On Tuesday, the 26th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, former Sen. Tom Harkin used sign language as he spoke at the Democratic Convention podium in Philadelphia. A blind singer sang the National Anthem to the delegates. A paralympic swimmer led the Pledge of Allegiance from her wheelchair.
Democrats used the anniversary to repeatedly show how they support people with disabilities. Meanwhile, on Monday night, they played a video from November in which Donald Trump appeared to mock the muscular disability of New York Times reporter Serge F. Kovaleski.
“Democrats believe in working together and bringing people with disabilities in to develop policy,” Harkin told TheWrap. “Donald Trump? He makes fun of people with disabilities. That’s a throwback to a half a century ago.”
Bill Clinton also hit on that contrast late Tuesday night as he talked about his wife’s early work for children, including those with disabilities.
“She never made fun of people with disabilities,” the former president said of his wife. “She tried to empower them based on their ability.”
The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed with bipartisan support and signed by a Republican president, George Bush, on July 26, 1990. It was amended in 2008 and then signed by his son, George W. Bush. But at the Democratic Convention, many made the case that the new Republican nominee, Trump, would be much less helpful to the disabled.
The narrative is an attempt to appeal to people with disabilities and their loved ones, but also to suggest that Trump has a general lack of compassion.
Timmy Kelly, the Philadelphia singer who led the Wells Fargo Center in the “Star-Spangled Banner” on Tuesday, said Clinton personally asked him to sing the National Anthem at the convention a year ago, when he sang at her campaign launch in 2015.
Kelly, who studies music at Temple University, performs the National Anthem for the Philadelphia Eagles. Former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho, a Democrat and primary sponsor of the act, happens to be an Eagles season ticket holder, Kelly told TheWrap.
“Hillary Clinton asked him to get somebody with a disability that could sing the National Anthem at her presidential launch campaign, and since he saw me sing at the Eagles, he contacted them to get ahold of me. So after I was done singing for her, all I said was, ‘Secretary Clinton, I’d love to sing for you if you come to Temple University,'” Kelly said.
“She said, ‘Hold on … I want Timmy to sing for me at the DNC in Philly,'” Kelly continued. “And three days later I got a personal letter from her written on official letter stationary, and it said, ‘See you in Philly, Hillary.’ A year later, here we are.
“I feel like she is a champion for people with disabilities,” added Kelly, who was born blind. “She understands the middle class. I’ve met her, she’s genuine, and that’s a lot of great qualities that you want in your next president.”
So what does Kelly think of Trump?
“As a person with a disability when he mocked the reporter … that really, really hurt me,” Kelly said. “For me, I don’t want someone like that for the next president. You can’t have someone mocking people just because they’re different from him.”
How Hillary Did: Democratic Convention Speeches Ranked From Worst to Best (Videos)
With the Democratic Convention already half over, TheWrap is ranking the speeches so far. There are too many people taking the podium for us to include them all, so we're only evaluating the most memorable.
Howard Dean
His delivery Tuesday was stilted and felt off, until his conclusion, a callback to the speech that helped bury his 2004 presidential run. It's cool that he can joke about it, but disappointing he didn't have a better closer.
Bernie Sanders
The former presidential candidate got almost three minutes of cheers before he spoke, but delivered a long speech that didn't say much new. And he took 10 minutes to clarify that yes, he's still endorsing Hillary Clinton. His speech was just OK.
Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts senator is one of the Democrats' most energetic advocates for economic justice, but she was relatively low-key Monday. Warren may have been thrown off by people in the crowd who booed or heckled her for getting behind Clinton. But she did land some punches against Trump, her occasional Twitter antagonist.
Madeleine Albright
The first female Secretary of State, one of Clinton's predecessors in the job, made a passionate argument that Donald Trump has hurt U.S. national policy just by running for president.
Tim Kaine
He did a good job doing the attack-dog thing vice presidential candidates are supposed to do, and spoke a little Spanish, calling Clinton "lista" -- ready.
The comedian and former Sanders supporter said something no politician has had the guts to say when she accused the Bernie-or-Bust crowd of acting "ridiculous." Whether or not you agree, give her points for saying what she believes. The onetime Sanders surrogate made a strong case for switching over to "pretty kick-ass woman" Hillary Clinton.
Cory Booker
The New Jersey senator got the audience fired up by quoting Maya Angelou: "You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies / You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise."
Bill Clinton
He's had the same issue with Democratic Convention speeches since his first one in 1988: He goes on too long. But his slow, relaxed style is so much a part of his charm. His encomium to his wife and her great advice was lovely -- we could listen to hours about how they first started dating -- but he could have tightened up his long list of her accomplishments. Key line: "She's the best darn changemaker I've ever met in my entire life."
Joe Biden
He walked out to the theme from "Rocky" -- get it? We're in Philly, and he was born in Pennsylvania? -- and then paid tribute to the Rockys of the world. He said blue-collar people may not be respected in Washington, but celebrated people who get up every morning and "put one foot in front of the other." He also started a new anti-Trump chant: "Not a clue. Not a clue."
Michelle Obama
The first lady set the standard for convention speakers with these words: "I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters, and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States. So, don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again, because this, right now, is the greatest country on Earth."
Hillary Clinton
She was the first presidential nominee in modern history to dress all in white, but she tried to share the spotlight with everyone she could. President Obama set her up Wednesday by portraying Trump as a man who claimed only he could rule. On Thursday, Clinton praised everyone from 9/11 first responders to Obama to Bernie Sanders. "Love trumps hate," she said, and made the case that as the first female presidential nominee, she isn't just in it for herself: "When any barrier in America falls, it clears the way for everyone. After all, when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit."
President Barack Obama
We know, he said his wife's speech would be better. And Clinton's did the job. But this was one for history. Rejecting the idea that dark forces are hurting America, he said the values of his ancestors -- hard work, honesty and kindness -- are as strong as they've ever been. He said shortcuts and demagogues will never win, and belittled Trump's proposed border wall. "The American dream is something no wall with ever contain," Obama said.
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Clinton, dressed all in white, gives credit to ”people who inspired me“
With the Democratic Convention already half over, TheWrap is ranking the speeches so far. There are too many people taking the podium for us to include them all, so we're only evaluating the most memorable.
