"Awesome time to be alive."
That was the sentiment from one person watching history take place at the Democratic National Convention, as Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for U.S. president by a major political party. And it was a common feeling Tuesday night in the Bay Area.
Steve Erdahl of Pinole, watching former President Bill Clinton address delegates on behalf of his wife in Philadelphia, says he’s excited to witness history.
"First we had Obama, now we have Clinton," Erdahl said. "Gender is no longer an issue in America."
That's debatable, according to NBC Bay Area political analyst Larry Gerston, who has studied the issue for years.
"It’s just one more time; Americans historically thought it's not appropriate for a woman," Gerston said of the presidency. "That's no longer the case."
Now that Clinton’s nomination is in the history books, restaurant owner Derreck Johnson says he’s hoping she will make it to the White House. He met the former secretary of state a month and a half ago while she made a campaign stop at his restaurant in Jack London Square.
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Johnson believes eight years of an African-American president and the possibility of a woman president will help the struggling middle class.
"I think they are in tune with the needs of the everyday working person at least from our conversation," he said. "She seems sincere about that."
