Bill Clinton’s ‘change’ pitch

Former President Bill Clinton’s speech offered an intimate tribute to Mrs. Clinton, describing for a rapt audience their courtship and early marriage — and their upward climb together in politics.

His most telling praise, however, was about Mrs. Clinton’s grit as a reformer. With Donald J. Trump casting the 2016 election as a choice between drastic change and an unhappy status quo, the former president insisted that Mrs. Clinton, rather than her opponent, is best prepared to wrest change from an unwilling system.

Mr. Clinton asked voters to cast aside the “cartoon” version of Mrs. Clinton promoted by Republicans, and urged them to think optimistically about the future. “Life in the real world is complicated, and real change is hard,” he said. Of his wife, Mr. Clinton said, “She is the best darn change-maker I have ever known.”

Democrats have long aimed to beat Mr. Trump by discrediting his promises of change. But Mr. Clinton’s speech confirmed that Democrats know they must do more than that, and that they must compete hard for the votes of people who want Washington overhauled from top to bottom.