Obama at Democratic convention: Hillary Clinton never quits

​Philadelphia: President Barack Obama on Wednesday implored Americans to help Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump, warning the 2016 race was not just about politics, but the nature of US democracy.

Speaking before a rapt Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Obama praised Clinton's caliber and readiness for the White House while painting her Republican rival as a know-nothing authoritarian.

The election, Obama said, was "not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. "This is a more fundamental choice," he said.

In the city where America's founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, Obama declared the November election a "fundamental choice" about what the country is and the very "meaning of our democracy."

Obama spearheaded a day-long effort by Democrats to depict Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief, contrasting the political neophyte with his more experienced Democratic rival.

Trump, he said, was "betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election."

The wealthy real estate mogul has run on a hard-right platform of banning Muslims from entering the United States and building a border wall to keep Hispanic migrants out.

Earlier in the day, he launched a pre-emptive attack against Obama, calling him "the most ignorant president in our history."

The president fired right back

Punching at Trump's campaign slogan, he insisted "America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump."

"Our power doesn't come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way. We don't look to be ruled."

Voicing optimism about the future, Obama said "anyone who threatens our values whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues -- will always fail in the end."

No one more qualified

Acting as a character reference for his secretary of state of four years, with whom he battled in the 2008 primaries, Obama said Clinton was uniquely qualified to succeed him.

He said the 68-year-old former first lady and senator knew what it's like to be in the room when tough epoch-making and presidency-breaking decisions were taken like the move to strike Osama bin Laden.

"I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman -- not me, not Bill (Clinton), nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America," he said.

At the end of his speech, Clinton, the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US political party joined him on stage to deafening shouts from the party faithful. The pair embraced and waved to the crowd.

Taking Trump on

Earlier in the day a series of Democrats had sought to zero in on disunity in the Republican party and zero in on disgruntled voting blocs.

Vice President Joe Biden trashed Trump's claim to be a champion of the middle class, laying into the mogul's reality television show catchphrase: "You're fired!"

"Think about that," said Biden, his voice growing angrier. "Think about that. Think about everything you learned as a child no matter where you were raised. How can there be pleasure in saying 'You're fired'?

"He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break! That's a bunch of malarkey!"

Clinton's vice presidential running mate Tim Kaine made a folksy appeal to more centrist voters, deriding a "slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting one-man wrecking crew!"

A host of Democrats zeroed in on Trump's comments that seemed to invite Russian cyber espionage against Clinton.

"As someone who was responsible for protecting our nation from cyber-attacks, it is inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be that irresponsible," said former CIA director Leon Panetta.

It was left to Obama to draw all these disparate strands together into a comprehensive argument as to why Clinton should succeed him.

Dimming limelight

Now in the twilight of his second term, Obama faces ever-dwindling opportunities to address the nation, mold his legacy and influence the 2016 race.

But on Wednesday, he had a prime-time chance, appearing before thousands of delegates and tens of millions of viewers at home.

The White House said Obama had been working on the roughly 45-minute speech for weeks. Yet this touchstone presidential moment had been a decade or more in the making.

The address bookends Obama's career-launching address to the Democratic convention in 2004, his contentious 2008 primary battle with Clinton and his eight years in office.

Obama made a familiar case for what has been achieved during his two terms, highlighting America's recovery from the Great Recession, the Iran nuclear deal and reforms to health care. But this was also a passing of the party torch.

"I have confidence as I leave this stage tonight that the Democratic Party is in good hands," Obama said, appearing to become emotional.

"Thank you for this incredible journey," he said before his long exit from the stage.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump on Thursday in a series of tweets attacked Obama. He said that the country does not feel great already to the millions of wonderful people living in poverty, violence and despair.

Earlier on Wednesday, Clinton's running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, introduced himself to the nation as a formidable foil to Republican nominee Donald Trump. With folksy charm, he ridiculed Trump's list of promises and imitated one of the GOP candidate's favourite phrases.

Trump fuelled more controversy Wednesday when he encouraged Russia to meddle in the presidential campaign. On the heels of reports that Russia may have hacked Democratic Party emails, Trump said, "Russia, if you're listening," it would be desirable to see Moscow find and publish the thousands of emails Clinton says she deleted during her years as secretary of state.

Wednesday night's Democratic lineup was aimed at emphasizing Clinton's own national security credentials. It was a significant shift in tone after two nights spent reintroducing Clinton to voters as a champion for children and families, and relishing in her historic nomination as the first woman to lead a major political party into the general election.

The convention's third night was also a time for Democrats to celebrate Obama's two terms in office. Vice President Joe Biden, who decided against running for president this year after the death of his son, called it a "bittersweet moment."

A son of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Biden appealed directly to the working class white voters who have been drawn to Trump's populism, warning them against falling for false promises and exploitation of Americans' anxieties.

"This guy doesn't have a clue about the middle class," he declared.

Kaine also picked up the traditional attacking role of the presidential ticket's No. 2. He tore into Trump, mocking his pledges to build a wall along the Mexican border, asking why he has not released his tax returns and slamming his business record, including the now-defunct Trump University.

"Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth," Kaine said. "Our nation is too great to put it in the hands of slick-talking, empty-promising, self-promoting, one-man wrecking crew."

Liberals, particularly those who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have grumbled about Kaine being on the ticket, particularly because of his support for "fast track" approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Several delegates held up anti-TPP signs as he spoke.

In a move aimed at broadening Clinton's appeal, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent who considered launching a third party bid for president, endorsed the Democratic nominee. A billionaire businessman himself, Bloomberg took aim at Trump's bankruptcies, reliance on foreign factories and other economic experience: "The richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy."

President Bill Clinton, filling the role of devoted political spouse, joined the crowd packed to the arena rafters in cheering the attacks on Trump.

Clinton's campaign believes Trump's unorthodox candidacy will turn off moderate Republicans, particularly women, who worry he's too unpredictable to take the helm in a turbulent world. They recognize that Republicans, as well as many Democrats, have questions about Clinton's character but hope to ease those concerns.

Still, the core of Clinton's strategy is putting back together Obama's winning White House coalition. In both his campaigns, Obama carried more than 90 percent of black voters, the overwhelming majority of Hispanics, and more than half of young people and women.

That coalition was vividly on display in the first two nights of the convention in Philadelphia. Women lawmakers were prominently featured, along with young activists, immigrants, and mothers whose black children were victims of gun violence or killed during encounters with law enforcement.

Gun violence continued as a theme Wednesday night as families of mass shooting victims took the stage. Delegates rose in an emotional standing ovation for the mother of one of the victims in last month's Orlando nightclub shooting, who asked why "commonsense" gun policies weren't in place when her son died.

"I never want you to ask that question about your child," Christine Leinonen said.

Capping the somber section of the program focused on gun violence, a group of Broadway singers performed a rousing rendition of "What the World Needs Now Is Love," as the audience sang and swayed in unison.

Clinton's convention has been awash in history, with energized delegates celebrating her formal nomination as the first woman to ever lead a major political party in the general election. Some supporters of Sanders, her primary opponent, continued to voice their displeasure.

But Sanders, meeting with New England delegates, said, "As of yesterday, I guess, officially our campaign ended."