Hillary Clinton formally accepted the nomination to be Democratic Party’s standard bearer as their presidential candidate on Thursday evening, and CNN’s America’s Choice 2016 panel couldn’t be happier. “The words that came to my mind were kind of— sturdy, steely,” CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger gushed, “It was not an oratorical masterpiece. It did have its great moments.” Borger continued to praise Clinton:
But she answered the question of why and she also was most passionate—to David's point again— on going after Donald Trump. Case by case, issues by issue on his temperament, on his world view, on the fact that she is a unifier, on this notion of American exceptionalism.
Borger also took a jab at Republicans by saying their convention couldn’t compete. “I think here the Democrats got handed the baton after the Republican convention,” she stated, “And what we've seen for the past four days culminating in this speech is that they ran with it. They ran with it.”
Former White House official David Axelrod explained that Clinton did well in catering to younger voters who supported her rival, “on campaign finance reform, on some populous economic issues.” “She invoked the historic moment in way I think was inspiring,” he said.
Van Jones agreed with Axelrod saying she touched on all of their interests in a truly “authentic way.” “If look at the speech, you actually see the impact positively of every one of these sort of movements of these young people,” Jones remarked. He went on the claim, “And it shows a level of political genius—and I will say that word, genius—and also heart to embrace those young people like she did tonight.”
The only dissenting voice on the panel was NewsBusters contributor Jeffrey Lord who argued that, “I'm looking at the Military Times which is saying that the troops prefer Trump to Clinton by a huge margin, almost two to one.” Former Bill Clinton speech writer Paul Begala responded by completely writing off their opinion, “The bigger question here is not, “Who do the troops support.” But, “Who supports the troops,” And she made the case she'll be better for the military than Trump.”
Transcript below:
CNN
America’s Choice 2016
July 28, 2016
11:40:13 PM EasternDAVID AXELROD: I think if there was one line that probably scored offensively against Donald Trump more than any other it was this one, “Imagine him in the oval office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man you can trust with nuclear weapons.”
VAN JONES: That’s the whole campaign right there.
AXELROD: I really think that that is— Look, I think there were really good moments in here. She did a lot of business— And Van can speak to this more really than I— with the Bernie Sanders supporters, on campaign finance reform, on some populous economic issues. She invoked the historic moment in way I think was inspiring. But I really think the race comes down to this. This is the critique I think that has the power to move the most people.
JEFFREY LORD: Well, let me just -- let me just say, I'm looking at the Military Times which is saying that the troops prefer Trump to Clinton by a huge margin, almost two to one. In other words, General Allen made this point, she's trying to make this point. But the very people she's talking about think that she doesn't have the judgment here to sit in the oval office based on her performance as secretary of state.
[Crosstalk]
PAUL BEGALA: The bigger question here is not, “Who do the troops support.” But, “Who supports the troops,” And she made the case she'll be better for the military than Trump.
GLORIA BORGER: Can I just say that when you take a look at this speech as a whole and listening to Hillary Clinton, and we know who she is. The words that came to my mind were kind of— sturdy, steely, Right? And it was not an oratorical masterpiece. It did have its great moments as David points out. But she answered the question of why and she also was most passionate—to David's point again— on going after Donald Trump. Case by case, issues by issue on his temperament, on his world view, on the fact that she is a unifier, on this notion of American exceptionalism. I think here the Democrats got handed the baton after the Republican convention. And what we've seen for the past four days culminating in this speech is that they ran with it. They ran with it.
[Crosstalk]
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ANDERSON COOPER: Also her line about, “America is great because America is good,” stuck out with me.
…
VAN JONES: And I think it's important to know— I mean look, I'm going to try to speak a little bit for the left wing of this party. It took some guts for Hillary Clinton to walk out on that stage. That stage -- she's talking about and talking to 43 percent people who voted against her. There were people wearing yellow, “enough is enough” t-shirts out there in large numbers. People weren't sure if they were going to stand up, if they were going to walk out, what they were going to do. It was a restless crowd.
But you what? If look at the speech, you actually see the impact positively of every one of these sort of movements of these young people. You see the Black Lives Matter impact, you see the Sanders supporter impact, the Young Dreamers impact, the Fight for 15 impact, the Climate Solutions impact, the LGBT impact, even Occupy Wall St. All of the things young people have been doing show up in the speech in an authentic way. I think that when this thing boils back down, I think the young people in this country who have been pushing and pushing and pushing have a lot to be proud of tonight. And it shows a level of political genius—and I will say that word, genius—and also heart to embrace those young people like she did tonight.
