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Former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Launch Speech
Four Freedoms Park
Roosevelt Island
New York, NY
June 13, 2015

[Transcript from Hillary for America |  C-SPAN video]

Thank you!  Oh, thank you all!  Thank you so very, very much.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
It is wonderful to be here with all of you.
 
To be in New York (cheers) with my family, with so many friends, including many New Yorkers who gave me the honor of serving them in the Senate for eight years.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
To be right across the water from the headquarters of the United Nations, where I represented our country many times.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
To be here in this beautiful park dedicated to Franklin Roosevelt’s enduring vision of America, the nation we want to be.
 
And in a place… with absolutely no ceilings.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
You know, President Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms are a testament to our nation’s unmatched aspirations and a reminder of our unfinished work at home and abroad.  His legacy lifted up a nation and inspired presidents who followed.  One is the man I served as Secretary of State, Barack Obama, (cheers, applause) and another is my husband, Bill Clinton.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Two Democrats guided by the -- (cheering)  Oh, that will make him so happy.  They were and are two Democrats guided by the fundamental American belief that real and lasting prosperity must be built by all and shared by all.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
President Roosevelt called on every American to do his or her part, and every American answered.  He said there’s no mystery about what it takes to build a strong and prosperous America: “Equality of opportunity… Jobs for those who can work… Security for those who need it… The ending of special privilege for the few…(cheers, applause.)  The preservation of civil liberties for all… (cheers, applause) a wider and constantly rising standard of living.”
 
That still sounds good to me.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
It’s America’s basic bargain.  If you do your part you ought to be able to get ahead.  And when everybody does their part, America gets ahead too.
 
That bargain inspired generations of families, including my own.
 
It’s what kept my grandfather going to work in the same Scranton lace mill every day for 50 years.
 
It’s what led my father to believe that if he scrimped and saved, his small business printing drapery fabric in Chicago could provide us with a middle-class life.  And it did.
 
When President Clinton honored the bargain, we had the longest peacetime expansion in history, a balanced budget, (cheers, applause) and the first time in decades we all grew together, with the bottom 20 percent of workers increasing their incomes by the same percentage as the top 5 percent.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
When President Obama honored the bargain, we pulled back from the brink of Depression, saved the auto industry, provided health care to 16 million working people, (cheers, applause) and replaced the jobs we lost faster than after a financial crash.
 
But, it’s not 1941, or 1993, or even 2009.  We face new challenges in our economy and our democracy.
 
We’re still working our way back from a crisis that happened because time-tested values were replaced by false promises.
 
Instead of an economy built by every American, for every American, we were told that if we let those at the top pay lower taxes and bend the rules, their success would trickle down to everyone else.  (Jeers, booing.)
 
What happened?
 
Well, instead of a balanced budget with surpluses that could have eventually paid off our national debt, the Republicans twice cut taxes for the wealthiest, borrowed money from other countries to pay for two wars, and family incomes dropped.  You know where we ended up.
 
Except it wasn’t the end.
 
As we have since our founding, Americans made a new beginning.
 
You worked extra shifts, took second jobs, postponed home repairs... you figured out how to make it work.  And now people are beginning to think about their future again – going to college, starting a business, buying a house, finally being able to put away something for retirement.
 
So we’re standing again.  But, we all know we’re not yet running the way America should.
 
You see corporations making record profits, with CEOs making record pay, but your paychecks have barely budged.
 
While many of you are working multiple jobs to make ends meet, you see the top 25 hedge fund managers making more than all of America’s kindergarten teachers combined.  And, often paying a lower tax rate.
 
So, you have to wonder: “When does my hard work pay off? When does my family get ahead?”
“When?”
 
I say now.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Prosperity can’t be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers.
 
Democracy can’t be just for billionaires and corporations. (Cheers, applause.)
 
Prosperity and democracy are part of your basic bargain too.
 
You brought our country back.
 
Now it’s time -- your time to secure the gains and move ahead.
 
And, you know what?
 
America can’t succeed unless you succeed. (Cheers, applause.)
 
That is why I am running for President of the United States.  (Cheers, applause, chanting.)
 
Here, on Roosevelt Island, I believe we have a continuing rendezvous with destiny.  Each American and the country we cherish.
 
I’m running to make our economy work for you and for every American.
 
For the successful and the struggling.
 
For the innovators and inventors.
 
For those breaking barriers in technology and discovering cures for diseases.
 
For the factory workers and food servers who stand on their feet all day.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
For the nurses who work the night shift.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
For the truckers who drive for hours and the farmers who feed us.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
For the veterans who served our country.
 
For the small business owners who took a risk.
 
For everyone who’s ever been knocked down, but refused to be knocked out.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I’m not running for some Americans, but for all Americans.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Our country’s challenges didn’t begin with the Great Recession and they won’t end with the recovery.
 
For decades, Americans have been buffeted by powerful currents.
 
Advances in technology and the rise of global trade have created whole new areas of economic activity and opened new markets for our exports, but they have also displaced jobs and undercut wages for millions of Americans.
 
The financial industry and many multi-national corporations have created huge wealth for a few by focusing too much on short-term profit and too little on long-term value… too much on complex trading schemes and stock buybacks, too little on investments in new businesses, jobs, and fair compensation.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Our political system is so paralyzed by gridlock and dysfunction that most Americans have lost confidence that anything can actually get done.  And they’ve lost trust in the ability of both government and Big Business to change course.
 
Now, we can blame historic forces beyond our control for some of this, but the choices we’ve made as a nation, leaders and citizens alike, have also played a big role.
 
Our next President must work with Congress and every other willing partner across our entire country.  And I will do just that -- (cheers, applause) to turn the tide so these currents start working for us more than against us.
 
At our best, that’s what Americans do.   We’re problem solvers, not deniers.  We don’t hide from change, we harness it.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
But we can’t do that if we go back to the top-down economic policies that failed us before.
 
Americans have come too far to see our progress ripped away.
 
Now, there may be some new voices in the presidential Republican choir, (laughter) but they’re all singing the same old song...
 
A song called “Yesterday.”  (Laughter, cheers, applause.)
 
You know the one -- all our troubles look as though they’re here to stay (laughter)… and we need a place to hide away… They believe in yesterday.
 
And you’re lucky I didn’t try singing that, too, I'll tell you!  (Laughter, cheers, applause.)
 
These Republicans trip over themselves promising lower taxes for the wealthy and fewer rules for the biggest corporations without regard for how that will make income inequality even worse.
 
We’ve heard this tune before.  And we know how it turns out.
 
Ask many of these candidates about climate change, one of the defining threats of our time, (cheers, applause) and they’ll say:  “I’m not a scientist.”  (Laughter.)  Well, then, why don’t they start listening to those who are?  (Cheers, applause.)
 
They pledge to wipe out tough rules on Wall Street, rather than rein in the banks that are still too risky, courting future failures.  In a case that can only be considered mass amnesia.
 
They want to take away health insurance from more than 16 million Americans without offering any credible alternative.  (Booing.)
 
They shame and blame women, rather than respect our right to make our own reproductive health decisions. (Cheers, applause.)
 
They want to put immigrants, who work hard and pay taxes, at risk of deportation.  (Booing.)
 
And they turn their backs on gay people who love each other.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Fundamentally, they reject what it takes to build an inclusive economy.  It takes an inclusive society.  (Cheers, applause.)  What I once called “a village” (cheers) that has a place for everyone.
 
Now, my values and a lifetime of experiences have given me a different vision for America.
I believe that success isn’t measured by how much the wealthiest Americans have, but by how many children climb out of poverty... (cheers, applause)
 
How many start-ups and small businesses open and thrive…
 
How many young people go to college without drowning in debt… (cheers, applause)
 
How many people find a good job…
 
How many families get ahead and stay ahead.
 
I didn’t learn this from politics.  I learned it from my own family.
 
My mother taught me that everybody needs a chance and a champion.  She knew what it was like not to have either one.
 
Her own parents abandoned her, and by 14 she was out on her own, working as a housemaid.  Years later, when I was old enough to understand, I asked what kept her going.
 
You know what her answer was?  Something very simple:  Kindness from someone who believed she mattered.
 
The 1st grade teacher who saw she had nothing to eat at lunch and, without embarrassing her, brought extra food to share.
 
The woman whose house she cleaned letting her go to high school so long as her work got done.  That was a bargain she leapt to accept.
 
And, because some people believed in her, she believed in me.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
That's why I believe with all my heart in America and in the potential of every American.
 
To meet every challenge.
 
To be resilient… no matter what the world throws at you.
 
To solve the toughest problems.
 
I believe we can do all these things because I’ve seen it happen.
 
As a young girl, I signed up at my Methodist Church to babysit the children of Mexican farmworkers, while their parents worked in the fields on the weekends.  And later, as a law student, I advocated for Congress to require better working and living conditions for farm workers whose children deserved better opportunities.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
My first job out of law school was for the Children’s Defense Fund.  (Cheers, applause.)  I walked door-to-door to find out how many children with disabilities couldn’t go to school, and to help build the case for a law guaranteeing them access to education.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
As a leader of the Legal Services Corporation, I defended the right of poor people to have a lawyer.  And saw lives changed because an abusive marriage ended or an illegal eviction stopped.
 
In Arkansas, I supervised law students who represented clients in courts and prisons, organized scholarships for single parents going to college, led efforts for better schools and health care, and personally knew the people whose lives were improved.
 
As Senator, I had the honor of representing brave firefighters, police officers, EMTs, construction workers, and volunteers (cheers, applause) who ran toward danger on 9/11 and stayed there, becoming sick themselves.
 
It took years of effort, but Congress finally approved the health care they needed.  (Applause.)
 
There are so many faces and stories that I carry with me of people who gave their best and then needed help themselves.
 
Just weeks ago, I met another person like that, a single mom juggling a job and classes at community college, while raising three kids.
 
She doesn’t expect anything to come easy.  But she did ask me: What more can be done so it isn’t quite so hard for families like hers?
 
I want to be her champion and your champion.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
If you’ll give me the chance, I’ll wage and win Four Fights for you.
 
The first is to make the economy work for everyday Americans, not just those at the top.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
To make the middle class mean something again, with rising incomes and broader horizons.  And to give the poor a chance to work their way into it. (Cheers, applause.)
 
The middle class needs more growth and more fairness.  Growth and fairness go together.  For lasting prosperity, you can’t have one without the other.
 
Is this possible in today’s world? (Crowd responds.)
 
I believe it is or I wouldn’t be standing here.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Do I think it will be easy?  Of course not.
 
But, here’s the good news:  There are allies for change everywhere who know we can’t stand by while inequality increases, wages stagnate, and the promise of America dims.  We should welcome the support of all Americans who want to go forward together with us.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
There are public officials who know Americans need a better deal.
 
Business leaders who want higher pay for employees, equal pay for women (cheers, applause) and no discrimination against the LGBT community either.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
There are leaders of finance who want less short-term trading and more long-term investing.
 
There are union leaders who are investing their own pension funds in putting people to work to build tomorrow’s economy.  (Cheers, applause.) We need everyone to come to the table and work with us.
 
In the coming weeks, I’ll propose specific policies to:
 
Reward businesses who invest in long term value rather than the quick buck – because that leads to higher growth for the economy, higher wages for workers, and yes, bigger profits, everybody will have a better time.
 
I will rewrite the tax code so it rewards hard work and investments here at home, not quick trades or stashing profits overseas.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I will give new incentives to companies that give their employees a fair share of the profits their hard work earns.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
We will unleash a new generation of entrepreneurs and small business owners by providing tax relief, cutting red tape, and making it easier to get a small business loan.
 
We will restore America to the cutting edge of innovation, science, and research by increasing both public and private investments.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And we will make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Developing renewable power – wind, solar, advanced biofuels…
 
Building cleaner power plants, smarter electric grids, greener buildings…
 
Using additional fees and royalties from fossil fuel extraction to protect the environment… (cheers, applause)
 
And ease the transition for distressed communities to a more diverse and sustainable economic future from coal country to Indian country, from small towns in the Mississippi Delta to the Rio Grande Valley to our inner cities, we have to help our fellow Americans.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Now, this will create millions of jobs and countless new businesses, and enable America to lead the global fight against climate change.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
We will also connect workers to their jobs and businesses.  Customers will have a better chance to actually get where they need and get what they desire with roads, railways, bridges, airports, ports, and broadband brought up to global standards for the 21st century.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
We will establish an infrastructure bank and sell bonds to pay for some of these improvements.
 
Now, building an economy for tomorrow also requires investing in our most important asset, our people, beginning with our youngest.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
That’s why I will propose that we make preschool and quality childcare available to every child in America.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And I want you to remember this, because to me, this is absolutely the most-compelling argument why we should do this.  Research tells us how much early learning in the first five years of life can impact lifelong success.  In fact, 80 percent of the brain is developed by age three.
 
One thing I’ve learned is that talent is universal – you can find it anywhere – but opportunity is not.  (Cheers, applause.)  Too many of our kids never have the chance to learn and thrive as they should and as we need them to.
 
Our country won’t be competitive or fair if we don’t help more families give their kids the best possible start in life.
 
So let’s staff our primary and secondary schools with teachers who are second to none in the world, and receive the respect they deserve for sparking the love of learning in every child.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Let’s make college affordable and available to all …and lift the crushing burden of student debt.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Let’s provide lifelong learning for workers to gain or improve skills the economy requires, setting up many more Americans for success.
 
Now, the second fight is to strengthen America’s families, because when our families are strong, America is strong.
 
And today’s families face new and unique pressures.  Parents need more support and flexibility to do their job at work and at home.  (Cheers.)
 
I believe you should have the right to earn paid sick days. (Cheers, applause.)
 
I believe you should receive your work schedule with enough notice to arrange childcare or take college courses to get ahead.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I believe you should look forward to retirement with confidence, not anxiety.
 
That you should have the peace of mind that your health care will be there when you need it, without breaking the bank.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I believe we should offer paid family leave (cheers, applause) so no one has to choose between keeping a paycheck and caring for a new baby or a sick relative. (Cheers, applause.)
 
And it is way past time to end the outrage of so many women still earning less than men on the job (cheers, applause) -- and women of color often making even less.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
This isn’t a women’s issue.  It’s a family issue.  Just like raising the minimum wage is a family issue.  (Cheers, applause.)  Expanding childcare is a family issue.  Declining marriage rates is a family issue.  The unequal rates of incarceration is a family issue.  (Cheers, applause.)  Helping more people with an addiction or a mental health problem get help is a family issue.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
In America, every family should feel like they belong.
 
So we should offer hard-working, law-abiding immigrant families a path to citizenship.  (Cheers, applause.) Not second-class status.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And, we should ban discrimination against LGBT Americans and their families (cheers, applause) so they can live, learn, marry, and work just like everybody else.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
You know, America’s diversity, our openness, our devotion to human rights and freedom is what’s drawn so many to our shores.  What’s inspired people all over the world.  I know.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
 
And these are also qualities that prepare us well for the demands of a world that is more interconnected than ever before.
 
So we have a third fight: to harness all of America’s power, smarts, and values to maintain our leadership for peace, security, and prosperity.
 
No other country on Earth is better positioned to thrive in the 21st century.  No other country is better equipped to meet traditional threats from countries like Russia, North Korea, and Iran – and to deal with the rise of new powers like China.
 
No other country is better prepared to meet emerging threats from cyber attacks, transnational terror networks like ISIS, and diseases that spread across oceans and continents.
 
As your President, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And if you look over my left shoulder you can see the new World Trade Center soaring skyward.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
As a Senator from New York, I dedicated myself to getting our city and state the help we needed to recover.  And as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I worked to maintain the best-trained, best-equipped, strongest military, ready for today’s threats and tomorrow’s.
 
And when our brave men and women come home from war or finish their service, I’ll see to it that they get not just the thanks of a grateful nation, but the care and benefits they’ve earned.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I’ve stood up to adversaries like Putin and reinforced allies like Israel.  I was in the Situation Room on the day we got bin Laden.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
But, I know -- I know we have to be smart as well as strong.
 
Meeting today’s global challenges requires every element of America's power, including skillful diplomacy, economic influence, and building partnerships to improve lives around the world with people, not just their governments.
 
There are a lot of trouble spots in the world, but there’s a lot of good news out there too.
 
I believe the future holds far more opportunities than threats if we exercise creative and confident leadership that enables us to shape global events rather than be shaped by them.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And we all know that in order to be strong in the world, though, we first have to be strong at home.  That’s why we have to win the fourth fight – reforming our government and revitalizing our democracy so that it works for everyday Americans.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
We have to stop the endless flow of secret, unaccountable money that is distorting our elections, corrupting our political process, and drowning out the voices of our people.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
We need Justices on the Supreme Court who will protect every citizen’s right to vote, (cheers, applause) rather than every corporation’s right to buy elections.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
If necessary, I will support a constitutional amendment to undo the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I want to make it easier for every citizen to vote.  That's why I've proposed universal, automatic registration and expanded early voting.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I’ll fight back against Republican efforts to disempower and disenfranchise young people, poor people, people with disabilities, and people of color.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
What part of democracy are they afraid of?  (Cheers, applause.)
 
No matter how easy we make it to vote, we still have to give Americans something worth voting for.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Government is never going to have all the answers – but it has to be smarter, simpler, more efficient, and a better partner.
 
That means access to advanced technology so government agencies can more effectively serve their customers, the American people.
 
We need expertise and innovation from the private sector to help cut waste and streamline services.
 
There’s so much that works in America.  For every problem we face, someone somewhere in America is solving it.  Silicon Valley cracked the code on sharing and scaling a while ago.  Many states are pioneering new ways to deliver services.  I want to help Washington catch up.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
To do that, we need a political system that produces results by solving problems that hold us back, not one overwhelmed by extreme partisanship and inflexibility.
 
Now, I’ll always seek common ground with friend and opponent alike.  But I’ll also stand my ground when I must.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
That’s something I did as Senator and Secretary of State -- whether it was working with Republicans to expand health care for children and for our National Guard, or improve our foster care and adoption system, or pass a treaty to reduce the number of Russian nuclear warheads that could threaten our cities -- and it’s something I will always do as your President.
 
We Americans may differ, bicker, stumble, and fall; but we are at our best when we pick each other up, when we have each other’s back.
 
Like any family, our American family is strongest when we cherish what we have in common, and fight back against those who would drive us apart.
 
People all over the world have asked me: “How could you and President Obama work together after you fought so hard against each other in that long campaign?”
 
Now, that is an understandable question considering that in many places, if you lose an election you could get imprisoned or exiled – even killed – not hired as Secretary of State.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
But President Obama asked me to serve, and I accepted because we both love our country.  (Cheers, applause.)  That’s how we do it in America.
 
With that same spirit, together, we can win these four fights.
 
We can build an economy where hard work is rewarded.
 
We can strengthen our families.
 
We can defend our country and increase our opportunities all over the world.
 
And we can renew the promise of our democracy.
 
If we all do our part.  In our families, in our businesses, unions, houses of worship, schools, and, yes, in the voting booth.
 
I want you to join me in this effort.  Help me build this campaign and make it your own.
 
Talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors.
 
Text “JOIN” J-O-I-N to 4-7-2-4-6.
 
Go to hillaryclinton.com and sign up to make calls and knock on doors.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
It’s no secret that we’re going up against some pretty powerful forces that will do and spend whatever it takes to advance a very different vision for America.  But I’ve spent my life fighting for children, families, and our country.  And I’m not stopping now.  (Cheers, applause, chanting.)
 
You know, I know how hard this job is.  I’ve seen it up close and personal.  (Laughter.)
 
All our Presidents come into office looking so vigorous. (Laughter.)  And then we watch their hair grow grayer and grayer.
 
Well, I may not be the youngest candidate in this race.  But I will be the youngest woman President in the history of the United States!  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And the first grandmother as well.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
And one additional advantage:   You’re won’t see my hair turn white in the White House.  I’ve been coloring it for years!  (Cheers, applause.)
 
So I’m looking forward to a great debate among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.  I’m not running to be a President only for those Americans who already agree with me.  I want to be a President for all Americans.
 
And along the way, I'll just let you in on this little secret.  (Laughter.)  I won’t get everything right.  Lord knows I’ve made my share of mistakes.  Well, there’s no shortage of people pointing them out!  (Laughter.)
 
And I certainly haven’t won every battle I’ve fought.  But leadership means perseverance and hard choices.  You have to push through the setbacks and disappointments and keep at it.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
I think you know by now that I’ve been called many things by many people (laughter) -- “quitter” is not one of them.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
Like so much else in my life, I got this from my mother.
 
When I was a girl, she never let me back down from any bully or barrier.  In her later years, Mom lived with us, and she was still teaching me the same lessons.  I’d come home from a hard day at the Senate or the State Department, sit down with her at the small table in our breakfast nook, and just let everything pour out.  And she would remind me why we keep fighting, even when the odds are long and the opposition is fierce.
 
I can still hear her saying: “Life’s not about what happens to you, it’s about what you do with what happens to you – so get back out there.”  (Cheers, applause.)
 
She lived to be 92 years old, and I often think about all the battles she witnessed over the course of the last century -- all the progress that was won because Americans refused to give up or back down. 
 
She was born on June 4, 1919 -- before women in America had the right to vote.  But on that very day, after years of struggle, Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment that would change that forever.
 
The story of America is a story of hard-fought, hard-won progress.  And it continues today.  New chapters are being written by men and women who believe that all of us – not just some, but all – should have the chance to live up to our God-given potential.
 
Not only because we’re a tolerant country, or a generous country, or a compassionate country, but because we’re a better, stronger, more prosperous country when we harness the talent, hard work, and ingenuity of every single American.
 
I wish my mother could have been with us longer.  I wish she could have seen Chelsea become a mother herself.  I wish she could have met Charlotte.
 
I wish she could have seen the America we’re going to build together.  (Cheers, applause.)
 
An America, where if you do your part, you reap the rewards.
 
Where we don’t leave anyone out, or anyone behind.
 
An America where a father can tell his daughter:  yes, you can be anything you want to be.  Even President of the United States. (Cheers, applause.)
 
Thank you all.  God bless you.  And may God bless America. (Cheers, applause.)
 
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FACT SHEET: Hillary Clinton to Deliver Official Launch Speech Today in New York

Hillary Clinton will deliver her Official Launch Speech today in New York City, outlining her reason for running and what she wants to accomplish as President.
 
The doors of the event open at 9:30 a.m. EST. The pre-program will begin at 10:30 a.m. EST, and Hillary Clinton is expected to speak at 11:45 a.m. EST.
 
The speech will be livestreamed at hillaryclinton.com/live.
 
The speech will take place at Four Freedoms Park located on New York’s Roosevelt Island, a symbolic venue for Hillary Clinton, who has long been inspired by FDR’s belief that America is stronger when we summon the work and talents of all Americans.
 
The event’s pre-program will include:

·  Timothy Kelly, a native of Pennsylvania, will sing the National Anthem. He is a vocalist who is studying music at Temple University in Philadelphia.
 
·  The Brooklyn Express Drumline will perform. The drumline was developed by Brooklyn youth as a project designed to provide positive alternative programming for young people of color in some of Brooklyn’s most underserved neighborhood.
 
·  Andrea Gonzales will deliver remarks. Gonzales, a DREAMer from Houston, Texas, who will be accompanied by her mother at the event, traveled to New York City for Hillary Clinton’s Official Launch Speech because she believes Clinton will fight to protect and expand opportunities for families like hers.
 
·  Echosmith, an American rock and pop band from California, will perform.
 
The event will be emceed by Marlon Marshall, Hillary for America’s Director of Early States and Political Engagement, who will provide attendees with an update on the campaign’s organizing efforts and explain how they can become more involved.
 
Following the event, Hillary Clinton will head to Iowa, where she will speak at an organizing house party in Sioux City on Saturday evening. The organizing party will be simulcast at similar organizing house parties around the country. She will remain in Iowa on Sunday, then travel to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina during the week.
 
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REACTIONS
Hillary for America Press

Early Reviews Praise Hillary’s Launch Speech for Laying Out Her Agenda to Fight for Everyday Americans

Today, Hillary Clinton delivered her campaign launch speech to a capacity crowd on New York City’s Roosevelt Island. The speech centered on her vision for America and her bold progressive agenda, her personal story and how it guides her fight for everyday Americans. She outlined her guiding principle that the true measure of America’s success shouldn’t be how those at the top are doing, but how all American families are doing, contrasted with the “yesterday” agenda of today’s Republicans.
 
Take a look at some of the early coverage of her successful launch speech...
 
NBC News: Clinton: 'It's Time' for all Americans to Share in Country's Success
Hillary Clinton on Saturday told struggling Americans "it's time" for them to share in the country's economic success and recalled a personal history that inspired a lifetime of service for the disenfranchised in her first major speech since launching her presidential campaign. … Clinton, who announced her candidacy in an online video in April, used the rally to detail a progressive platform focused on working-class Americans who continue to struggle, even as the country's economic outlook has improved. … Clinton laid out the "four fights" her campaign would focus on in the park that commemorates the "Four Freedoms" President Franklin Roosevelt talked about in his 1941 State of the Union address. Clinton's fights included a number of progressive proposals meant to help middle and lower class workers, protecting the country from threats abroad and reforming government. … The Democratic frontrunner highlighted her career as a crusader for the disenfranchised.
              
Bloomberg: Hillary Clinton Talks Economy, Her Story, at First Campaign Rally
Hillary Clinton launched the second phase of her presidential campaign on Saturday, drawing heavily on her personal story as she outlined her vision for shared prosperity for all Americans. … After downplaying her gender when she first ran for president, Clinton embraced it in her first stump speech of the 2016 campaign, along with another quality that some of her opponents have tried to make an issue. "I may not be the youngest candidate in the race, but I will be the youngest woman president of the United States" the 67-year-old Clinton declared, in what aides later said was an ad libbed line inspired by a South Carolina woman she met on the campaign trail. The crowd that the Clinton camp estimated at 5,500 exploded in a flag-waving roar of approval.
 
Washington Post: Hillary Clinton: ‘You brought our country back. Now it’s time — your time.’
Sketching a vision of a more hopeful, inclusive America that takes care of its own while taking on big challenges such as climate change, Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday she is running for president to be the champion the country needs now, as well as its history-making first female commander in chief. … “I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I'll be the youngest woman president in the history of the United States,” she told a crowd of cheering supporters on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, with a stunning East River view of the Manhattan skyline in the background, the United Nations building sparkling in bright sunshine behind the podium. … Framed around the story of how Clinton’s late mother, Dorothy Rodham, emerged from a childhood of mistreatment without losing her faith in humanity, the speech laid out how Clinton drew lessons about hope, perseverance and kindness from her mother’s example.

Associated Press: Hillary Clinton Urges New Era of Shared American Prosperity
Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a new era of shared prosperity in America and told thousands at a presidential campaign rally Saturday that workers can trust her to fight for them. … In the first major speech of her second campaign for president, Clinton portrayed herself as a fierce advocate for those left behind after the recession. … Eager and excited Democrats began assembling hours before they heard from the front-runner for the nomination.
 
POLITICO: Hillary Clinton comes out fighting in campaign kickoff rally
Seven years after she left the presidential stage thanking supporters for putting “18 million cracks” in the highest glass ceiling, Hillary Clinton kicked off her campaign Saturday with a wink to her past, pointing out that she was launching under blue Manhattan skies, “with absolutely no ceilings.” … If there was a clear theme to Clinton’s remarks, it was the “four fights” she vowed to wage on behalf of “everyday Americans”: building an economy for tomorrow, strengthening America and our core values, and revitalizing our democracy, in the campaign’s boiled-down language. Her candidacy, she said, would be a battle “for everyone who’s been knocked down but refused to be knocked out.”
 
Univision: Hillary Clinton arranca su batalla por la Presidencia
En su primer discurso multitudinario tras 10 semanas de campaña, Hillary Clinton se presentó este sábado en Nueva York como defensora de las minorías y los estadounidenses de clase media. La candidata demócrata busca despertar el entusiasmo de las masas que quieren poner freno a la creciente brecha entre los ricos y el resto.
 
El Nuevo Herald: Hillary Clinton lanza en Nueva York campaña a la Casa Blanca
Ardientes partidarios convergían el sábado hacia un parque neoyorquino para presencia el lanzamiento de la campaña de Hillary Clinton para convertirse en la primera mujer presidente de Estados Unidos y exponer su visión del futuro.
 
Reuters: Hillary Clinton makes pitch to working Americans at big rally
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton pledged on Saturday to help working Americans reap the rewards of their hard work, as she staged the first major rally of her 2016 White House campaign. Casting herself as a fighter for ordinary Americans, Clinton promised to "make the economy work for everyday Americans, not just those at the top."
 
TIME: Hillary Clinton Launches Her Campaign as Economic Populist
Hillary Clinton on Saturday laid out a broad vision of economic and social inclusion in the U.S., calling for middle-class economic policies that help restore income equality and telling a cheering crowd, “it’s your time.”
 
CBS News: Clinton lays out populist agenda in campaign kickoff
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton officially launched her 2016 campaign in New York Saturday, laying out a populist policy agenda that would fight "for all Americans." … Standing atop a stage shaped in the likeness of her campaign logo -- a large "H" with an arrow pointing right -- Clinton cited "America's basic bargain" as a guiding principle of her campaign and her personal life: "If you do your part, you ought to be able to get ahead." … In her first major campaign speech, the former Democratic senator also blasted her Republican opponents for the White House, criticizing their top-down economic policies as "the same old song." Clinton attacked the GOP's "mass amnesia" when it came to easing banking regulations to benefit Wall Street and criticized their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act "to take away health insurance" from everyday Americans.
 
USA Today: Hillary Clinton launches campaign with memories of mom, FDR
To explain her vision of prosperity, she cited two voices from the Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and her mother. … And echoing the "four freedoms'' Roosevelt declared in a 1941 speech, Clinton identified "four fights'' she'd wage as president: for equitable economic growth, for national security, for better treatment of children and families and for more efficient and less corrupt government.
 
The New York Times: Hillary Clinton, in Roosevelt Island Speech, Pledges to Close Income Gap
Under sunny skies and surrounded by flag-waving supporters on Roosevelt Island in New York, Mrs. Clinton pledged to run an inclusive campaign and to create a more inclusive economy, saying that even the new voices in the Republican party are still pushing “the top-down economic policies that failed us before.” … Mrs. Clinton portrayed herself as a fighter, sounding a theme her campaign has emphasized in recent days. “I’ve been called many things by many people, quitter is not one of them,’’ she said.
 
Washington Post’s Plum Line: How Hillary Clinton’s kickoff speech highlighted her advantage over Republicans
This speech, like much of what Clinton does now, is about creating a synthesis out of two related goals or ideas. She wants to energize liberals in a way that also wins independents. She wants to advocate an economic agenda that will be substantively compelling and also creates a personal affinity with voters. It’s Clinton’s good fortune that she has at least the opportunity to do both at the same time. … And I’d challenge Republicans to look at the policy proposals in the speech and say about any of them, “Oh boy, the general electorate isn’t going to go for that.”
 
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Pat Healy: The Chat: Hillary Clinton’s Rally Speech, Instantly Analyzed
Haberman: “She is very invested in her mother’s history, and what her mother gave her. And she tells that story with real emotion. … She seems happiest talking about her mom, and about making history herself.
 
Healy: “Here is some policy and some real heart. ‘I will propose that we make pre-school and quality child care available to every child in America,’ she says. ‘Research tells us how much early learning in the first five years of life impacts lifelong success.’ Women and children – her deepest passions, no question.” … She got personal and turned fun. … A beautiful thought she attributes to her mom: ‘Life is not what happens to you – it’s about what you do with what happens to you. So get back out there.’”
 
CNN: Clinton strikes populist tone to make case for 2016 campaign
Hillary Clinton used the first major rally of her second run for the White House Saturday to make a populist case for her presidential campaign, declaring that the goal of her presidency would be to tip the nation's economic scales back toward the middle class's favor. … Supporters began lining up at 6:30 a.m. for a rally that wouldn't begin until four hours later.
 
ABC News: Hillary Clinton Says in Official Campaign Kickoff She's Running 'for All Americans'
Hillary Clinton officially kicked off her presidential campaign today, making her most extensive pitch yet on why she should be president, framing her candidacy as a choice between forward-thinking policies, and the failed ones of her Republican opponents
 
The Daily Beast’s Olivia Nuzzi @olivianuzzi
Biggest cheer for Hillary so far: hitting GOP on not letting women make their own reproductive healthcare decisions.
 
ABC News’ Liz Kreutz @ABCLiz
Big applause when Clinton says Republicans turn their back on gay people who love each other
 
Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein @jeneps
Hillary Clinton is drawing on her past even a little more than anticipated to explain why she's the right person to lead into the future
 
MSNBC’s Alex Seitz-Wald @aseitzwald
A lot of meat in this speech, from clean energy to infrastructure bank to universal pre-K.
 
MSNBC’s Joy Reid @JoyAnnReid
Robust applause for equal pay, reducing incarceration, expanding preschool and path to citizenship. #Hillary2016 #rooseveltIsland
 
CNBC and The New York Times’ John Harwood @JohnJHarwood
best part of HRC speech was most personal part toward the end. Humor and humility.
 
Slate’s Jamelle Bouie @jbouie
Hillary's money in politics and democracy stuff has the potential to be a very strong message for swing and disengaged voters.
 
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny @jeffzeleny
Good closing riff for @HillaryClinton, with humor and humility: "I've been called many things in my life. Quitter is not one of them."
 
Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein @jeneps
While 5,500 may not be huge, it's capacity for the space. Not to mention no D or R has drawn a crowd anywhere close to this size thus far.
 
Human Rights Campaign’s Chad Griffin @ChadHGriffin
.@HillaryClinton is right. Beyond marriage, we must end the epidemic of discrimination against LGBT people from coast to coast.
 
EMILY’s List’s Stephanie Schriock @Schriock1
Great vision. Great energy. It's our time! Let's all get to work. Fight for all Americans! #Hillary2016
 
America’s Voice’s Gabe Ortiz @TUSK81
.@HillaryClinton slams Republican attacks on gay Americans and immigrants. I've got your back, Hillary! #Hillary2016
 
League of Conservation Voters’ Tiernan Sittenfeld
Kudos to Secretary Clinton!  We’re thrilled that today’s powerful speech builds on her long record of environmental leadership by making crystal clear that climate change will be a top priority throughout her campaign.
 
Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards @CecileRichards
All that! Love having a woman standing up for all women! @HillaryClinton
 
American Federation of Teachers’ Randi Weingarten @rweingarten
Hillary says we must give teachers "the respect they deserve 4 sparking the love of learning in every child.” Amen. http://www.vox.com/2015/6/13/8776067/hillary-clinton-transcript-campaign-launch
 
Feminist Author Jessica Valenti @JessicaValenti
Affordable & accessible early childhood education is a HUGE feminist issue we don't hear enough about. Very glad @HillaryClinton is on it.
        
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For Immediate Release, June 13, 2015

O'Malley for President
[fundraising email from Team O'Malley]

Friend,

Today, Hillary Clinton spoke about her vision for America's future. But here's what she didn't say: she didn't say that she would take any substantive actions to hold Wall Street CEO's accountable for reckless behavior. Nor did she weigh in on the secretive TPP deal that could depress American wages and cost American jobs.

Martin O'Malley has taken firm stands on these critical issues, and will continue to speak fearlessly about the need to stand up to the special interests who wrecked our economy and are distorting our political process

Republican National Committee

RNC photo

RNC Statement On Hillary Clinton's Announcement Speech

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) National Press Secretary Allison Moore released the following statement today on Hillary Clinton's campaign reboot in New York City:

"Hillary Clinton’s announcement speech was chock full of hypocritical attacks, partisan rhetoric and ideas from the past that have led to a sluggish economy leaving too many Americans behind. Next year, Americans will reject the failed policies of the past and elect a Republican president," said Allison Moore.

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Huckabee for President
NEWS RELEASE

Gov. Huckabee comments on Hillary Clinton's out-of-touch campaign announcement

Gov. Huckabee: "I've answered more questions in the last two hours than Hillary Clinton has in the last two months."

Little Rock, Ark.- 2016 GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee made the following statement in response to Hillary Clinton's formal presidential campaign announcement today:

"I've answered more questions in the last two hours than Hillary Clinton has in the last two months.  The American people deserve a President who speaks with them and works for them and Hillary Clinton is not it."
 
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Perry for President

Not "Ready for Hillary"

Minutes ago, Hillary Clinton relaunched her presidential campaign after two months of avoiding voters and refusing to answer questions about her troubling record. Our country needs a leader we can trust and it’s not Hillary Clinton.

Americans are looking for experienced leadership and optimism that can guide our country to better times. We want to look toward a brighter future, not backward at the failed policies of the Obama-Clinton years.

The bottom line is a Hillary Clinton presidency would represent Barack Obama’s third term.

Our American Revival

Our American Revival’s Statement on Hillary Clinton’s Re-launch

Governor Walker: “Hillary Clinton's re-launch of her campaign doesn't change that her views are out-of-touch with mainstream America. We don't need Washington telling us what to do; we need to build the economy from the ground up with government getting out of the way. Clinton would be a third term of Obama's failed policies. Instead, we need new, fresh solutions.”