PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Bill Clinton was once the Democrats explainer-in-chief, electrifying the convention crowd with his support of President Barack Obama.
Today, he increasingly seems to be explaining himself.
The center of gravity in Democratic politics has shifted decidedly to the left in the four years since the party’s last national convention. Clinton’s convention speech Tuesday night must finesse some of his administration’s biggest achievements, including a landmark free trade agreement and major criminal justice law. Otherwise, his wife may pay the price with the party’s emboldened liberal base.
The former president will promote what aides say are his wife’s lesser-known achievements, her early days as a child advocacy lawyer, her policy campaigns as first lady and work as senator from New York.