Hillary Clinton Speech Reactions (VIDEO)

Reaction to Hillary Clinton's Democratic convention speech has begun. Here are what some of the pundits and TV anchors are saying:

Tom Brokaw: "Hillary Clinton did tonight what she needed to do."

Chris Cillizza:

She made clear her unequivocal support for Obama but also thanked her own supporters for their efforts and lit into Republican Sen. John McCain.

CNN's John King: "She passionately endorsed Barack Obama... She's a big game player, that was a big-game speech... she did what Obama wanted."

Keith Olbermann: "A grand slam." (Olbermann also reported that on Clinton's way out to the podium and after she returned from delivering her speech, she was given a standing ovation by Obama staffers.)

James Carville: "This is what a major-league fastball looks like."

Anderson Cooper: "This speech has electrified everyone in this crowd."

Bill Richardson: "She couldn't have been clearer... She hit a huge home run, a 500-foot homerun. The best news is Democrats are unified."

David Gergen: "Perhaps her finest hour in politics."

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow: "Anybody who could be persuaded would be persuaded by that speech...She nailed it."

Wolf Blitzer: "Exactly what Barack and Michelle Obama wanted to hear."

Comments

[Daly]

From the post tonight please all; do not tie puma to HRC; she has moved on and in essence called the puma diehards that are still in the McCain camp; she asked "were you in this JUST for me" she is telling them to get on the bus; she said no way, no how, NO mcCain; could not be a finer point on that statement.

Puma's the balls in your court - bitterness is not what Clinton's words were about so if you are a McCain voter; do not say you were upset blah, blah HRC. She spoke loud & clear that McCain is the wrong choice.

[4wehttam]

I loved the twin cities comment about McBush/GW, that was funny as heck!!!

[Pupadup4oBama]

I loved the sisterhood of the traveling pantsuit...what a way to laugh at yourself...:)

[sirpatty79]

Mrs. Clinton, you deserve every accolade for this gesture and then some. Thank you!

Your speech was the stuff that very bright futures are made of....for you and for this country come November.

P.S. NOTHIN' BUT NET!!!

[FloaterBall]

Stephanopolous.......... All he had to say after HRC's speech was how an ardent McCain supporter said the dems blew it by not putting her on the ticket. What this idiot doesn't realize is Obama will win with Biden anyway, and then he won't have to deal with her and Bill. A much better scenario all around, Genius. Urggghhhh!
Excellent speech by the way, my only complaint was the rock-star adulation at the start. Hey, she LOST people, now shut up and let her talk, dammit.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Nah, they had a lot of ya yas to purge and it turned out okay. They did not go out of control, she was shown some massive adoration and respect (which she loves) she said what she needed to say to support Obama and her recalcitrant supporters looked chastened. All's well that ends well.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Oh yeah, I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you! to learn the other day that Stephanopolous was a Rhodes Scholar! I couldnt believe it. He brings absolutely nothing to the table.That distinction has really been diminished now in my view.

[Pupadup4oBama]

you know what...she earned her moment...at first i was a little turned off, but it showed only POSITIVE images even during the campaign. We ALL know what happened and they turned it into a positive.
I liked at the end when Chelsea said "well she didn't become the first woman astronaut" ...that was very cute.
Chelsea looks JUST like her. I'm sure she'll enter the political arena in the near future.

[UNCLEJOE]

As much as I mistrusted Hillary up until this speech, I will give her total credit for giving Obama the surge of additional voters needed to declare victory for Obama and for America over the Forces of Evil in November.

Hillary can stand on the bow of the Democratic Ship of the State the USS AMERICA, as we sail on a new Spiritual Course to an inspirational future along side of her Commander-In-Chief, Barak Obama and declare indubitably, "Mission Accomplished" as we pull out of Iraq.

[GeoLee]

Gosh, could you learn to spell his name if you are going to vote for him?

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Oh for Pete's sake, Ms Schoolmarm!

[Jezreel]

Beautifully said. What ever animus I might have had toward Hillary is now dissolved. I'm not a sports fan but Hillary clearly hit the ball out of the park tonight. She could not have done a better job. I'm inspired.

[Pupadup4oBama]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! YES!!!
I am picturing her as Lady Liberty...:) ha ha!! Great vision.

[jsinclair]

With the unanimous rave reviews for this speech--both in content AND delivery--I hope the talking heads are right and Bill will want to get JUST AS GOOD (or even better) reviews tomorrow.

Hopefully, he will do this with content, not length.

Hillary has become quite an orator. Her speech wasn't short, but it was mesmerizing and memorable.

I admire how much she has learned and grown through this campaign experience--so much more skilled at all this now. She was even better than Ann Richards or Barbara Jordan--great Democratic women of the past--in that she was never nasty, always had an energetic presence and a smile--but yet got a tough message through and went back to her theme over and over ("We MUST support Obama for the good of our party, our country, and our children's future").

Just. Wow.

[GeoLee]

She always was a good orator...you just were not listening because your mind was already made up.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

No. It was so hard to take her seriously with her hiding behind Bill's trouser legs, pounding whiskey shots at whistle-stops, scolding Obama like Mommy Dearest- "Shame on you, Barack Obama!", accusing all of the male candidates of conspiratorially ganging up on her during the very first debate, changing vocal inflections in every state to attempt to sound like a local, crying crocodile tears and intoning, "I finally found my own voice" (in reality a brilliant lawyer and politician who found first found her voice when the doc swatted her bottom when she burst forth from the womb)--absolutely verboten in the world of Feminism, confabulating Lara Croft-like adventures on the tarmac in Bosnia, declaring herself the champion of "Hard-working White people" and allowing Bill to declare "Obama is just a candidate for a very narrow constituency-blacks, just like Jessie Jackson was" and Ferraro to say, 'If Obama were not black, he would be nowhere, he is merely the craze du jour' , the complaints by her campaign staffers and vendors that they werent getting paid on time, that anything positive about Hillary got totally lost in the shuffle of this circus. The Hillary that came to the convention tonight would have won the nomination!

[pollyrobin]

I agree. This speech was excellent as well as many others I have heard from
Hillary. "I miss Hillary and Bill in the White House" I'm homesick! Chelsea
is such a beautiful woman now. Bill looked soooo proud! I cried during the
whole speech.

Vote Democratic 2008! No matter who the candidate is.
WE HAVE MORE TO LOOSE THAN YOU THINK

[lizr]

Me too - I cried a lot of tears of relief and joy at her coming back to us.

[Serious Lee]

I admit it, I had no respect for Hillary. . .I was sure that I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever cast a vote for Hillary.

I am proud to report, people can be moved. After President Obama completes his service to our country, I will be looking at the Junior Senator from New York.

This was an excellent speech.

Job well done!

[jsinclair]

Maybe many Hillary die-hards will come around to Obama now, the way that many of us who were so critical of Hillary have come around to her.

Unity! It's great!

(And "twin cities". Ha. I bet McSame hated that line. It is a gift that will follow him all next week....).

[CitizenInformed]

Well said!

[goplayrabbit]

this speech puts to bed clinton-turned-mccain supporters. if they exist, they're a small group of severely misinformed citizens. those republicans pretending to be democrats on this and other sites need to get more creative now.

[psweeii]

no kidding!!!! this needs to stop....no more negative manipulation.... you know this story only gets traction from the media trying to make a conflict for ratings...

[RStar]

Hillary has been made by the primary process. This was a speech that she wasn't ready to nor was she capable of giving at the beginning of the primary battle. She found her voice along the way, and unfortunately for her campaign, she came on too late. IMO, that was a result of er campaign's assumption that she would be the presumptive nominee and that the campaign would be over by super tues. She's at the top of her game now. She's ready.

Alternatively, she listened to advisors so much that her voice was lost. By the time she sorted through her lacky advisor's messages, it was too late. She has grown thru the process. If she was where she is now at the beginning of the primary season, it would have been a different contest. So without living in the past, her political future is bright. That speech shows that she is now at the forefront of the dem party and ready to step forward on the presidential stage if given the opportunity. The Dems need her. And she has arrived. Fantasic speech. Fantastic delivery. Fantastic reception.

[XME]

I think you're right that she listened too much to advisors (ahem...and Bill Clinton). I don't dislike Hillary Clinton, but I do dislike the campaign she ran, and I would like her much more if she listened more to her inner voice, and less to Bill and other "avisors".

[moogyboy]

Agreed. She definitely seems wiser now. If she remembers the lessons she learned this year, and runs an honorable campaign the next time she's up, she may very well have my vote. I think she can if, as you say, she tells all the nitwit advisors to take a hike...and put a muzzle on Bill.

[exPatPatti]

In horse racing, when a horse gives so much effort during a race that its muscle mass increases and its back rises noticeably after the saddle is removed, it's called a good "hitout." And the horse's performance is bound to improve next race.

Senator Clinton has shown us a GREAT hitout.

I am very proud of her.

[Pupadup4oBama]

WOW, what a GREAT analogy!

She's a stud...:) ha ha

[yankeefan771]

Well when McCain is running up our national debut because you feel have to fulfill some vendetta. It was not Barack Obama's fault that Hillary lost. The reason's she lost were simple, her campaign ran the the wrong kind of campaign, and she voted for the war. God help us John Syndy McCain will never be swarn in as President of the United States

[Pupadup4oBama]

No how, no way NO MCCAIN!!! :)

[neo1]

Hillary, you were absolutely beautiful! Please stay as you are and never revert back to that woman we did not like. Thank you for being the person you should be all the time.

[jsinclair]

Yes, and I hope her supporters will realize there are so many BETTER cabinet jobs for her than VP. Personally, I'd stay in the senate and use this tremendous platform of support and loyalty to build a great and distinguished career there.

But if she WANTS a cabinet job, I'm sure Obama wouldn't hesitate to offer her a good one. She's shown she's an OUTSTANDING team player.

[Pupadup4oBama]

I think she'll stay in the senate for a few more terms at least, or maybe even become a lifelong like Kennedy....but her baby will be healthcare in all capacities.

[Pupadup4oBama]

She looked great in the orange against the blue background - opposing colors...worked VERY well...and made her stand out from the others who wore red.

[Mellenbal]

Fantastic. Inspiring. Wise. Spirited. On-point. Perfection personified. Hillary totally delivered.

[sftbreeze1970]

Correction. I'll be voting for Hillary in 2016. Whoo hoo!

[awcbuddy8]

I'm sure Obama will be running then, too.

[Pupadup4oBama]

ha ha ha....hey Sft...I just say 8 years...:)

[sftbreeze1970]

CLASS ACT! I had my doubts aboutcha woman but you came through like the fighter you are. I'm voting for Hillary come 2012. As for now


Obama/Biden 2008!!!!!!!!

[jorydozier]

How about 2016, you should be happy with the occupants until then.

[Marilyn5401]

I will be the first to admit that Hillary has p*ssed me off mightily over the past few months. I used to be a huge fan of both Bill and Hil and I wasn't sure that they could ever redeem themselves in my eyes.

But, I was so impressed with her tonight. What courage! And what honor.

I love the line - "were you in this just for me?" Great line. But the most touching for me was at one point Bill kept mouthing over and over - "I love you. I love you."

Great speech. I think I will make a donation to her as well - AFTER I hear Bill's speech!!!