And that’s how you give a speech

BY RAJA KRISHNA

The headlines just days before Clinton spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention read something like this: “Clinton’s DNC speech will be vetted just minutes before he goes on stage,” implying that Clinton was a potential ticking time bomb.

Then he actually delivered his speech. Watch it in all its glory below.

The CNN Headline just after Bill Clinton spoke read “Vintage Clinton Speech” and went on to comment on both its length (a whopping 48 minutes) and the passion with which the former President delivered his speech. As I write, politicos and policy wonks alike are salivating over Clinton’s substantive yet stunningly thrilling rhetoric. And to think the DNC was worried it wouldn’t have enough time to vet the speech. No one can a make a policy speech as interesting as Bill Clinton just did.

He brought back the narrative style of oratory, drawing us into his version of the past four years, and weaving us into the story of how America can make its comeback. Above all, Clinton not only elevated the rhetoric of this election cycle, but brought it back to the middle. Clinton’s speech was also refreshing because it was actually as educational as it was stirring. There were as many facts and figures cited as there were rhetorical one-liners and jabs at Republicans.

A lot people have been writing recently about how Bill Clinton’s relationship with Barack Obama has been turbulent in recent years. Here’s Politico speculating about Clinton’s speech to the 2012 DNC:

During a television interview in the spring, Clinton questioned Obama’s attacks against Romney’s work at Bain Capital. In a rare mea culpa, Obama aides and Clinton’s staff successfully pressured Clinton to sign off on a statement saying he’d misspoken. Aides to the former president made a startling admission: Clinton may have made the mistake because he was 65 years old.

The implication, obviously, is that Bill Clinton was simply too old and too stubborn to be a problem-free surrogate speaker for President Obama. But boy, did his speech tonight prove everyone wrong. Not only did Clinton deliver his speech in a compelling way, eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience during intricate policy analysis, but President Obama himself came onstage afterwards to personally hug President Clinton.

Bill Clinton taught us all that when a politician takes his audience seriously by making his speech substantive and sticking to facts, he can make a political speech a work of art. You may know that this is the first time a former President has nominated a sitting President for re-election. Based on his speech, Clinton deserved it.