Washington — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clintonwho herself nearly became the first female president eight years ago, said Monday that the future was “within our grasp” in a forceful speech to the 70th U.N. General Assembly. First night of the Democratic National Convention.
“This is our time, America,” Clinton said. “This is our time to rise up. This is our time to break through. The future is here, it’s within our reach, let’s go and conquer it.”
Clinton’s speech came as Democrats showed a united front behind Vice President Kamala Harris After She replaced President Biden at the top of the ticket.
Clinton, who took the stage to warm and prolonged cheers from the crowd, said, “Something is happening in America, you can feel it,” calling it “something we’ve worked for and dreamed of for a long time.”
Eight years after accepting the party’s nomination for president at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Clinton said, “We are writing a new chapter in American history” with the nomination of Harris, who is the first woman of color to be nominated as a major party presidential candidate.
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In her speech, Clinton gave the audience a brief history of women breaking glass ceilings in politics — from winning the right to vote to her 2016 nomination, which she called “the honor of my life.”
“Nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where our dreams would know no limits,” Clinton said. “And then we refused to give up on America…we kept our eyes fixed on the future.”
“Well, my friends, the future is here,” she added, urging Americans to send Harris to the White House.
Like many Democrats before her, Clinton painted a bleak picture Monday of the nation’s future under Harris or a second Trump administration. She told voters they must choose between uniting as “we the people” or dividing into “us versus them.” And she added: “Kamala has the character, the experience and the vision to lead us forward.”
Clinton, who lost her presidential campaign to former President Donald Trump in 2016 and has been the target of Trump’s ire for years, said it was “no surprise” that the former president “lies about Kamala’s record, he makes fun of her name and her laugh.”
“That reminds me of something,” she joked, shrugging. “But he’s on the run now. So no matter what the polls say, we can’t let go.”
The former secretary of state said Harris’ victory would mean more than just one individual, saying it would elevate the nation by “opening up the promise of America wide enough for everyone.”
“Together, we have opened many cracks in the highest and hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said. “And tonight, this night when we are so close to shattering it once and for all, I want to tell you what I see through all of those cracks and why it matters to each and every one of us.”
“I see freedom,” she said. “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States.”
The convention comes less than a month after Biden dropped out of the race and quickly endorsed Harris as his replacement for the top job. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, quickly backed Harris’ bid for president.
Clinton also celebrated Mr. Biden on Monday, saying he had “brought dignity, decency and trust back to the White House.”
“He exemplified what it means to be a true patriot,” Clinton said. “Thank you, Joe Biden, for your life of service and leadership.”
