greatest job in the world,” he said.
“When she was a student, she worked at McDonald's. She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, "How can I help you? And now, at the pinnacle of power, she's still asking "How can I help you?" I'll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she'll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald's,” said the former president.
Clinton said Harris has fought for kids that were left out and left behind. She's taken on gangs trafficking across the border and fought to protect the rights of homeowners.
“She's been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedom, and advanced America's interests and values all over the world,” he asserted.
“She'll work to make sure that no American working full-time has to live in poverty and that homeownership is an achievable dream, not a privilege. She will protect your right to vote, including your right to vote for someone else,” he said.