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The Democratic Strategist

Political Strategy for a Permanent Democratic Majority

Democratic Strategist

President Obama: ‘There has never been a man or a woman, not me, not Bill, nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America’

The full text of President Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention in Cleveland  follows below:

Thank you, everybody. Thank you. I love you back. Hello, America. Hello Democrats.

So, 12 years ago, tonight, I addressed this convention for the very first time. You met my two little girls, Malia and Sasha, now two amazing young women who just fill me with pride. You fell for my brilliant wife and partner, Michelle, who has made me a better father and a better man, who’s gone on to inspire our nation as first lady. And who somehow hasn’t aged a day.

I know, the same cannot be said for me. My girls remind me all the time. Wow, you’ve changed so much, daddy. And then they try to clean it up. Not bad, just more mature. And, and it’s true. I was so young that first time in Boston. And look, I’ll admit it, maybe I was a little nervous. Addressing such a big crowd.

But I was filled with faith. Faith in America. The generous, big-hearted, hopeful country that made my story, that made all of our stories possible. A lot’s happened over the years. And while this nation has been tested by war, and it’s been tested by recession, and all manner of challenges, I stand before you again tonight after almost two terms as your president to tell you I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before. How could I not be?

After all that we’ve achieved together. After the worst recession in 80 years, we fought our way back. We’ve seen deficits come down, 401ks recover, auto industry set new records, unemployment reach eight-year lows and our businesses create 15 million new jobs. After a century of trying, we declared that health care in America is not a privilege for a few, it is a right for everybody.


Sanders: “Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close”

The text of Senator Bernie Sanders’s address to the opening night of the Democratic Convention, which follows below, is cross-posted from npr.org.

Good evening. Thank you. Thank you very much. It is an honor…thank you. Thank you very much. It is an honor to be here tonight. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

It is an honor to be here tonight and to be following in the footsteps of my good friend, Elizabeth Warren. And to be here tonight to thank Michelle Obama for her incredible service to our country. She has made all of us proud.

Let me begin by thanking the hundreds of thousands of Americans who actively participated in our campaign as volunteers. Let me thank the two and a half million Americans who helped fund our campaign with an unprecedented 8 million individual campaign contributions. Anyone know what that average contribution was? That’s right – $27. And let me thank the 13 million Americans who voted for the political revolution, giving us the 1,846 pledged delegates here tonight – 46 percent of the total. And delegates: thank you for being here, and thank you for all the work you have done. I look forward to your votes during the roll call on Tuesday tomorrow night.

And let me offer a special thanks to the people of my own state of Vermont who have sustained me and supported me as a mayor, congressman, senator and presidential candidate. And to my family – my wife, Jane, our four kids and seven grandchildren – thank you very much. for your love and hard work on this campaign.

I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am. But to all of our supporters – here and around the country – I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.