I'm loving it so far...but I've always loved her.
I appreciated "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits" too.

Gee, she is really incredibly DIVISIVE with all of this talk about supporting Obama.

From women's rights to gay rights..."

Sigh, still got my girl crush on Hillary!!!

Lilly Ledbetter was wonderful. Deval Patrick was wonderful.

Wow - "my mother was born before women had the right to vote. my daughter was able to vote for her mother for President."

awesome :)

That was an awesome speech. I put off turning on the Daily Show to see the end. Though the Canadian channel I'm watching it on had this commentary right after she finished: "There she goes, the lady in the pantsuit" Gah! They had to mention the pantsuit again!!!

I loved the speech, and the intro video made me tear up. I went into the primaries feeling kind of "meh" about her, but now I've got a serious girl crush.

I'm not ashamed to say my eyes welled more than once. That was superb.

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I never realized how powerful she is; her stage presence is immense.

unfortunately, i think HRC could tattoo "i support Barack Obama" on her forehead, and the MSM would still describe her as "bitter" and "divisive"...

I definitely teared up. But I keep realizing over and over again just how intelligent, strong, and wonderful she really is. Serious friend-and-politics-crush on Hillary Clinton!

I have always been a Hillary Clinton far and seeing her today... it was just brilliant. I hope all the negative talks about her not being a team-player and her dividing the party stops, because she really nailed this speech.
Also, she did something that has not been done in full force in this convention -- attack McCain!
The video intro got me teary eyes. :)

I watched it!

She said some really good things and I thought I heard her say, "Cause 1,800 cracks in the glass ceiling..."

Plus she just mentioned a lot of stuff about women and real issues like women's suffrage and women's equality day!

She is great.

aw hillary just made my day and possibly my convention. what a great speech! from hitting mccain hard to talking about (gasp!) women's rights, this was a home run.

I loved how she poked some fun at the people who keep focusing on the fact that she doesn't wear a skirt.
I love her! Oh, why couldn't we have had the dream ticket?

Two things:
1) I just saw Jessica on MSNBC
2) I'm crying (fer gawd's sake). It's a political speech but I'm crying. Hillary is my Hero.

Watch the video, "Hillary Cracks the Glass Ceiling..."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Conventions/Story?id=5663211&page=4

That was one of the best speeches I've ever witnessed.
I can't wait to share it with my teenage son.
I'm in awe. I hope Obama and Biden took notes.
Hillary delivered her speech with great presence, made all her points & threw in just enough humor to balance the tears.

Watching Bill and Chelsea tear up and hearing Hillary champion feminists of days gone by, were the highlights for me. The reminder that Chelsea's grandmother couldn't vote, yet there was Chelsea voting for her mother during the primaries and introducing her at the DNC-
renewed my faith and hope just a smidgen.

LOVED it. I loved how Chelsea narrated her video -- that was a wonderful touch, and so moving. It was a great speech -- I think she really delivered from a variety of perspectives and pumped the room full of awesome energy. I adored the references to Seneca Falls, winning the vote, equal pay, gay rights, and Harriet Tubman, especially on Women's Equality Day! :) And she nailed McCain & Bush with relish and exuberance. It was a wonderful end to Hillary's primary season for me...she definitely went out on a high note and I give her so much credit for being able to do that.

Awesome speech, especially when she asked her supporters, "Did you do all that you did just for me?" (or whatever the exact phrase was...point being, her campaign was about ideas, not herself.) And I teared up when she talked about Seneca Falls and Harriet Tubman. It can be so easy to forget how far we've come.

(FYI, Lily Ledbetter was solid. She wasn't a great public speaker IMHO, but she got her point across well and I was thrilled that her story got such a prime spot. Hillary also took down McCain hard on this issue in her speech.)

Hillary's speech was AMAZING. I've always supported Obama, but she made me a little sad that we won't be seeing a woman in the White House in 2008. I give her a lot of credit for throwing her support so solidly behind Obama.

As for Ledbetter...I was thrilled that she spoke at the convention. She did a good job of laying out her case to the public. I'm glad that the Democrats seem to be trying to take the issue of equal pay and run with it!

I thought it was a beautiful speech. She covered a broad range of issues. She really zeroed in on those people who might be still holding back their support for Obama and made a strong case for supporting the ideas and the policies, not just the individual candidates. I was moved.

Deval Patrick was also terrific (yay, MA, my home state!)

I also loved how during the tribute video, when Bill had his turn to talk about her, the caption read "Hillary's husband." :D LOL, that was perfect.

And she took back the laugh! Good for her.

Ok, must go to bed now. :)

I really struggled not to cry during the opening video.

And I did cry during the part where she quoted Harriet Tubman.

She better get a cabinet post.

I caucused for Barack, and still love him, but I finally felt it for Hillary. I finally understood the love for her. I feel the love for her so much now, and I am sad that this isn't the year there will be a woman in the white house (while still believing fully in Obama).

There were so many lines I loved, her delivery was PERFECT, it was all just amazing.

We're watching the rebroadcast on MSNBC (my boyfriend knows me so well he had it on when I got home :D) and she just started speaking, but so far I LOVE IT. And Bill Clinton was doing the cutest thing when Hillary took the stage. You could see him saying "I love you, I love you, I love you" over and over. So cute.

Why do I have to punish myself by checking Andrew Sullivan's reaction to these things :(

Great speech! Even though as an Australian it's not targeted at me, there was one very very offputting thing about the whole deal.. those little placards just saying "Hillary", they were a stark reminder of the Hillsong Church logo here in Australia, if you look below you'll see what I mean! The link shows the logo, and the extract below shows their 'politics' *vomit*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsong_Church
"Hillsong's beliefs and standards belong to mainstream Pentecostalism. Brian Houston has described himself positively as a fundamentalist,[15], and holds conservative views on creation and abortion.[16] Hillsong's teachings have been commented on favourably by Peter Costello (Baptist and former Treasurer of Australia), who has defended the church against accusations of unorthodoxy.[17] Hillsong's stand on topical issues in contemporary Christianity is conservative, teaching that homosexuality is unnatural.[18][19] Hillsong teaches that depression is 'a supernatural spirit straight from the devil',[20] and is said by ex-member Tanya Levin to teach that psychotic symptoms are "evidence of demons"[21] However, a recent change of Hillsong's position on divorce represents a departure from Fundamentalist teaching.[22] Church governance is strictly controlled, with leadership positions made by appointment rather than congregational vote.[23]" - wikipedia

Loved it. I had been feeling very down about the state of things in this country and thinking I should just dig a hole and live in it until the Republican Nightmare ends, but that speech lifted my spirits. I just lost it at the part about KEEP GOING...

After yesterday disappointment with Michelle's speech and her identity being dependant on others wife, mother, daughter, etc. I am glad again of watching the DNC. Hillary speech compensated for yesterday and MORE. I am so happy for her.

After yesterday disappointment with Michelle's speech and her identity being dependant on others wife, mother, daughter, etc. I am glad again of watching the DNC. Hillary speech compensated for yesterday and MORE. I am so happy for her.

It was the most rousing thing I've seen in a very long time. I loved the Tubman part-- if you see lights . . . KEEP GOING; if you hear voices . . . KEEP GOING; if you . . . KEEP GOING.

She really is amazing.

I've never been much of a Hillary fan (her personality always seemed a bit to robotic for me) but last night was an eye-opener. She was great! She spoke for all causes, ALL AMERICANS (hear that McCain?), and the 'Traveling Pantsuit' comment made me applaud.

What struck me greatest was how respectful she was to her opposition. I see Republican smear campaigns and cringe; sure, they highlight the 'weakness' of their opponents, but they don't explain how they can do a better job. So Hillary's use of History, wit, respect, and a call for everyone to rise up and create change made me really, really smile.

Hill was fabulous.

We were all teary-eyed at my house watching her. Like another poster said, I finally got the everlasting love that some feel for HRC. She was truly inspiring. I think she went a long way to unite the party and electrify voters. I hope, if nothing else, that her speech has swayed her die-hard supporters to not vote for McCain (even if they won't vote for Obama).

I too teared up at the intro video. It was so moving.
And Hillary just did a fantastic job last night. I've loved Hillary from the beginning and I'm still sad that I won't be able to vote for her in November but my support is fully behind Obama. "No way, no how, no McCain."
And yes (I don't remember who mentioned it) I did notice Bill saying "I love you. I love her," over and over again when she took the stage. I thought that was beautiful.
And I loved all the comments about women's rights! How fitting that she gave her speech on the anniversary of the 19th amendment.
All and all a fantastic job!! I love you Hillary :)

Hillary's speech was fantastic. There are no words. I cried through the video, and most of the speech! I loved every minute but it still made me terribly sad to think of what almost was!

Um YES Clinton is AMAZING... too bad no one paid attention to her during the primary, instead we were all worried about "voting with your vagina" and defending Obama's blatant sexism and homophobia. If we had actually gotten behind the first female candidate, we would've had an inspiring, tough, amazing feminist female president in 2008. And maybe then I could have gotten married to my partner and maybe abortion would have been protected and that woman wouldn't have gotten kicked out of the federal building for wearing a t-shirt... now it's Obama and Biden (you know, the one who called him clean and articulate?) vs. McCain... lovely.

Lili Marlen,

Really? You had to go there? You can't compliment one woman without bringing down another? I mean we've seen a lot of this "Michelle isn't as good a feminist as Hillary" crap, in the lack of attention to sexism and racism Michelle's faced if nothing else, but this takes the cake.

re; Michelle and Hillary. I am a huge Hillary fan, voted for her, rooted for her, have no bitterness whatsoever. I loved her speech last night. I also loved Michelle's speech on Monday. I am also a political wonk and buff. Love the stuff!
Michelle's purpose on Monday night was different to Hillary's last night. Michelle's role was to describe her husband in the context of their family, to show that they are "just folks" who worked hard and are now here though they were challenged by money, background, and race.
She was meant to describe an idealistic, grounded good family man, a description that transcends skin color. She was not meant to sell her own attributes because then it would be an "I" speech and we needed a "we" speech. Her speech thus was in the context of family, parents and spouse.

Her Harvard law degree as a black feamle from the South Side who has given back speaks enough to me. Her marriage looks like a partnership of intelligence and respect, with division of labor that have been thought out and play to strengths and opportunity. Remember she herself admits politics is not something that interests her. Her front and center participation in her husband's campaign speaks enough to me. The fact that I easily see her stepping into a big public role once his Presidency is over speaks enough to me.

Hillary kicks ass, she is older, we have more of a frame of reference. Don't forget, she was somewhat more muted during the 8 yrs of Bill's presidency. During this time she also was a good mother. She raised a feminist daughter. She became a kickass Senator and she almost won. She has many many years of fight still left. Last night she was awesome!

Michelle has the potential to be tremendous feminist role model, and already is in many ways.
She has stated that she doesn't like politics. I so wish she did :)

Kristen:

Really...this is a room for discussion and my criticism of Michelle’s speech has a valid argument. Many people know that the fight for women’s rights sometimes can get too overwhelming and I get disappointed when women who have achieved so much and have the platform to do more don’t act on it. In this circumstance, there were two important speeches from women at the DNC. Michelle made me feel back at square one but thanks to Hillary I am once again inspired.

Lili Marlen,

Michelle is not just a woman. She is a WOC. And as a WOC she experiences more than just sexism. Part of what she was doing during her speech was fighting the racist stereotypes that have been hurled at her head for the last 18 months.

Lili Marlen said,
"After yesterday disappointment with Michelle's speech and her identity being dependant on others wife, mother, daughter, etc. I am glad again of watching the DNC. Hillary speech compensated for yesterday and MORE. I am so happy for her."

Me too. I was embarrassed by/ for Michelle Obama after that horrid speech where she acted like a throw back housewife. She came off sounding like a woman who thinks other women should stay home if their husbands can afford to have them there
(we all hope she is not really thinking that, but, who can tell for sure when she speaks like that?). If she is a feminist, she sure is hiding it well. If she is a womanist, also, hiding it well. IMHO, that I am entitled to, speaking on a site that discusses feminism.

As a single mother and survivor of poverty and prejudice in this country that I love, I was so glad to hear Hillary speak of us- mothers who are the sole providers and are struggling! As a mother who survived debilitating illness, without insurance, too proud to go on disability, again, thank you Hillary, for representing.

As a feminist, I can criticize a woman's speech for ruffling my feminist feathers. I can also applaud another woman for representing!

Thank you Hillary Clinton!

Now, did she sway me back into the DNC? That party I worked for in years gone by? I don't know yet. I'm still thinking of voting for Cynthia McKinney and supporting the idea of a 3rd party, while voting for an African American woman who is liberal and not afraid to show it.

I honestly do not understand why so many threads devoted to the wonderful appearances and speeches Clinton has made these past several weeks so often devolve into sniping at Obama. Why is it impossible to praise Clinton without turning around and in the same breath claiming that Obama is horribly misogynist? When it comes to the bare bones issues, the two are almost identical. Someone mentioned that under a Clinton candidacy we would have legalized gay marriage. Clinton's stance on gay marriage is the same as Obama's -- civil unions, not marriage. I quickly googled to double-check. Both are against the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

It's just disheartening to see the MSM meme of division being played out on so many blogs. I'd like to think it's greatly exaggerated on their part and that there isn't this huge gulf.

Kristen,
She acted like throwback housewife whose sole purpose is to support people around her.
A few of my friends got together to watch the historic speech. Proud of her for being in that position and then saddened by what she did with the opportunity. We were shaking our heads as we felt we knew what she was doing during that speech. It was disappointing, but, it was her choice to deliver that speech. Maybe someone ought to inform the campaign of just how many single mothers there are, of voting age, in this country.

Recalling what Coretta Scott King said before she passed, one friend actually hoped M. Obama would throw something in there for her, a lesbian, African American...something, anything? Nope.
So hats off to Hillary for putting it out there.

i muse,

I can't believe we were listening to the same speech. The video presentation prior to the speech was all about her career. She talked about her career in public service. Did you miss the parts about leaving a big law firm to work at a non-profit and then at UC Hospitals? Where are you getting this housewife vibe?

Blitzgal, "When it comes to the bare bones issues, the two are almost identical."

I don't see it that way.
Not concerning abortion or gay rights. Perhaps you are right regarding their voting patterns, but, he hasn't spoken as clearly about these issues during this campaign. His camp is pushing his Christianity and not his pro-feminism in his campaign / marketing strategy and it is not winning over my vote, me a once "Die hard Democrat". I don't think he is as concerned about my vote as Hillary is.

"Her marriage looks like a partnership of intelligence and respect, with division of labor that have been thought out and play to strengths a