Day 4 DNC Recap- Hillary Exceeds Expectations And Dems Leave Philly United

It was going to be an almost impossible job to top the incredible speeches from day 3 at the DNC. But while day 4 did not quite have the soaring rhetoric and polished delivery of some of the speeches from the night before, it did provide some powerful messages from lots of regular people, not politicians. Starting off with testimonials from the relatives of slain police officers was a great strategy and showed that Democrats understand the complexity of gun violence and racial justice. Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim soldier who died in combat in 2004, gave the most moving speech of the evening. In his very deliberate English, he spoke of the insults that Trump has hurled at Muslims and other minorities and asked if Trump had ever read the US Constitution. He pulled a copy from his breast pocket and offered to lend it to Trump so he could read about liberty and the equal protection of the law and he then asked if Trump had ever been to Arlington National Cemetery where he would see the graves of all faiths, genders, and ethnicities who died defending this country. He then said to Trump, "You have sacrificed nothing!". That was followed by a powerful message from retired 4 star General John Allen with other military members standing behind him as he not only supported Hillary but pointedly said to Trump, "Our armed forces, will not become and instrument of torture, and will not carry out murder … To our allies, listen closely: we are with you. America will not abandon you!" Chelsea Clinton gave a composed and personal introduction to her mom and then it was time for Hillary.

Hillary does not have the oratorical power of Biden or the Obamas, but she gave one of the better speeches of her career, becoming the first woman to be nominated to the top of the ticket of a major party in the US. The theme of her speech dovetailed perfectly with her campaign slogan, "Stronger Together", saying, "Americans don't say ‘I alone can fix it.’ We say ‘we’ll fix it together.'" in a pointed dig at Trump. And she also had nice attack at Trump with, "He also talks a big game about putting America First. Please explain to me what part of America First leads him to make Trump ties in China, not Colorado. Trump suits in Mexico, not Michigan. Trump furniture in Turkey, not Ohio. Trump picture frames in India, not Wisconsin. Donald Trump says he wants to make America great again – well, he could start by actually making things in America again". She recognized the problems the country was facing and the anxiety the electorate has and she offered empathy and policies to address them. In particular, her focus on rational gun control and taking money from the 1% who have made 90% of the gains in order to pay for her programs appealed to the populist sentiment across the country. She managed to provide a message of optimism and solutions, of faith and community, of pride and patriotism, while still recognizing the problems that confront the country. Perhaps there was a little too much policy for my taste, but that is really Hillary's strength.

Hillary's speech and the entire convention was a successful attempt to seize the middle ground from Trump and the Republicans. The optimism, faith, and patriotism that have traditionally been Republican themes were captured by the Democrats at this convention and were designed to appeal to a broader electorate than the typical Democratic base. And yet the policies and solutions offered here will resonate with that base. And, despite the die-hard Bernie supporters, the Democrats left Philadelphia extraordinarily unified and motivated to defeat Donald Trump this fall. It is hard to imagine they could have done much better than they did - the four days were a resounding success for Hillary and the Democratic party.