Clinton accepts US Democratic presidential nomination, declares “moment of reckoning

Declaring “a moment of reckoning” for the US, Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night, calling on voters to reject Donald Trump.

“Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart, bonds of trust and respect are fraying,” Clinton said at the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

“It truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we’re going to work together so we can all rise together.”
Clinton, 68, offered a positive picture of America, unlike the darker vision Republican Trump presented in accepting his party’s presidential nomination last week in Cleveland.
“It is with humility, determination and boundless confidence in America’s promise that I accept your nomination for President of the United States,” Clinton said.
The first woman nominee of a major US presidential party acknowledged her achievement by saying, “When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.”
She discussed terrorism and income inequality, two of the major issues of the 2016 presidential campaign.
“We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against, but we are not afraid,” said the former secretary of State, US senator and first lady. “We will rise to the challenge, just as we always have.”
Reaching out to disappointed supporters of her former Democratic rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton said, “I’ve heard you. Your cause is our cause.” Sanders succeeded in moving the Democratic Party platform to the left on a number of key US domestic issues.
She also had a message for white, blue-collar workers adversely affected by economic globalization and technological change, who have formed the core of Trump supporters.
“Right now, an awful lot of people feel there is less and less respect for the work they do,” she said. Politicians have not done a good enough job of showing they understand, she said.
Alluding to New York real estate mogul Trump, who she will face in the Nov. 8 general election, Clinton said, “Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t have what it takes. Most of all, don’t believe anyone who says: ‘I alone can fix it,’ “a reference to Trump’s acceptance speech.
President Barack Obama congratulated Clinton at the end of her speech. “Great speech,” he tweeted. “She’s tested. She’s ready. She never quits.”