Bill Clinton has
told Americans he believes "with all my heart" that President Barack
Obama saved the economy, had left them better off than four years ago and
should be re-elected.
The two-term
Democratic president, who remains highly popular nearly 12 years after leaving
office, delivered a comprehensive, unequivocal and glowing endorsement of
Obama's presidency in a prime-time speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, on
Wednesday night.
"No
president, no president - not me or any of my predecessors, no one could have
fully repaired all the damage he found in just four years," Clinton said
at the Democratic National Convention in the Time Warner Cable Arena.
"He has laid
the foundations for a new modern successful economy of shared prosperity and if
you ever need the president's contract: You will feel it. You will feel it
folks.
"Folks,
whether the American people believe what I said or not may be the whole
election, I just want you to know that I believe it. With all my heart I
believe it."
Patty Culhane,
reporting from Charlotte, said Obama came over to Clinton after the speech to
"personally thank him, and to show that they are the closest of
friends".
Our correspondent also
spoke with Linda Moore Forbes, former deputy political director under the
Clinton administration, about the length of Obama's speech, which was supposed
to be 28 minutes but lasted almost an hour.
"Think of his
State of the Union addresses, he would make things up, put things in because
he's there to make a compelling argument and to tell the story," Forbes
said.
"And no one
does it better than he does."
Direct rebuttal
Clinton, president
between 1993 and 2001, said Obama had "stopped the slide into depression,
... knowing all the while that no matter how many jobs were created and saved,
there were still millions more waiting, trying to feed their children and keep
their hopes alive".
He also offered a
direct rebuttal to Republican nominee Mitt Romney's claim that Obama had not
left them better off than they were four years ago.
Patty Culhane
reports on how Obama's foreign policy promises have met reality
"Are we where
we want to be? No. Is the president satisfied? No. Are we better off than we
were when he took office, the answer is Yes," Clinton said.
Obama joined him
on stage at the end of the address, in a symbolic uniting of two Democratic
eras, signifying a warming of the relationship between two men who once had
testy ties.
At the start of
his speech, Clinton formally nominated Obama as the Democratic Party's
presidential candidate.
"I want
Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States and I proudly
nominate him to the standard bearer of the Democratic Party," he said.
"I want a man
who believes with no doubt that we can build a new American Dream economy.
"After last
night, I want a man who had the good sense to marry Michelle Obama."
The last remark
drew cheers and smiles from the First Lady watching from a box the night after
her own convention speech.
Democrats'
'superstar'
The nearly 6,000
delegates and thousands of Democratic activists in the auditorium roared with
approval when Clinton strode on the stage to the music from his own campaign
theme song, Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop (Thinkin' About Tomorrow).
Patty Culhane,
reporting from the convention, said Clinton is "a superstar in political
circles".
"Despite all
the ups and downs of his presidency... he is still absolutely loved by Democrats,"
she said.
In-depth coverage
of the US presidential election
"He burst
onto the political scene in 1992, and really rewrote the rules of presidential
campaigning, and some even called him 'America's first black president'.
"While he was
in the White House, the economy was booming, and that is the message that he
will be trying to send tonight to the crowd of nearly 5,000 here, plus the
millions watching at home, that Democratic economic principles can help this
economy recover."
Nancy Pelosi, the House
minority leader, was also due to speak on Wednesday night, while addresses by
Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood president, and activist Sandra Fluke were
expected to show the divide between Democrats and Republicans on matters of
reproductive rights.
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