Inheritance

President Obama to Cast Hillary Clinton as Trusted Heir to His Legacy at DNC

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• published: 27 Jul 2016
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President Obama to Cast Hillary Clinton as Trusted Heir to His Legacy at DNC In what the White House calls the "biggest moment he has left" on the national stage, President Obama is expected to declare Hillary Clinton the new "torchbearer" of the Democratic Party and heir to his vision of "hope and change."Senior White House officials previewing Obama's remarks to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia said Obama would use the spotlight to focus on Clinton and her qualifications for the nation's highest office."Nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you've sat at that desk, you don't know what it's like to manage a global crisis or send young people to war," Obama will say, according to excerpts of his speech released by the White House. "But Hillary's been in the room; she's been part of those decisions. She knows what's at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran.""Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect," the president will say. "And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits."Unlike other recent outgoing two-term presidents, Obama will not offer a valedictory or detail a laundry list of accomplishments, the officials said. He is expected to bear witness to Clinton as a public servant, invoking what administration officials described as Obama's unique perspective on his former rival turned "trusted colleague."DNC Day 3: Live Updates and AnalysisWhat Will Bill Clinton Be Called if Hillary Clinton Becomes President?The president is the "only person in America who's mourned with every victim of a mass shooting in this country ... who's written to the family of every service member killed" during his term, one official said. He is expected to reference his experience and interaction with average Americans to paint an optimistic portrait of the state of the nation."The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous," Obama will say, according to the excerpts. "Sure, we have real anxieties '“ about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. ... But as I've traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I've rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I've also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America."The speech comes 12 years to the day that Obama first stepped into the national political spotlight at the 2004 Democratic Convention nominating John Kerry, and eight years after Obama formally defeated Hillary Clinton to clinch his own presidential nomination.Obama will make clear that Clinton is now the "torchbearer' of the Democratic Party, the administration officials said.As for Donald Trump, the president is expected to mention him by name, though "less than half a dozen times." The officials said that while the speech would not be about Trump or offer specific rebuttals to Trump proposals, Obama would frame the 2016 presidential election as about defending the "moral fabric of our country."Obama has been working on the address since early June, officials said.After watching his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, address the convention on Monday night, the president stayed up until 3:30 a.m. working on his speech, an official said.WATCH: Michelle Obama's Speech at the Democratic National ConventionThe president worked through half a dozen drafts and rehearsed the remarks out loud at the White House on Tuesday.While outgoing presidents typically have kept a low profile during the fall campaign, the White House says Obama is planning an aggressive public campaign schedule on behalf of Clinton."We've said to her that we will do whatever we can to help her," one Obama aide said.