--- title: DNC: Democrats Harness Optimism in Philadelphia Amid Gloom description: A battle for the sentiment of the American people canonical: https://time.com/4427786/dnc-barack-obama-hillary-clinton/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-28T04:12:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:44:21.796Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Aim for Optimism in Philadelphia Amid National Gloom og:description: A battle for the sentiment of the American people og:url: https://time.com/4427786/dnc-barack-obama-hillary-clinton/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7315c052f53e5bed/69889fe9ab6d77d6256aaade/ben-lowy-hillary-clinton-barack-obama.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5168 og:image:height: 2907 og:image:alt: TIMEPOL DNC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Aim for Optimism in Philadelphia Amid National Gloom twitter:description: A battle for the sentiment of the American people twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7315c052f53e5bed/69889fe9ab6d77d6256aaade/ben-lowy-hillary-clinton-barack-obama.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Aim for Optimism in Philadelphia Amid National Gloom > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d9b86e7f-b98f-48e9-bcf8-f93bb4695bc2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch Obama's Speech at the Democratic National Convention [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Obama's Speech at the Democratic National Convention](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RO7XpHwY.m3u8) (2:52)  _Published 2016-07-28. President Barack Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Wednesday, highlighting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s qualifications for office, laid out his own record and attacked GOP nominee Donald Trump._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 28, 2016 4:12 AM UTC President Barack Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Wednesday, highlighting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s qualifications for office, laid out his own record and attacked GOP nominee Donald Trump. by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 28, 2016 4:12 AM UTC The first night of the Republican convention last week began with a clear message: Americans are in peril. “The vast majority of Americans today do not feel safe,” former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said July 18, setting the tone in Cleveland. A week later, Democrats in Philadelphia agreed about the peril. Where they differed, though, was the cause. “Donald Trump, with all his rhetoric, will literally make us less safe,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “No major party nominee in the history of the station has ever known less or been less prepared to deal with our national security.” In parallel conventions, Republicans and Democrats spoke of the dangers facing the country in starkly different terms. While Republicans opened with fire and brimstone, the Democratic convention at times seemed impervious to the growing sense of unease outside the convention hall. When Democrats did speak of fear, the focus was on the prospect of a Trump presidency. President Barack Obama listed accomplishments and promised a sunny future. Biden previewed an American 21st century. Vice-presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine spoke of “the next chapter” in “our proud story.” “America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump,” Obama told the convention. If there was unease in the Wells Fargo Arena, it was less about terrorism and more about Trump’s rising poll numbers. The Republican nominee has bumped up in swing-state polls after his convention last week and captured the news cycle on Wednesday by remarking that Russian hackers should release Hillary Clinton’s emails. “Donald Trump is a walking, talking recruiting poster for terrorists,” said Rear Admiral John Hutson. “The real disaster would be to elect Donald Trump to be the face of the country that we love.” “Trump is a risky reckless and radical choice and we can’t afford to make that choice,” said former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. “We must unite around a Democratic candidate and defeat a dangerous demagogue.” Democrats find themselves in a difficult position: after seven-and-a-half years under Obama, anything less than confidence in the country’s safety would be an indirect affront to the party’s leadership. But they also feel the need to be sensitive to unease over the presence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and the threat of attacks in the U.S. ### See Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Go From Rivals to Friends  June 2007 Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. adjust their seats at a Democratic presidential primary debate in Manchester, N.H. on June 3, 2007. Charles Krupa—AP  August 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama watches a broadcast of Hillary Clinton addressing the Democratic National Convention from a television in Billings, Mt. on Aug. 26, 2008. Emmanuel Dunand—AFP/Getty Images  August 2008 Hillary Clinton appears on screen as she asks for the rules of roll call to be suspended on day three of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver, on Aug. 27, 2008\. Clinton, Obama's former rival, rose on the floor of the DNC to ask that the roll-call vote be halted and Obama be named by acclamation. Matthew Staver—Bloomberg/Getty Images  October 2008 Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., delivers a speech supporting then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at a rally in Orlando, Fla. on Oct. 20, 2008. John Raoux—AP  October 2008 Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton attend a campaign rally together on Oct. 20, 2008 in Orlando, Fla. Joe Raedle—Getty Images  January 2009 In this photo released by the White House, President Barack Obama talks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shortly after she was confirmed and sworn in, at the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 21, 2009 in Washington. Pete Souza—The White House/Getty Images  September 2010 President Barack Obama walks with then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton after he made a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Sept. 1, 2010. Charles Dharapak—AP  March 2011 President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attend a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on May 3, 2011. Charles Dharapak—AP  May 2011 In this photo released by the White House, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington on May 1, 2011.This photo WAS digitally altered by the White House to diffuse the information on the papers on the table. Pete Souza—The White House/AP  November 2012 President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive at Yangon International airport during his historical first visit to the country on Nov. 19, 2012 in Yangon, Myanmar. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images  January 2013 President Barack Obama greets then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton during the presidential inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 21, 2013 in Washington when Obama was re-elected for a second term. Win McNamee—Getty Images  July 2016 President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wave to the crowd during a campaign rally for Clinton in Charlotte, N.C., on July 5, 2016. Chuck Burton—AP Americans are more afraid of a terrorist attack at home than at any point since 2003, according to a CNN/ORC poll conducted in June that showed 71% of Americans believe an act of terrorism is very or somewhat likely in the very near future. Terrorist attacks in Orlando and San Bernardino as well as gun violence between police officers and black men, have shaken public confidence. Fear of attacks abroad has helped fuel the rise of Trump. The trick for Democrats has been to acknowledge the dangers of terrorism without letting it overwhelm their message. If the theme of the first night of the Republican convention was “Make America safe again,” in Philadelphia, it was the less catchy, “America is safe enough but let’s make it safer.” When Democrats on Wednesday did talk of danger, it was of gun violence at home, an impasse that Democrats have blamed on Republicans in Congress. The mother of Christopher Leinonen, a young man who was killed in the Orlando attack at the nightclub, spoke tearfully of her son’s death. Rep. Chris Murphy recalled the shooting at Sandy Hook. The daughter of the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary school remembered her mother. Charles Ramsay, the former Philadelphia police commissioner, remembered police officers killed by gun violence. But at the end, it was President Barack Obama’s call to reject Trump’s gloom that defined the night. “I’m asking you to reject cynicism and reject fear, and to summon what is best in us and to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States,” said Obama. And Kaine, Clinton’s running mate, made the choice a stark one. “I trust Hillary Clinton with our son’s life,” he said. “You know who I don’t trust? Donald Trump.” ## Transcript I am more optimistic about the future of America. [ NOISE ] Than never before. I see Americans at every party, every background, every faith who believed that we are stronger together. [ NOISE ] Black, white, Latino, ASEAN, Native American, young, old, gays, straight, men and women Folks with disabilities all pledging allegiance under the same proud flag to this big, bold country that we love. That's what I see. Nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. You can read about it. You can study it. But until you've sat at that desk You don't know what it's like to manage a global crisis, or send young people to war, but Hillary's been in the room. She's been part of those decisions. There has never been a man or a woman Not me, not Bill, nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of United States of America. [ APPLAUSE ] Take a look at her choice of running mate. He will make Hillary a better president, just like My dear friend and brother, Joe Biden, has made me a better person. [ APPLAUSE ] And then, there's Donald Trump. Boo. Don't boo, vote. Does anyone really believe that a guy who spent his 70 years on this earth Showing no regard for working people, is suddenly gonna be your champion. Your voice. [ APPLAUSE ] We all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders' supporters have been during this election. [ APPLAUSE ] That's right, feel the Bern. [ APPLAUSE ] Not yes she can, not yes I can, yes we can. Home grown demagogues will always fail in the end. And tonight I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. [ APPLAUSE ] I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. I'm asking you to join me to reject cynicism and reject fear. And to summon what is best in us to let Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States. [ APPLAUSE ] And show the world. [ APPLAUSE ] We still believed in the promise of this great nation. [ APPLAUSE ] Thank you for this incredible journey. [ APPLAUSE ] Let's keep it going. 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