Hillary Clinton and the Democrats plan to use next week's convention to appeal to every American to work together to chart the course for the nation, ex-Clinton advisor Ann Lewis said Friday.
In an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Lewis said this approach is in sharp contrast to how Donald Trump and the Republicans handled this week's convention in Cleveland.
"I saw a Republican convention that talked only to primary voters, only to people who are already voted for Donald Trump," she argued. "Hillary is going to talk to the whole country."
A major theme of the Democratic National Convention will be the idea that "working together we can make a real difference," said Lewis, a senior advisor for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and communications director during the Bill Clinton's presidency.
"We just heard four days of very angry rhetoric capped off by Donald Trump. What he never heard was what people are for," she said. "I never heard Donald Trump talk about what he's proud of [about] America; what it is he thinks we do right."
Lewis said Clinton will focus on how to move the nation forward in unity.
Harold Ford Jr., former Democratic congressman from Tennessee, also felt Trump needed to show more of a way forward.
"The history of presidential elections, you project optimism, you tell the country where you're going to take us. I'm not convinced Trump did enough of that last night, Ford told "Squawk Box" in a separate interview.
"But a lot of people weren't convinced he was going to be the nominee and he's proven people different," he added. "I take Mr. Trump very seriously."
Still, Ford said he likes Clinton's chances. "I like demographics on our side. I like leadership on our side. I like seriousness on our side."
Clinton could announce her choice for vice president as soon as Friday. Many pundits believe she'll choose Tim Kaine, currently a U.S. senator from Virginia and a former governor of the commonwealth.