First things first, I have to give a big shout-out to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. He had the unenviable task of following Vice President Joe Biden and preceding former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, two huge cults of personality. Even sandwiched between them, Reed did a great job. He gave Atlanta the credit it deserves for the prosperity he has nurtured and the progress it has made since he took office in 2010. He made a strong case for Secretary Hillary Clinton and compelling call for unity. He reminded us that we must choose “diversity over division.” To sum it up, he could not have done a better job of representing our city and our state.
The rest of day four was just as compelling. There was a big focus on gun control, as there should be. Every speaker yesterday remembered that this country has seen far too much tragedy at the hands of deranged individuals with guns. Not just guns, but in many cases, high-powered weapons of war. We heard from presidents, vice presidents, mothers, and fathers about how the lack of gun control has impacted their lives. Children have been lost. People have been slaughtered because of who they love. Yesterday was a firm reminder of how far we have left to go in making America safe. Come 2017, I have no doubt that gun control will be a priority for President Clinton.
Towards the end of the night, Democrats heard from vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, Biden, and President Barack Obama. Kaine did a solid job of introducing himself to a majority of Democrats, but is clearly more comfortable speaking off the cuff than in front of a teleprompter. Biden offered a stirring speech about how he has persevered through loss throughout his political career. It was a reminder of how lucky we were to have him serving as vice president. President Obama gave one of the finest speeches of his career, which should come as no surprise given his skill as an orator and close relationship with Clinton.
The sheer amount of experience on stage last night was staggering, contrasting directly with what we saw at the GOP convention last week. These are the sorts of people we need leading the nation, people who know how government and public policy work, not insecure businessmen who can hardly run a reality show, much less a country.
The message clearly on display yesterday was a message of optimism. “The American Dream is something no wall will ever contain,” President Obama rightly said last night. If you want to move forward, if you want to be led by a woman who has what it takes to make America greater, vote for Clinton. She will build bridges to give everyone a path to that American Dream. Even President Obama, a man who has held the office of the presidency with more integrity and class than any president in my lifetime, acknowledged that she would enter the Oval Office better prepared than either himself or former President Bill Clinton. I firmly believe that she would be one of the greatest presidents the United States has ever seen. To pass up that opportunity would be one of the most truly disturbing decisions in the history of our country. Let’s get this one right, America.