LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "Are we where we want to be today? No. Is the president satisfied? Of course not," Clinton told the crowd. "But are we better off than we were when he took office?" The crowd enthusiastically shouted yes.

Clinton, when noting the economic slowdown under Obama's tenure, added that "no one could have repaired all the damage he found in just four years."

Clinton also formally entered Obama's name up for the Democratic presidential nomination, something that the convention officially ratified in a state-by-state roll call vote.
 
Clinton portrayed Obama as a centrist dealmaker and a candidate who did his best to avert a recession, a well-intentioned moderate who was held back by Republicans throughout the past four years.

The president joined Clinton onstage after the conclusion of his speech. The convention went head-to-head with the prime-time opening-night NFL matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants on another network.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney throughout his campaign has argued that Obama has governed well to the left of Clinton. Clinton alluded to that claim by portraying Obama as an actor who genuinely sought compromise.

"One of the main reasons America should re-elect President Obama is that he is still committed to constructive cooperation," Clinton said.

Clinton also denounced Romney's proposals as inconsistent and fiscally unsound. Of Romney's budget proposals, Clinton said: "The Romney plan fails the first test of fiscal responsibility; the numbers don't add up."

Clinton's speech was seen by many as the highlight of second day of the Democratic National Convention. Political watchers felt the second day meandered at a lower energy level than the opening festivities, with galvanizing speeches by San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and first lady Michelle Obama.

As was the case with opening night, the Democrats featured final speakers who took a less personal tone toward the Republican Party. The party wishes to showcase a sharp "contrast" between Obama and Romney during the convention.

Contraceptive rights activist Sandra Fluke's speech, unafraid in its criticism of Romney and the GOP was featured in the prime-time slot nationally broadcast by most networks.

"Your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen with hateful slurs ... It would be an America in which you have a new vice president who co-sponsored a bill that would allow pregnant women to die preventable deaths in our emergency rooms," Fluke declared.

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