- Hillary
Clinton «
September 15, 2016 Hillary Clinton Speech in Greensboro
Sept. 15, 2016
In Greensboro, Clinton Resolves to Fight for America's Future
This vision is a stark contrast to Donald Trump's divisive campaign which is out of touch with everyday Americans. Clinton said, "I have a lot of confidence in the American people and in our country. My opponent keeps running us down, saying we’re weak, a disaster, an embarrassment [...] See, my opponent has America all wrong. There’s nothing we can’t do when we come together as one nation, set big goals, and pursue them."
Clinton's remarks, as transcribed, are below:
“Thank you. Thank you all. Hello, everyone. It’s great to be here
at
UNC Greensboro. I want to thank Martha for that wonderful introduction.
It means so much to have her here along with her wonderful daughter,
Sara, and her mother, Barbara. And the story she told is really one
that motivates me every day because it is kids like Sara that led me to
politics in the first place to try to make our country and our world
better for them. So to see Sara grown up and thriving is very special,
and your whole family’s support really means the world to me. Thank
you, Martha, Sara, Barbara
I
have to say it’s great to be back on the campaign trail. As you may
know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia. I tried
to power through it, but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of
rest would do me good. And I’m not great at taking it easy, even under
ordinary circumstances. But with just two months to go until Election
Day? Sitting at home was pretty much the last place I wanted to be.
But
it turns out having a few days to myself was actually a gift. I talked
with some old friends. I spent time with our very sweet dogs. I did
some thinking. The campaign trail doesn’t really encourage reflection,
and it’s important to sit with your thoughts every now and then. And
that did help me reconnect with what this whole campaign is about.
People
like me – we’re lucky. When I’m under the weather – now, I just want to
have a conversation, and other people can wave their arms and their
signs. But I want you to think with me for a minute about how I
certainly feel lucky. When I’m under the weather, I can afford to take
a few days off. Millions of Americans can’t. They either go to work
sick, or they lose a paycheck, don’t they?
Lots
of Americans still don’t even have insurance, or they do but it’s too
expensive for them to actually use. So they toss back some Tylenols,
they chug orange juice, and they hope that the cough or the virus goes
away on its own.
Lots
of working parents can’t afford childcare, which in many states costs
as much as college tuition. So for millions of moms and dads, if they
get sick, there’s no backup. They’re on their own, aren’t they?
That’s
the story for too many people still in America. When illness strikes,
or an accident happens, you feel you’re on your own. If you lose your
job or can’t afford college, you’re on your own. If your aging parent
starts needing more help, and you don’t know what to do, you’re on your
own.
Life events
like these are catastrophic for some families, but mere bumps in the
road for others. I have met so many people living on a razor’s edge,
one illness away from losing their job, one paycheck away from losing
their home. And that goes against everything we stand for as Americans.
Because some things should not come down to luck. Some things should be
within reach for everyone, no matter what. Like financial security.
Like affordable health care. Like the peace of mind that comes with
knowing that if something goes wrong, your family will be okay. And
above all, the knowledge that no matter what, your president is
fighting for you and will always have your back.
That
right there, that’s why I got into this race. I am running for everyone
working hard to support their families, everyone who’s been knocked
down but gets back up. The factory workers on their feet all day, and
the nurses looking after patients all night. I’m running for young
people like so many of you here, who dream of changing our world for
the better, and for all the parents and grandparents supporting those
dreams by dedicating every dollar they can spare to your education.
I’m running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees your governor sign a bill legalizing discrimination and suddenly feels like a second-class citizen. And if anyone wonders what the costs of discrimination are, just ask the people and businesses of North Carolina. Look at what’s happening with the NCAA and the ACC. This is where bigotry leads, and we can’t afford it – not here, not anywhere else in America.
I’m running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees your governor sign a bill legalizing discrimination and suddenly feels like a second-class citizen. And if anyone wonders what the costs of discrimination are, just ask the people and businesses of North Carolina. Look at what’s happening with the NCAA and the ACC. This is where bigotry leads, and we can’t afford it – not here, not anywhere else in America.
I’m
running for women like Janelle Turner. Back in May of last year,
Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through nearly six
months of very tough treatments. Last October, she brought her
eight-year-old daughter to one of our rallies in Iowa and they made a
huge sign that read, ‘Thirteenth chemo yesterday. Three more. Hear me
roar!’ Wouldn’t you want to meet the woman behind that sign? Well, I
sure did. So we got talking, and we’ve stayed in touch. She keeps
promising me she’ll see me at the inauguration. And I tell her I’ll
keep working to get there, but she’d better be there too.
I’m
running for her and all the mothers and fathers trying to get and stay
healthy so they can be there for their kids. But perhaps most of all,
I’m running for those kids. Standing up for children has been the work
of my life. As a lawyer with the Children’s Defense Fund, as First Lady
in Arkansas, in the White House, as a Senator, I have fought for kids
housed in adult jails, kids who have been neglected and abused, kids
who couldn’t get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions,
kids with disabilities so they could go to school. You heard today from
someone I’ve known for a long time, now grown up and a lovely young
woman, Anastasia Somoza. I learned from my family and my Methodist
faith that we are each called to do all the good we can for all the
people we can for however long we can. And to me, that means making
sure all our children have the chance to live up to their God-given
potentials.
So
when I meet a little girl in Nevada terrified that her parents are
going to be deported, it hits me right in the gut. When I meet a little
boy in Flint, Michigan, who can’t drink the water at home or in school
because it’s poisoned with lead, that gets me going. All I want to do
is get to work making things better for them.
That’s
why I care so much about national security too. I want to give our kids
a safer world. To me, that means a world with strong allies, more
friends, fewer enemies, and fewer nuclear weapons. It also means
leading the fight against climate change so we can leave our kids a
health planet.
My
opponent in this race disagrees with me on every one of these fronts.
Just a few days ago he said that if another country’s troops taunted
ours – not fired at them, but taunted them, just taunts – he’d
responded – he would respond by blowing them out of the water. He would
start a war over that. That is just one more reason, my friends, why
the stakes in this election are as high as any in our lifetimes.
I’ve
been involved in politics in one way or another for many years. It is
not an easy business. It can get rough and I’ve built up some defenses.
When it comes to public service, I’m better at the ‘service’ part than
the ‘public’ part. But this is why I do it, and this is who I’m in it
for: to make life better for children and families. And that’s what
this race has always been about for me.
Well,
now we’re in the final stretch. There are just 54 days till Election
Day. Just 54 days till the most consequential vote of our lifetimes.
And just a little more than a month until early voting starts here in
North Carolina. Let’s make these days count, particularly here, because
you know what your governor and legislature tried to do – make it
harder for young people to vote, harder for people of color, harder for
people with disabilities, harder for the elderly. There can’t be any
more motivation than that to make sure every young person, every person
of color, every person with a disability, every older person turns out
and votes.
So in
these final days, let’s try to tune out all the chatter and the nonstop
analysis that doesn’t often have much to do with what the next
president has to do to create good jobs, to create opportunity, to make
it possible for every young person to afford to go to college or get
the skills that you need for the jobs of the future. Let’s talk about
what really matters.
And
here’s my promise to you. I’m going to close my campaign the way I
began my career and the way I will serve as your president should you
give me that great honor – focused on opportunities for kids and
fairness for families.
Next
week, I’ll go to Philadelphia to talk about challenges facing our young
people; in Florida, to focus on building an economy that welcomes
everyone’s contributions, including people with disabilities; then I’ll
be back here in North Carolina, to meet with more working families.
From now until November 8th, everywhere I go, I’m going to talk about
my ideas for our country. My campaign has rolled out detailed plans in
38 different policy areas – yes, somebody actually counted. Everything
from reining in Wall Street to creating good-paying jobs to fighting
Alzheimer’s to supporting people with autism. You see, I have this
old-fashioned notion that if you’re running for president, you should
say what you plan to do, how you’re going to get it done, and how
you’re going to pay for it. You can read it all on my website, hillaryclinton.com.
We
even
put it in a new book called, you guessed it, Stronger Together.
Get a copy of it because it tells you everything Tim Kaine and I intend
to do.
Now, like a
lot of women, I have a tendency to over-prepare. I sweat the details,
whether we’re talking about the exact level of lead in the water in
Flint, or how many North Carolina kids are in early enrichment
programs, or the precise interest rate on your student loans right down
to the decimal. Because you know what? It’s not a detail if it’s your
kid. It’s not a detail if it’s your family. It’s a big deal. And it
should be a big deal to your president.
Now,
I confess, I’ll never be the showman my opponent is, and that’s okay
with me. Just look at – look at the show he put on with Dr. Oz today.
But I am going to deliver for you and your family, just like I did for
Sarah all those years ago with the Children’s Health Insurance Program,
that gave her the chance to be the extraordinary young woman she is.
And I’ll tell you something else. People accuse me of all kinds of
things. You probably have seen that. But nobody ever accuses me of
quitting. And I will never give up, I’ll never walk away, no matter how
tough the going gets. I’m actually asking Americans to hold me
accountable for my ideas and hold my opponent accountable for his.
We
don’t need a president who says the minimum wage is too high. We need a
president who knows that Americans deserve a raise to get to a living
wage. We don’t need a president who wants to take away people’s health
coverage. We need a president who wants everyone to have quality,
affordable health care. And we don’t need a president who apparently
thinks only married people deserve paid leave and only mothers stay
home with kids. We don’t need someone who rushes out a half-baked plan
just weeks before an election after decades of ignoring or putting down
working moms. We need a president who has spent years fighting for
these issues, who has a plan to support all families in all their
various shapes. Ask yourself which candidate you can count on to be on
your side, respect your family, stand up and fight for you and your
kids.
That is
who you should vote for on November 8th because as Michelle Obama said
in her fabulous speech at the Democratic convention, when we go to the
polls this November, the real choice isn’t between Democrat or
Republican. It’s about who will have the power to shape our children
for the next four years of their lives. It’s also about the kind of
country we want to be and what we want to leave behind for future
generations. People have to decide, are we going to make our economy
work for everyone or just those at the top? Are we going to bring
people together or pit Americans against each other and rip our country
apart? Are we going to work with our allies to keep us safe, or are we
going to put a loose cannon in charge who would risk everything
generations of Americans have worked so hard to build?
Now,
I have a lot of confidence in the American people and in our country.
My opponent keeps running us down, saying we’re weak, a disaster, an
embarrassment. Every time he says things like that, I think about
Janelle and her strength in the face of cancer, or Martha and Sarah in
the face of their health challenges, and that little boy in Flint, who
gets up every day and goes to school even though he can’t drink the
water. See, my opponent has America all wrong. There’s nothing we can’t
do when we come together as one nation, set big goals, and pursue them.
And
the American dream – the American dream is big enough for everyone to
share in its promise. So if you believe the minimum wage should be a
living wage, that no one who works full-time should have to raise their
child in poverty, join us. If you believe that every man, woman, and
child in America has the right to affordable health care and women
should be free to make our own health decisions, join us. If you
believe – if you believe your working mother, wife, sister, or daughter
deserves equal pay, then join us. Get involved these last 55 days. Go
to hillaryclinton.com
or text ‘join,’ j-o-i-n, to 47246. We need volunteers right here in
North Carolina. We can’t do this without you.
And
remember, the presidential race isn’t the only one this fall. We’ve got
a lot of important statewide races. Let’s come together and send
Deborah Ross to represent the people in the Senate. Starting on October
20th, you can register and vote early at the same time at any one-stop
early voting site in your county. So the heat is on. Spread the word.
Tell your friends, your family, your neighbors. If you share our vision
for America’s future, come be part of helping us shape it. We do not
have a minute to lose.
We
have so many blessings. Now it’s our job to deliver on those and to
make sure every single person, and particularly every child, no matter
who they are, what they look like, or who they love, is part of the
American dream now and way into the future. Let that be our message.
Let that be our mission. Please come out and help us fight, fight for
you, fight for our children, fight for our families. Let’s make America
all that it should be. Thank you and God bless you!”###
For Immediate Release, September 15,
2016