First lady Michelle Obama argued that Donald Trump is no example for America’s children during an impassioned pitch for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday evening.
“It’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be president,” Obama said.
“Remember how I told you about his character and convictions, his decency and his grace, the traits that we’ve seen every day that he’s served our country in the White House?”
Obama talked about trying to protect daughters Sasha and Malia “through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight, how we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith.”
“How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country,” she added. “How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”
“With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents are their most important role models… this election and every election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives.”
Convention attendees waved purple signs with Michelle’s name while former President Clinton watched from the VIP box.
Obama threw her support behind Hillary, noting “there were plenty of moments when Hillary could have decided that this work was too hard, that the price of public service was too high, that she was tired of being picked apart for how she looks or how she talks or even how she laughs.”
“But here’s the thing. What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life,” she continued. “And when I think about the kind of president that I want for my girls and all our children, that’s what I want.”
“I want someone with the proven strength to persevere, someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed.”
The first lady said she wants “a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters, a president who truly believes in the vision that our Founders put forth all those years ago that we are all created equal, each a beloved part of the great American story.”
Obama reflected on “the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.”
“And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn,” she added. “And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”
“So, look, so don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth.”
Obama implored Dems to put the same effort into Hillary’s campaign as they did for her husband in 2008 and 2012.
“We cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best. We cannot afford to be tired or frustrated or cynical,” she said. “We need to knock on every door, we need to get out every vote, we need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States of America.”
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