--- title: DNC: Read Excerpts of Bill Clinton's Convention Speeches description: When Bill Clinton speaks Tuesday night, it will be his 10th consecutive time delivering a major address there. canonical: https://time.com/4424240/dnc-bill-clinton-speeches/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-27T02:04:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:43:58.069Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read Excerpts of Bill Clinton's Previous Convention Speeches og:description: A trip down Bill Clinton's Democratic convention lane. og:url: https://time.com/4424240/dnc-bill-clinton-speeches/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac78a412235bae7e/69889f2dcd1bba1c8e701a2d/dnc.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Bill Clinton og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Excerpts of Bill Clinton's Previous Convention Speeches twitter:description: A trip down Bill Clinton's Democratic convention lane. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltac78a412235bae7e/69889f2dcd1bba1c8e701a2d/dnc.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read Excerpts of Bill Clinton's Previous Convention Speeches > Sponsored content. 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Bill Clinton never misses out on a Democratic National Convention speaking opportunity, and 2016 is no exception._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 27, 2016 2:04 AM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 27, 2016 2:04 AM UTC Bill Clinton is no stranger to the Democratic convention stage. When he speaks Tuesday night, it will be his 10th consecutive time delivering a major address there. He’ll make history as the first husband giving a speech on behalf of his wife as a major party nominee. Clinton is known for going long and off-script, with results that either soar or falter. Read highlights from his past convention speeches below. **1980: Jimmy Carter** Clinton was the nation’s youngest governor when he spoke on behalf of the Democratic Governors’ Association. During the well-received speech, he urged the party not to ignore the appeal of Ronald Reagan. What he said: “I became a Democrat many years ago because of the values and the influence of my wonderful grandfather who ran a country store in a black neighborhood in a small town in southwest Arkansas. But I remain a Democrat today because of my love and concern for the welfare of my six month old daughter.” **1984: Walter Mondale** After being bounced from office, Clinton returned to the governor’s mansion, sparking the “Comeback Kid” nickname he would later use to great effect. He received positive reviews for his speech on behalf of former Vice President Walter Mondale. What he said: “We live in a time when millions of Americans believe that the Democratic Party’s greatest days are behind it, that we are no longer the party of progressive change. Harry Truman fought for change, for new ideas, for the future. He began the Democratic Party’s historic commitment to civil rights and brought the United States into peacetime cooperation with other nations.” **1988: Michael Dukakis** Then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton took the stage in 1988 to endorse then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. It’s a half hour that Clinton could have used to propel him onto the national spotlight, but it fell flat as he meandered through the speech. People actually clapped when he said “in conclusion.” What he said: “Michael Dukakis knows that working together works. He’s proved that again in this great convention because we’re here in unity and poised for victory. Mike Dukakis is a man with a vision, a shining vision for this country.” **1992: His Nomination** This was the speech that showed Clinton learned his lesson about speaking at convention. Clinton took the stage at his own convention to accept the nomination and blew everyone away. He even joked about how bad his last convention speech was. What he said: “In the name of all those who do the work, pay the taxes, raise the kids and play by the rules, in the name of the hard-working Americans who make up our forgotten middle class, I proudly accept your nomination for president of the United States. I am a product of that middle class, and when I am president you will be forgotten no more.” **1996: His Re-Election** Clinton’s 1996 speech was an opportunity for him to put his record on display for the nation. He used the metaphor of building a bridge to the future throughout his speech. What he said: “We can only build our bridge to the 21st century if we build it together, and if we’re willing to walk arm-in-arm across that bridge together.” ### Hillary and Bill Clinton’s Political Romance in Photos  Hillary and Bill Clinton have been married 40 years— much of it spent in the political spotlight. Here, Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton married at a small ceremony on Oct. 11, 1975 - present Courtesy William J. Clinton Presidential Library Courtesy William J. Clinton Presidential Library  Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Rodham hold their week-old baby Chelsea on March 5, 1980. Donald R. Broyles—AP  Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton celebrate his victory in the Democratic runoff in Little Rock, Ark. on June 8, 1982. AP  Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton hugs his wife Hillary Clinton after she introduced him to well wishers at a downtown Chicago hotel, March 10, 1992. Ralf-Finn Hestoft—AP  Hillary Rodham Clinton sits on the lap of her husband, democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton left, as she jokes with vice presidential candidate Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, during a brief rest on their bus in Durham, N.C., on Oct. 26, 1992. Stephen Savoia—AP  Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton comforts his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton on the set of the news program '60 Minutes' after a stage light unexpectedly broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down on Jan. 26, 1992. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images  President Bill Clinton dances with First Lady Hillary Clinton on stage on Jan. 20, 1993 in Washington. Eleven inaugural balls were held on the same evening in honor of President Clinton's election. Diana Walker—Liaison/Getty Images  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton give each other a hug while playing golf at the Mink Meadows Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard Aug. 27,1993 in Massachusetts. J. David Ake—AFP/Getty Images  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton cut vegetables at the Covenant Baptist Church in Washington, on Nov. 24, 1993. Doug Mills—AP  President Bill Clinton bikes with his wife, Hillary Clinton, during their vacation on Martha's Vineyard in 1994. Evan Richman—The Boston Globe/Getty Images  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton drink Coca-Cola at Moscow's Coca-Cola refreshments plant on May 11, 1995. Greg Gibson—AP  President Bill Clinton puts an arm around his wife, Hillary Clinton, while watching Old Faithful erupt at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Aug. 25, 1995\. The first family visited several Yellowstone sites while on vacation. Doug Mills—AP  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton share a moment during an East Room ceremony at the White House on July 17, 1996. Ron Edmonds—AP  President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton look at each other as they opened the White House Conference on Child Care Thursday Oct. 23, 1997 in the East Room of the White House. J. Scott Applewhite—AP  First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visits President Bill Clinton on March 14, 1997 at Bethesda Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. after he underwent surgery on his knee. AP  First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, squeezes the chin of President Bill Clinton during the kick-off rally for The President's Summit in Philadelphia on April 27, 1997. Tim Shaffer—AP  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton dance on the beach of Megan Bay, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands shortly after taking a swim on Jan. 4, 1998. Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton watches President Bill Clinton as he thanks Democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted against impeachment on Dec. 19, 1998, following the Lewinsky scandal. Susan Walsh—AP  President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton embrace during the New York State Senate luncheon on July 29, 2000 in New York City. Pablo Martinex Monsivais—AP  Senatorial candidate for New York and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with husband President Bill Clinton pose for photos with the workers at Gianelli's Italian Sausages at the State Fair on Sept. 2, 2000 in Syracuse, N.Y. Tim Sloan—AFP/Getty Images  New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton smile after she won her second term, during a rally held by New York Democrats, in New York, on Nov. 7, 2006. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images  Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is hugged by her husband, former President Bill Clinton as he introduces her during a campaign rally in Louisville, Ky. on May 19, 2008. Elise Amendola—AP  Former President Bill Clinton and then Secretary of State-elect Hillary Clinton celebrate the beginning of the year 2009 during the ceremony to lower the Times Square New Year's Eve ball in Times Square on Jan. 1, 2009 in New York. Jemal Countess—Getty Images  Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband former U.S. president Bill Clinton embrace during a primary night event on June 7, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York after Hillary Clinton surpassed the number of delegates needed to become the democratic nominee. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images **2000: Al Gore** This was the year that Al Gore, Clinton’s vice president, was nominated, so Clinton was able to personally vouch for him. This speech came after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and he threw in a line at the end to keep building bridges and putting people first, “whatever you think about me.” What he said: “I ran for president to change the future for those people. And I ask you to embrace new ideas, rooted in enduring values, opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a community of all Americans.You gave me the chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the very best decisions of my entire life: Asking Al Gore to be my partner.” **2004: John Kerry** This was the first presidential election following the 9/11 attacks, so security was a high priority in Americans’ minds. It was also high on the Clinton agenda: Hillary Clinton was then serving as a New York senator. What he said: “Americans long to be united. After 9/11, we all just wanted to be one nation. Not a single American on September the 12th, 2001 cared who won the next presidential election. All we wanted to do was to be one country, strong in the fight against terror, helping to heal those who were wounded and the families of those who lost their loved ones, reaching out to the rest of the world so we could meet these new challenges and go on with our democratic way of life.” **2008: Barack Obama** By the time 2008 rolled around, Clinton had earned himself a reputation similar to that of a rockstar at conventions. He was greeted with extended applause and chants. He drew parallels between himself and then Sen. Barack Obama as well as critiqued Sen. John McCain for embracing an unchanging Republican way of thinking despite loving his country as much as Democrats. This was one of Clinton’s shorter convention speeches, and it came after Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries. What he said: “Senator Obama’s life is a 21st-century incarnation of the old-fashioned American dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams. The values of freedom and equal opportunity, which have given him his historic chance will drive him as president to give all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, their chance to build a decent life and to show our humanity, as well as our strengths, to the world.” **2012: Obama Re-Election** At this point, Clinton was an expected presence. He gave the nominating speech [at Obama’s request and ran past his allotted time](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2012/09/05/a111905c-f771-11e1-8253-3f495ae70650%5Fstory.html). His stage presence was Clinton at his finest, a testament to what a natural he is at giving a good speech, and some credit it with helping Obama get re-elected. What he said: “I want Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States, and I proudly nominate him to be the standard-bearer of the Democratic party.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] I'm honored to be here tonight. We, as Americans, have a lot Riding on this election. [ SOUND ] Well, I ran for president this year for one reason, and one reason only. I wanted to come back to this convention and finish that speech I started four years ago. [ APPLAUSE ] I still believe In a place called Hope. A place called America. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My fellow Americans, are we better off today than we were eight years ago? [ APPLAUSE ] I'm going to say that again, in case you didn't hear it. [ LAUGH ] I'm honored to be here tonight, and I want to thank the people of New York for giving Hillary [ APPLAUSE ] a chance to continue to serve in public life. I love this. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] And I thank you. But we have important work to do tonight. I am here first, To support Barack Obama. [ APPLAUSE ] The Republican argument against the President re- election was actually pretty simple. Pretty snappy. It went something like this. We left him a total mess. 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