Rhawnhurst native Katie McGinty addressed delegates on the last night of the convention. MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
The 2016 Democratic National Convention is in the history books, and Philadelphia seems to have done a pretty good job as the host city.
Law enforcement was prepared for any uprising, though protesters were kept well away from the action at the Wells Fargo Center. The temperature seemed to be hotter than the tempers.
Hard-core Democrats lucky to have a pass into the arena got to hear some of their party’s brightest stars. Speeches were given by the likes of President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and, of course, Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton left Philadelphia as the first woman to accept a major-party nomination for president. She’ll be back, as Pennsylvania is one of the key states for her and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Here’s a look at how some familiar faces saw the convention.
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Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, of Somerton, served as a convention delegate and made an appearance on MSNBC at the conclusion of the third night of the party.
On July 24, Stack hosted a party at Center City’s McGillin’s Olde Ale House, the oldest tavern in Philadelphia, with guests from across the state watching the Phillies lose to the Pirates and getting ready for the four-day convention.
Three months before Election Day, Stack is confident Hillary Clinton will defeat Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, thanks in large part to Philadelphia. In 2012, Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney by more than 492,000 votes in the city.
“I think Philadelphia can do that for Hillary,” he said. “She’ll carry Philly in such a way that she’ll carry the state.”
Skeptics might say that Clinton will not be able to put together the Obama urban coalition, but Stack thinks the GOP nominee won’t have any special appeal.
“Trump’s not Romney,” he said.
Stack said he enjoyed the speeches, pointing to those by Clinton, Obama and Biden. He said Clinton “hit it out of the park.” And he liked the passion of Biden, a longtime Delaware senator whom he called “Pennsylvania’s third senator.”
The lieutenant governor, though, was especially impressed by Michelle Obama.
“She was amazing. She hit all the points as an American you hold dear,” he said.
Stack called the convention “very exciting,” adding that Clinton’s nomination was “very historical.”
As for the host city, Stack said Philadelphia looked beautiful. He said restaurants benefited, visitors found it easy to get around and Philadelphians were nice to guests.
“I heard no complaints. People were just raving about the city,” he said.
Stack appeared on MSNBC’s set near the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, just before Rob Reiner and the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors.
The show was being hosted by Chris Matthews, a Somerton native. Others on the set included Michael Steele, a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and onetime chairman of the Republican National Committee who is now an MSNBC political analyst. They were joined by Chris Hayes and Joy Reid, two ultra-liberal hosts on the left-leaning cable network.
The public was also welcome to watch MSNBC’s live coverage.
Stack brought up Obama’s nearly 500,000-vote margin in 2012 in Philadelphia, and Matthews asked the lieutenant governor if Trump had a 50–50 shot at winning Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes.
“Donald Trump’s chances in Pennsylvania? His chances, I would put them at 10 percent,” Stack replied.
Matthews ended the segment by calling Stack — whose grandfather was a congressman, father the longtime Democratic leader of the 58th Ward and mother a retired Municipal Court judge — “a great guy from a great family.”
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Katie McGinty, the Rhawnhurst native who is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, addressed delegates on the last night of the convention.
A Resurrection of Our Lord and St. Hubert graduate, she described herself as the ninth of 10 kids “in a big, loud Irish family.” Her grandparents were immigrants from Ireland, her dad was a police officer and her mom a restaurant hostess.
In her address, she said that while incomes have not grown much in the last two decades, the cost of living is “going through the roof.” Top business executives, she said, used to make 30 times more money than workers, while now the ratio is 300 times.
She ripped Trump for what she believes is scapegoating and fear-mongering, and tried to link her opponent, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, to the outspoken GOP presidential nominee.
“Blame the Mexicans, blame the Muslims, blame the government, build a wall,” is how she described Trump’s campaign focus.
McGinty also recalled when “The Donald” said it was “disgraceful” that Pope Francis referred to him as “not a Christian” for wanting to build a wall to keep Mexicans from illegally entering the United States.
“My dear mother, God rest her soul, would be turning over in her grave on that one,” she said.
McGinty spoke of her support for good schools, job training and affordable college tuition. She said trickle-down economics works for the “big shots” at the expense of the “average Joe” and “average Jane.”
Toomey was not impressed. He issued a statement recalling McGinty’s stint as chief of staff for Gov. Tom Wolf, who proposed a variety of tax hikes in his budget.
“Despite her political speech tonight, Katie McGinty’s record is one of middle-class job-killing regulations, massive tax hikes aimed squarely at middle-class pocketbooks, and using government service to enrich herself,” he said. “That’s the last thing we need more of in Washington.”
The Senate Leadership Fund super PAC blasted her speech.
“After watching Katie McGinty’s stink bomb of a speech yesterday, you can’t help but wonder just what Joe Sestak did to Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer to get them to spend millions dragging the underwhelming McGinty through the Democratic primary. In a year where Democrats have recruited some real zeros to run for Senate, Katie McGinty is making the case that she is the worst of the lot,” said spokesman Ian Prior.
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Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter also spoke last Thursday, telling the crowd that his hometown was giving Democrats “a little extra brotherly love and sisterly affection.”
Nutter called Clinton a “champion for our cities.” He also labeled her a “changemaker,” a term that many chuckled at when Bill Clinton used it for a woman who has been on the national scene for a quarter-century.
But the former mayor insisted that Hillary Clinton “gets stuff done.” He likes her support for job investments and criminal justice reform and her attention to decreasing the gun violence that is taking the lives of young black men.
Nutter dismissed Trump as a “con man” who likens the presidency to an entry-level job on The Apprentice. He claimed the Republican presidential nominee looks down on Americans from the top of Trump Tower, and poked fun at his frequent use of Twitter.
“We need a president whose ideas and attention span is longer than a hundred and forty characters,” he said.
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Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey spoke on the third night of the convention, recounting his 47-year career that also included stints in Washington, D.C., and his hometown of Chicago. Ramsey said more than grieving is needed to stop violence.
“We need commonsense measures to reduce gun violence. Police need these commonsense measures. And a leader who will fight for them,” he said.
“Now more than ever, we need a strong and steady leader to stop the bloodshed, a leader that’ll protect our officers from being outgunned by weapons of war, and to rebuild the bonds between police and communities. That’s why I’m with Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a strong leader to protect our cops and communities from gun violence.”
Specifically, Ramsey cited Clinton’s support for increased benefits for the first responders of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also pointed to her support of comprehensive background checks for guns and the ban on assault weapons.
Clinton, Ramsey said, is a “steady leader” who can repair the frayed bonds between law enforcement and some communities.
“She’ll support those who feel forgotten in challenged areas like the South Side of Chicago, Southeast D.C. and North Philadelphia,” he said. “Important as ever, Hillary Clinton will build bridges between communities and police. And ladies and gentlemen, that’s better than building walls.”
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Gov. Tom Wolf spoke on the final night of the convention, and he mentioned Trump’s half-dozen business bankruptcies and opposition to paid family leave. He also contended that the GOP nominee stiffed small businesses over the years.
Wolf used to be a principal in a family-run kitchen cabinet company that had a profit-sharing plan. In 2013, a year before he ran for governor, the company gave employees an average of $5,000 apiece.
The governor praised Hillary Clinton for proposing tax credits to companies that implement a profit-sharing initiative. He also credited her for supporting a hike in the minimum wage, equal pay for women and 12 weeks of paid family leave.
“We need a president who recognizes that an economy that doesn’t work for everyone doesn’t work at all,” he said. ••
City of Sisterly Love: Conventioneers cheer during last week’s Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton left Philadelphia as the first woman to accept a major-party nomination for president. MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
