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The Democratic convention: What to watch Wednesday

DNC protests
Protests held outside DNC 02:40

Hillary Clinton is now officially the first woman ever to be nominated by a major political party -- cue the shattering glass (there was indeed shattering glass).

Speakers on Day Two of the Democratic convention were varied -- mothers who spoke poignantly and powerfully of the loss of their children to violence, stars like Meryl Streep and Lena Dunham. Alicia Keys treated the crowd to a set, and then, of course, there was Bill Clinton, whose speech was lengthy but compelling. He told anecdotes about Hillary Clinton-- many of them the same ones from the campaign trail -- about their lives together, and he marvelled at her ability to take anything and make it better. He railed against the "2D" cartoon portrayals of her by Republicans and told the delegates, "Earlier today, you voted for the real one."

While he spoke, protesters hit the streets-- a few were unruly, setting flags on fire -- but they mostly remained peaceful.

Tonight, look for the return of the most powerful Democrats in the party, including President Obama, Vice President Biden, and her own vice presidential pick, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. Also the former New York mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is expected to officially endorse Hillary Clinton tonight.

Here's CBS News' guide for what to watch Wednesday, the third day of the convention:

Can Tim Kaine calm the opposition from Sanders backers?

The loudest objections to Clinton's veep, Tim Kaine, came from the most progressive wing of the party. The mere mention of his name at times during the convention has raised a choir of boos. Part of that may have been related to the fact that Sanders delegates were still reacting to the DNC emails that revealed top party officials had shown bias toward their candidate during the election. Kaine, a Southern Democrat, doesn't hold the the same lefty appeal to them as someone like Elizabeth Warren or Tom Perez.

But he was only named to the ticket last week, and voters across the country are still learning about him -- watch to see if he can convince the most liberal stalwarts in the party that he shares their progressive ideals. He has already indicated he'll walk away from one of the stances they hate most, his support of the Trans Pacific Partnership.

What will the President say?

Tonight's convention address will be the first Mr. Obama has given since 2004 in which he was not the presidential candidate.

The easy part should be campaigning for Clinton. From all appearances, they've developed a warm relationship since their rivalry ended in 2008. He campaigned enthusiastically with her and for her earlier this month in Charlotte, North Carolina. He consistently praises her as the most prepared person ever to run for the presidency (though he conceded to "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson that Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush weren't exactly chopped liver).

The harder part may be how he gets around the things they disagree on. There are degrees of difference on some foreign and domestic policy issues, but among the biggest is the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal that the president hoped to make a major accomplishment of his second-term agenda. Clinton supported it while she was secretary of state but walked away from it during the presidential campaign.

Can Hillary Clinton turn around the diehard Sanders supporters?

If you've watched the protests over the past two days, you've already seen that some portion of Sanders' supporters are nowhere near embracing Clinton's candidacy. One supporter and surrogate for Sanders, Nomiki Konst, gave CBSN some insight into what it would take to turn things around.

"She's got to earn these people's votes," for one, says Konst. She called on Clinton and her campaign to meet with some of the delegations "and listen to their concerns." They want their concerns to be acknowledged," she added. Clinton has done this before, Konst said, pointing to the New York listening tour Clinton did when she ran for the Senate.

Instead, at the moment, she said the nominee's campaign feels "a little bit tone-deaf," as if "there's something missing."

CBS News' Julia Boccagno contributed to this report

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