The Democratic Convention this week featured a parade of speakers who testified to Hillary Clinton’s softer side; her compassion and empathy as a wife, mother, colleague, and friend. But when she stepped to the podium Thursday night to accept her nomination, Clinton, true to form, veered away from the deeply personal and even eschewed the historic nature of the moment in favor of the pragmatic. Her speech made the case that her experience in a series of high-profile government jobs is evidence of her judgement and temperament. That argument is a direct challenge to her opponent Donald Trump, who has no record of governing and who’s proven to be thin-skinned. It was a dicey gamble; an assumption that Americans who desire change will choose results-driven policy proposals over sweeping promises.
To me, her remarks echo what WMPW has written so much about; efforts by companies and individuals to assess people on their qualifications alone, not their gender, their background, or even their names. Judge me on what I’ve done, not who I am.
If only politics—and all of business—worked that way.
Fortune writer Claire Zillman
(filling in for Laura this week)
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| . |
| Merkel, unmoved |
| Angela Merkel told reporters Thursday that she's not budging on her welcoming stance toward refugees—despite the two terror attacks by asylum seekers in one week. “For me it is clear: we will stick to our fundamental principles," she said. We'll have to see how this affects her approval ratings that WMPW covered earlier this week. |
| Wall Street Journal |
| . |
| Selfie solidarity |
| Men in Iran are posting photos of themselves wearing the hijab in support of women in the country who are forced to cover their heads in public. |
| The Independent |
THE AMERICAS
| It's complicated |
| Clinton's Democratic National Convention this week highlighted her status as a glass ceiling shatterer. But Fortune's Valentina Zarya reports that she hasn't always been so gung-ho about playing her woman card. |
| Fortune |
| . |
| Jill, not Hill |
| It may come as a surprise that Clinton is not the only woman in the U.S. presidential race. Third-party candidate Jill Stein, of the Green Party, is trying to capture the legacy of Bernie Sanders' failed campaign and win over his anti-Hillary supporters. |
| Time |
| . |
| Coffee creativity |
| Starbucks has named former Under Armour executive Leanne Fremar as its new creative director. The appointment comes a few days after Starbucks reorganized some of its senior leadership roles to focus more on long-term strategy and innovation after an emphasis on digital technology. |
| Fortune |
ASIA-PACIFIC
| A prisoner of conscience |
| Prominent Indian human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila said this week that she is ending her 15-year hunger strike against a law that shields the armed forces from prosecution. Her fasting has lent credence to critics of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958, who say it allows widespread human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings. |
| New York Times |
IN BRIEF
| Brazil's feminists are taking on the Olympics |
| Refinery 29 |
| Headline of the week: Hillary Clinton's husband wore a fetching pantsuit to honor her nomination for U.S. president |
| Quartz |
| Can you name the women who broke through these glass ceilings? |
| Money |
| Demi Lovato's new mobile game gives fans a peek into her life |
| Fortune |
PARTING WORDS
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| —Chelsea Clinton, referring to her 2-year-old daughter Charlotte as she introduced her mother at the Democratic Convention. |
