On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive a nomination from a major party for president.
The moment came at the end of a roll-call vote with Senator and challenger Bernie Sanders requesting the party select the former Secretary of State as their candidate.
Murray State history professor and Kentucky delegate Dr. Brian Clardy is at the DNC in Philadelphia and says the nomination was a powerful moment.
Video of Clinton nomination by Brian Clardy via Facebook
“We had just been a witness to history," said Clardy. "When you consider a hundred years ago, 1916, the right for women in the united states had not been made constitutionally a reality, and you see the progress we’ve made over the last century, it was just an awesome moment in time. I wanted to call my mother, and my aunt and my fiancé, just to tell them ‘this is your victory, this is your moment.'"
He says what Sanders did, despite months of heated opposition and news of political bias from the DNC for Clinton, was what Clardy calls ‘a class act.’
“To see the way that Senator Sanders conducted his campaign, which he did with great distinction, he did so with great honor," said Clardy. "He raised a lot of very good questions that the party and the country needs to consider and act upon, and to see the classy way he handled it at the very end was amazing.”
But he says a large number of Sanders supporters were disappointed with the result and walked out of the convention in a sign of protest.
"There were some people from Kentucky who did not return to their seats, there were some Kentucky Sanders supporters who skipped out on breakfast this morning, but some came back."
Clardy says he’s not worried about democrats losing voters and likens the situation to 2008 when a contingent of Hillary supporters pledged not to vote for Barack Obama in November.
“The vast majority of those folks came back and voted for Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2008," said Clardy. "Now, what my sense is that many of the Sanders supporters who are angry, that yes they walked out, yes they were angry but when they see the alternative, they’ll come back to the Democratic party and vote for Hillary and Tim Kaine in November.”
The night was capped off with a speech from 42nd President and Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton. Clardy says this is the fourth time he’s heard the former president speak, but it was by far the most personal.
“The way he defended and supported his queen last night was wonderful," said Clardy. "The way the he personalized Secretary Clinton and showed us a side of her that many of us had not seen. How he felt when he first met her, their first date, the times that he asked her to marry him, their first home, the day Chelsea was born. It was one of the most warmhearted speeches I’ve heard the man give.”
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes also spoke earlier in the evening. Her speech included stories of her long-standing friendship with the Clintons and went on to call Republican challenger Donald Trump an “unqualified bully.” Clardy says he was impressed by the tone of the former US Senate candidate, and says her political days are far from over.
“This is my personal view, if she said she was gonna run for the US Senate, I would say ‘Alison, my Saturdays are yours,'" said Clardy. "I don’t think she’s done with national politics, I think she has a bright future ahead of her.”
The convention in Philadelphia continues tonight with a speaker list including vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama. Chelsea Clinton is expected to introduce her mother to accept the Democratic nomination at the end of the convention Thursday night.
Note: Brian Clardy is the Wednesday night host of Café Jazz on WKMS. Hear more conversations with Clardy throughout the week. Last week, we spoke with a delegate at the Republican National Convention. Hear our series of interviews here.
