Hillary Clinton’s chance to shine in her acceptance speech comes with big challenges

In her acceptance speech tonight, Hillary Clinton has a huge opportunity to detail key differences between her approach to being president of the United States — and that of Donald Trump.

But given the overwhelming distrust among Americans of the Democratic Party’s nominee, Clinton will have to be extremely persuasive to deliver an agenda that many voters could embrace as the sprint to Nov. 8 starts in earnest.

Clinton will feel the tug of the unrealistic Bernie Sanders supporters chanting for an immediate and much higher minimum wage, free college tuition and breaking up big banks. In response, she needs to outline responsible steps that could achieve needed goals, such as a gradual increase in the minimum wage, assistance for university graduates facing steep debt and reasonable restrictions on big banks.

And Clinton must try to bolster her reputation as the more competent of the two presidential candidates when it comes to foreign affairs. She could help her cause by outlining her plans to reduce terrorism and slow the spread of the Islamic State, as well as discuss the importance of NATO, which Trump has seemed to dismiss.

To be sure, Trump made Clinton’s job a bit easier with his near-shouting, substance-challenged acceptance speech last week. It was long on personal promises — “I am your voice” and claims that crime will almost magically decline — but again short on specifics.

As Trump did at the Republican convention, Clinton has had to deal with plenty of distractions at her party’s confab in Philadelphia. The week started with stories focused on embarrassing emails sent by top Democratic officials eager to stomp on Sanders’ campaign.

Clinton in her speech likely will point out that she’s the first woman to be nominated by a major political party to become president. It is a noteworthy accomplishment, and follows by eight years the fact that fellow Democrat Barack Obama was the first black man to become president.

However, Clinton has had a much longer time in the public spotlight than Obama did before he ran for the office. It’s going to be much easier for Trump and her many other critics to attack Clinton’s sometimes ever-changing positions on health care, trade, foreign policy and other issues.

As Clinton’s heartiest supporters accurately note, she also has become accustomed to absorbing these blows, dusting herself off and charging toward sitting in the Oval Office in January 2017.

The American voters will decide in just over three months whether Clinton will achieve that dream.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Hillary Clinton’s chance to shine in her acceptance speech comes with big challenges."