Read an advance excerpt from Barack Obama's convention speech

4 years ago 295

15 min ago

Barack Obama will "make a pointed case that democracy itself is on the line" in tonight's speech

From CNN's Dan Merica, Eric Bradner and Arlette Saenz

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the funeral service of the late Rep. John Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 30, in Atlanta, Georgia. Alyssa Pointer/Pool/Getty Images

President Barack Obama’s speech on Wednesday night will outline “why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris possess the experience and character to lead us out of the ongoing economic and health care disasters that the current administration has blundered into,” said Katie Hill, an Obama spokesperson.

Obama will talk about Biden’s work as his vice president, especially his work on the economy and health care, Hill said, and then turn to the importance of voting and “the cynical moves by the current administration and the Republican Party to discourage Americans from voting.”

“He’ll make a pointed case that democracy itself is on the line – along with the chance to create a better version of it,” the spokesperson said. “And finally, he’ll echo his call to all Americans who believe in a more generous, more just nation: that this election is too important to sit out and if everyone shows up, votes early, and makes sure their friends and family do the same, we can get back to work building a better, fairer America on November 3.”

26 min ago

Harris will formally accept the vice presidential nomination tonight

From CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Dan Merica, Arlette Saenz, Maeve Reston and Eric Bradner

Presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Kamala Harris signs required documents for receiving the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States at the Hotel DuPont on August 14 in Wilmington, Delaware. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Presumptive vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is set to formally accept the vice presidential nomination tonight from Wilmington, Delaware.

Joe Biden named Harris as his running mate last week, making the California senator the first Black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party's presidential ticket.

"I've decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021," the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee wrote in an email.

In selecting Harris, Biden added to the Democratic ticket a former primary rival who centered her own presidential bid on her readiness to take on Donald Trump and show Americans she would fight for them.

She rose to national prominence within the Democratic Party by interrogating Trump nominees during Senate hearings, from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Harris' selection came months after Biden committed to picking a woman to join him on the Democratic ticket. Harris, 55, is now the third woman to serve as a vice presidential candidate for a major political party, following Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential pick in 1984 and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential pick in 2008.

Aware that his age could be a concern to some voters, Biden, 77, has said that he is "a bridge" to a new slate of Democratic leaders, and by selecting Harris, more than 20 years his junior, he has elevated a leading figure from a younger generation within the party.

Biden's selection unfolded with the utmost secrecy after a period in which he spoke with the contenders either in person or in face-to-face meetings.

He notified several close advisers on Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. After considering some 11 women for the post, he and his aides spent time notifying the vice presidential prospects who he did not choose.

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