Yesterday [Monday, July 25] marked an exciting start to the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
With the theme “United Together,” speakers made a case for Hillary Clinton as the party nominee and largely advocated for bringing the party together against her Republican counterpart, Donald Trump.
Here are our five favorite moments from last night’s DNC:
When FLOTUS delivered her best speech yet.
Michelle Obama established her strong support for Clinton in a speech that was equal parts emotional and powerful. She reminded the crowd of Clinton’s relentless perseverance and her history of fighting for our children. Obama later choked up talking about watching her daughters play on the lawn of a house “built by slaves.”
She even threw in a subtle jab at Trump towards the end: “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.”
When Sanders tried to pledge his support for Clinton over the anger of his supporters.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, in a speech fitting with the night’s theme, stood behind Clinton and completed his speech asking for party unity—mainly against Trump. The audience didn’t take it very smoothly, however, as angry and disappointed Bernie supporters booed him for saying, “We must elect Hillary Clinton.” He tried to placate his supporters by reminding them his movement has sparked real change in politics, and despite their ire, remained firm in his decision that Trump winning the presidency is not an option.
When Anastasia Somoza spoke.
Anastasia Somoza, an advocate for people with disabilities, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia as a child. In her moving speech, she recounts meeting Clinton, who was then the First Lady, as a child, and mentions of her fight for disabled children. Specifically Somoza takes note of how Clinton never lost touch with her and has “invested in” her. The speech touched on an often-forgotten aspect of diversity in this election—disabled people.
When Sarah Silverman made a rookie mistake.
Standing with Minnesota Senator Al Franken, Sarah Silverman started strong. The comedian described her shift between Sanders and Clinton and her final decision to vote for Clinton. As she continued her speech, the crowd (filled with disgruntled Bernie supporters) grew louder and more out of control. Silverman retorted, “To the Bernie or Bust people, you’re being ridiculous.” Her criticism of the movement has been faced with strong backlash.
When Debbie Wasserman Schultz was booed off stage.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been under fire lately since WikiLeaks revealed emails proving organized bias between her and other DNC staffers against Bernie Sanders during the primaries. The scandal provoked her resignation as the DNC Chairwoman took responsibility. However, when she took to the stage to address fellow Florida lawmakers, chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” promptly booed her off stage.
Words: Francine Valerio
