Obama rallies support for Clinton ahead of US election

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Seeking to rally support behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that this year's race for the White House is not a "typical" election, but is instead a "fundamental choice about who we are as a people."

"We Democrats have always had difference with the Republican Party, and there's nothing wrong with that," Obama said at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, but added that at last week's GOP convention what "we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other and turn away from the rest of the world.

"And that is not the America I know," he added to applause before reiterating earlier claims that there's no person better qualified to serve in the White House, himself included, than Clinton.

When the audience erupted in boos after Obama mentioned Republican nominee Donald Trump by name, his response was succinct: "Don't boo, vote."

A Clinton presidency would help Obama cement his legacy, as Trump has vowed to repeal several of Obama's major accomplishments, including the Iran nuclear deal, and said he would work to upend a pacific trade deal that Obama has been seeking as an international trade capstone.

Speaking before Obama, Vice President Joe Biden rallied delegates into a fervor, telling them that Trump "doesn't have a clue about the middle class.

"He has no clue about what makes America great," he said, apparently referring to Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan.

"Actually, he has no clue period," he added, eliciting chants of "not a clue" from the convention hall.

Clinton's running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who accepted the party's nomination Wednesday night, took aim at Trump, calling him a "one-man wrecking crew.

"Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth," Kaine said.

Clinton is expected to accept the nomination Thursday during the Democratic convention's final day.