Speeches by former President Bill Clinton, first lady Michelle Obama and Missouri’s own Emanuel Cleaver have been among the high points at the Democratic National Convention, Joplin area delegates said Thursday.
Four residents from the region are delegates at the gathering in Charlotte, N.C. Reached for telephone interviews Thursday — before President Barack Obama’s closing speech — three had especially high praise for Wednesday night’s speech by Clinton, which, among other things, focused on the condition of the nation’s economy when Obama took office.
“He hit it out of the park, like he always does,” said Doug Brooks, of Joplin, a Missouri delegate and a member of the Democratic National Committee.
Republicans have emphasized problems in the nation’s economy, and Clinton “was able to put that in perspective,” Brooks said, and respond to Republicans who argue that the financial condition of America has worsened since Obama took office.
“He compared it to 1992 when he took office and the economy was not in good shape. We went through the same process. By the time he left office, we were experiencing great prosperity,” Brooks said. “But you can’t inherit a mess like he (Obama) inherited and expect to turn it around in four years. When you look at where we are now, from where we were, we are better off by any measure.”
Jim Hight, of Neosho, said he particularly enjoyed portions of Clinton’s speech in which he “debunked all the misinformation put out by Romney and Ryan.”
“Anyone who listened should have gotten the truth,” he said. “And he really fired up the crowd. So did Elizabeth Warren (Democratic candidate for Senate in Massachusetts) and Emanuel Cleaver.”
Hight said he also enjoyed the convention as an opportunity to see people in person who he had seen only on television, and to meet with large numbers of other Democrats.
“That doesn’t happen much in Southwest Missouri,” he said.
Rayma Conrad, of Joplin, said she saw Clinton’s speech as a reminder to voters “that they need to check the facts.”
“He cleared up a lot of misinformation,” she said. “If people hear lies long enough, they believe them, but they should check the facts for themselves and see who’s telling the truth.”
Conrad said she attended an event for female delegates at which the speakers included actress Fran Drescher, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and Lilly Ledbetter, whose lawsuit challenging pay disparities between male and female workers resulted in passage of a federal law called the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Conrad said she was especially impressed with the speech Wednesday by Cleaver, a U.S. representative from Missouri’s 5th District and a United Methodist pastor.
“He was so inspiring and so positive — so much of politics is so negative,” she said.
Cleaver, who is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, defended the party as a champion of programs that care for hungry children and seniors, and the protector of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
“He really got the crowd excited,” Brooks said. “I’ve seen lots of people given standing ovations, but people were standing between the standing ovations.”
Brooks also contrasted Clinton’s speech with the absence of President George W. Bush from the Republican convention a week ago.
“He was the architect of their failed financial policy and the reason we were on the edge of a depression,” he said. “They want us to forget that, and then they want to start those same policies over again.”
Clinton’s speech was longer than scheduled, pushing Wednesday’s convention session past midnight. It was a short night for Missouri delegates, who after the session attended a reception. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon was the host.
“When I saw the governor, I thanked him for all he’s done for Joplin since the tornado,” Conrad said. “I think he’s really done a good job.”
Watch party
A WATCH PARTY Thursday night allowed local Democrats to get together and watch President Barack Obama’s address on the final night of the convention.
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Local Democratic delegates praise DNC convention speeches
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