Chicago – August 23, 2024
For Bill Clinton, there may have been a little déjà vu on the convention stage on Wednesday night. Democrats had just anointed a nominee to become the first woman ever elected president. They faced a Republican opponent they considered a buffoon. And they felt optimistic about victory.
But eight years after his front-running wife, Hillary Clinton, was upset by Donald J. Trump, Mr. Clinton warned Democrats not to make the same mistake as Vice President Kamala Harris takes on the same opponent. Joy is great, but it does not necessarily win elections. Polls are fickle. Energy is no guarantee of victory. Complacency could lead to catastrophe.
“We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfident,” Mr. Clinton told the thousands of delegates at the United Center in Chicago. “This is a brutal, tough business. I want you to be happy. One of the reasons that President-to-Be Harris is doing so well is that we’re all so happy.
“But you should never underestimate your adversary,” he continued, departing from the prepared text distributed in advance, “and these people are really good at distracting us, at triggering doubt, at triggering buyer’s remorse. As the Obamas said so eloquently last night, they are human, you know, they’re bound to make a mistake now and then,” he added, referring to Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. “We’ve got to be tough.”
