Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party’s 2016 nomination.
PHILADELPHIA: Hillary Clinton on Tuesday became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party on a historic night on which her campaign also sought to reintroduce her to skeptical voters and calm continuing tensions here.
The former secretary of state formally secured the nomination during the roll call of states at the Democratic National Convention, which ended with a symbolic gesture: her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, asking that Clinton be declared the nominee by acclamation, a move that
prompted resounding cheers.
Soon after, Clinton sent out a video on Twitter showing Sanders’s remarks and declaring “Stronger together,” her campaign motto.
Sanders’s action, however, wasn’t sufficent to bring on board all of his delegates, some of whom walked out of the hall in protest, adding to the difficulties the party has had this week in displaying unity as Clinton faces a pitched battle against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The program then turned to a long series of speakers – to be capped by former President Bill Clinton – offering testimonials to Clinton’s character and record of service. They included a series of mothers who have lost their children to gun violence or in police custody and are fighting for reforms.
“Hillary is one mother who can ensure our movement will succeed,” said Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Tryvon Martin, who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida.
During the roll call of states at the Democratic National Convention, Clinton secured the 2,383 delegates needed to secure the party’s nomination when the South Dakota delegation cast its votes.
In a bid to show party unity, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the runner-up for the nomination, appeared on the convention floor at the end of the process and made a motion to suspend the rules and declare Clinton the nominee by acclamation.
Sanders’s gesture Tuesday night clearly did not bring all of his delegates into line. Many soon exited the hall, chanting, “Walkout! walkout! walkout!” As the program continued, most of the seats in delegations from Maine, Kansas, Alaska and Oklahoma – all states Sanders won against Clinton – were empty.
Several Oregon delegates, meanwhile, wrapped black cloth around their jaws, as gags, and headed into the hallway of the Wells Fargo Center. There they met dozens of angry delegates from other states, including Norman Solomon, a California delegate for Sanders who had been trying to organize a new Bernie Delegates Network into just this sort of protest.
The anger of the protesters was fueled in part by leaked emails showing that some DNC staff discussed ways to help Clinton and hurt Sanders in the primaries. The party’s chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, announced her resignation Monday following the revelations.
Speakers appearing later on the second night of the convention started offering testimonials about Clinton’s character and public service across a range of areas.
The program, billed as “Fights of Her Life,” appeared aimed at rehabilitating the image of a candidate with unusually high unfavorable ratings – though not quite as high as her Republican opponent, Donald Trump – and deep-seated trust issues.
Speakers were to talk about Clinton’s work for women and families, social justice, health care and global security, among other issues, her campaign said.
Source From : ndtv.com
