Bill Clinton says Americans should elect ‘real’ Hillary Clinton

Americans should elect Hillary Clinton because she is the “the best darn change maker I have ever known” said the man who married her.

Earlier in the day, Hillary Clinton made American history becoming the first female nominee for President of either major political party. In a dramatic show of Democratic party unity, her primary challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a suspension of the rules so that his significant number of delegates could be reversed to Clinton’s column allowing for a unanimous selection.

In a 42-minute address at the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton described his and Hillary’s life together, starting his speech with, “In the spring of 1971, I met a girl.”

Clinton in his speech described seeing her for the first time in class and then exchanging their first words in a Yale law library. Twice she refused his requests to marry her even though she moved to Arkansas to teach at the Fayetteville law school, until finally he bought a house in Fayetteville she liked and she agreed to say yes. They were married in 1975.

Clinton described her work in the years when he was attorney general and governor, including the first year, when they learned she was pregnant with their daughter, Chelsea. He repeatedly praised her as a mother.

In 1979, he asked her to chair a rural health committee. In 1983, she chaired an effort to introduce new education standards that included requiring elementary counselors in every school, leading the chair of the Education Committee to say, “Looks to me like we elected the wrong Clinton.” Hillary Clinton started Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and brought to Arkansas the HIPPY preschool program.

“She did all this while being a full-time worker, a mother, and enjoying our life,” he said. “Why? Well, she’s insatiably curious. She’s a natural leader. She’s a good organizer. And she’s the best darn change maker I ever met in my entire life.”

He also spoke of their years in the White House. After their efforts to reform health care failed, he said she began working to solve those health care issues one by one. Among the results was the Children’s Health Insurance Program and a bill Hillary Clinton passed with Clinton opponent Rep. Tom Delay, R-Texas, that increased adoptions for children out of foster care. He did not mention his impeachment proceedings or the events that led up to them.

Clinton then described Hillary Clinton’s work as a senator, where he said she helped respond to the September 11 attacks, and her work as secretary of state, where he said she negotiated agreements that included efforts to combat online terrorism and the first negotiated agreement for China and India to reduce carbon emissions. He said she had worked to empower women and girls and the LGBT community.

Clinton said Republicans at their convention last week see Clinton as a threat, so they’ve created a cartoon they are now running against.

He compared the person Republicans described with the one he said he knew and said, “One is real. The other is made up. … Good for you, because earlier today, you nominated the real one.”

Hillary Clinton briefly addressed the convention after her husband’s speech by video. She is expected to formally accept the nomination in a primetime speech on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, is expected to endorse Clinton. Also, President Barack Obama and Clinton’s running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., will address the convention.