- Hillary Clinton
« Nov.7,
2016 Hillary Clinton Remarks in Grand Rapids, MI
Nov. 7, 2016 - Get Out the Vote rally at Grand Valley State University Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
In Grand Rapids, Clinton Asks Voters To Choose Her Positive Vision of America
Clinton outlined her positive vision for America -- reinvesting in America's infrastructure, raising the minimum wage, supporting working families through paid family leave and affordable childcare, and building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. But every one of these issues is at stake this year, Clinton said, calling on Michiganders must turn out and vote tomorrow. Clinton said, "I want to be a president for all Americans! Democrats, Republicans, Independents. Not just the people who support me -- everybody in this country. Because I believe with all my heart that each of us has a role to play in building a better future. So, let's take that first step tomorrow."
Clinton's remarks, as transcribed, are below:
Oh my gosh, I am so thrilled to be here. I want to thank the president of this great university, Tom Haas, the faculty, the staff, the students. I want to thank Brandon Dillon, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. And I especially really want to thank you for sending Debbie Stabenow to the United States Senate.
I have also the great personal experience and privilege of having worked with Debbie, gotten to know her, become a friend of hers, and I am so excited -- I'm so excited at the possibility that I'll be able to work with her again. But I want you to know this, and I really -- really hope you'll tell folks, because there is no more dedicated, effective member of the United States Senate than Debbie Stabenow. She fights for -- fights for all of you every day, but she does it with that smile that never leave her face. And she brings people together who are on opposite sides of issues, because she just keeps talking. And don't we need more of that in Washington, where people actually talk and listen to each other.
So it's wonderful to be with all of you and to be introduced by Debbie. Are you ready to vote tomorrow, Michigan? Are you ready to help get your friends to vote tomorrow? Well that is clearly the right answer because we have a really election tomorrow.
Now the choice in this election could not be clearer. And I know that for many people, you've gone back and forth, you've thought about what to do, and I really respect that. But let me say this, let me say this. This election is basically between division and unity in our country. It's between strong and steady leadership and a loose cannon who could put everything at risk. It is between that works for everyone or one that is even more stacked for those at the top.
And I want each and every one of you to be thinking though about all the issues you care about, because although my name and my opponent's name will be on the ballot, those issues and those values are on the ballot as well. And as you think about what you care about and what you want your future to look like, you have to recognize this is a consequential election.
I
have been privileged to know a lot of our presidents over the past
decades and people who ran for president. I was privileged to know, as
a college student, Gerald Ford. In fact I had an internship with the
House Republican Conference Committee, which he headed, after my junior
year in college.
So when I say I've gotten to know a lot of our presidents and people who run for president, it goes back aways. And here's what I want you to understand. I didn't agree with everything they did or said. Even the Democrats, we had differences in politics and policies and sometimes on principle. But I never doubted -- I never doubted that they were fit to serve as our president and commander in chief.
That's why -- that's why this election is so different. And it's why so many Republicans have spoken out to endorse me and support me and who have taken very courageous stands against the nominee of their own party. Because they believe that we must put country ahead of party when it comes to this election.
That's why -- that's why this election is so different. And it's why so many Republicans have spoken out to endorse me and support me and who have taken very courageous stands against the nominee of their own party. Because they believe that we must put country ahead of party when it comes to this election.
I was at Kent State in Ohio last week and I was introduced by a gentlemen by the name of Bruce Blair. And Mr. Blair had served in the Air Force. He was a young officer assigned to be what was called a launch officer. That meant he served his time everyday sitting in a bunker where the controls for launching nuclear weapons were housed. And his job -- imagine the responsibility -- a young Air Force officer in his 20s waiting to hear whether or not an order is given to him to launch nuclear weapons. And Bruce Blair explained that there is no appeal from a president's order to do that. The joint chiefs of our military forces can't say, ‘No, don't do it.’ There's no veto from Congress or anyone else. And the time between the order being given and the actual launch is four minutes.
So after watching this election, Mr. Blair began contacting others who had served in this incredibly responsible position to share his concerns about what he was hearing and seeing. And several dozen of them -- I'd never met them before -- several dozen of them wrote a letter explaining why they could never support Donald Trump to be our commander in chief. And the awesome responsibility that is housed in one person is something I want you to think about between now and the time you vote. Because I will pledge to you that I will exercise the greatest care and responsibility in all of the powers invested in the office of the presidency.
I also -- I also -- I also want to pose to you a contrast in visions. Did any of you see the debates? Well, first of all, I did stand for four and a half hours with Donald Trump on the stage, proving conclusively I have the stamina to be president of the United States. But I have to say, in addition to that, there were so many things that he said that of course I sometimes was surprised by. But the theme that ran through of much of his rhetoric was the presentation of a dark and divisive vision for America. Now I have to tell you, I know we've got problems. I've spent 18 months traveling around our country, talking to, by now, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, hearing what's on people's minds. We've got challenges, but America's always had challenges. And since when do we become pessimistic and not able to think about what we can do to overcome those challenges to solve those problems together. I often did not recognize the country that Donald Trump was describing because from my perspective looking back at our history, we have tremendous opportunity ahead of us. And you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America, that will set the stage for an even better future.
I want to say especially to the students that are here. I really believe, that America's best days are ahead of us if we reach for them together. Make no mistake our core values are being tested in this election. My faith in our future has never been stronger, last night in Manchester, New Hampshire; I was introduced by Khizr Khan. Some of you know and remember that his son, Captain Khan serving in the United States Army, was killed serving in Iraq. Like at the Democratic Convention this summer, he spoke powerfully about what America means to him and how we have to defend our values and Constitution that are the envy for the rest of the world.
People look at us with yearning they see we are a beacon of freedom, hope, and opportunity for people right here at home. And you know --- When I heard Mr. Khan speak at the convention, and I heard him again last night, I was so touched because what he said, exhibited a love for our country. He said that when he started hearing Donald Trump speak and all of the things he said about so many people not only Muslims, African Americans, Latinos, and POW, and women and so many people.
When he heard, he could not help but think, as he walked around his house. He has a room where his son's medals, he got the bronze star and Purple Heart. With the flag that was draped on his coffin. He is respectfully represented in the box he was given it in.
And he thought to himself; would there be any room for my son in Donald Trump's America, think about that for a minute because every single one of us has something to give to this great country
We are already great but we can be greater and we will be greater. I love our country, I believe in the American people and I know, there is nothing we cannot do when we make up our minds, throughout our history generations of Americans have risen together to meet the task of their time. They defended democracy; they built the greatest middle class the world has ever known. They marched for civil rights, voting rights, for workers rights, and union rights and rights for people with disabilities.
And now we got to come together. We have to prove we can meet the challenges of our time. We got to get the economy working for everybody not just those at the top. If you believe as I do that America thrives when the middle class thrives then you have to vote tomorrow. We are going to make the biggest investment in good paying jobs since World War II. Our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, and precision
And so many people.
When he heard it, he couldn't help but think as he walked around his house -- he has a room where his son’s medals, he got the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, where the flag was draped on his coffin is respectfully presented in the box that he was given it in -- and he thought to himself, ‘Would there be any room for my son in Donald Trump's America?’ Think about that for a minute because every single one of us has something to contribute to this great country. We are already great but we can be greater and we will be greater!
I love our country and I believe in the American people! And I know there is nothing we can't do when we make up our minds. Throughout our history, generations of Americans have risen together to meet the test of their time. They defended democracy, they built the greatest middle class the world has ever known, they marched for civil rights and voting rights, for workers rights and union rights, for LGBT rights, right for people with disabilities!
And now, now we've got to come together and we have to prove we can meet the challenges of our time. We've got to get the economy working for everybody, not just those at the top. If you believe, as I do, that America thrives when the middle class thrives, then you have to vote tomorrow!
We are going to make the biggest investment in good paying jobs since World War Two, jobs and infrastructure: Our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, our water systems! These are jobs we need doing in America and they are jobs that cannot be exported. They have to be done, right here, in Michigan and across our country.
And we are going to invest in new jobs in advanced manufacturing. I am not one of these folks who think, ‘Well we just can't make it in America anymore.’ And I'll tell you why: Because if we have a plan and we actually commit to fulfilling that plan, we can lead the world in precision machining, in 3D printing. We're not competing for low-wage jobs, we're competing with Germany for high manufacturing, high skilled jobs! And we are going to have clean, renewable energy jobs as a way to fight climate change.
Now, as you heard, my opponent chose to make many of his products overseas, and as I pointed out in the last debate, he buys cheap Chinese steel and aluminum instead of good American steel made by American steelworkers. He's gone all over this country and he's gone all over Michigan talking about how he's going to really get more jobs and he's going to bring back what used to be there. Well, I'll tell you what. Look at his record; don't just listen to his rhetoric. Because I have a different idea: we're going to invest in America again and for everybody who is frustrated, and anxious and maybe even angry because they feel left out, left behind, that America is not working the way it should, I understand that. I understand that. I represented upstate New York for eight years, and I saw first-hand a lot of the loss of jobs and factories, picking up and moving out. But I also realized that anger is not a plan. You have to come together and figure out what is it we're going to do to bring new jobs back and create more opportunity for people.
And I'll just tell you, I believe that we have to defend the American worker's right to organize and bargain for better wages and benefits. We're going to get incomes rising here in western Michigan and across this state. And we're also going to do more to help small business. My dad was a small businessman, he worked really hard. He ran a printing plant that printed fabrics for draperies and I would, from time to time, help him out. You take a silkscreen, you put it down on the long table, you pour the paint in, you'd do the squeegee, you'd picked it up; it wasn't automated. We were the automators.
And you'd go all the way down to one table and you go to the other table. So I know how hard people in small business work. And I also know something else – Donald Trump made a lot of money off the backs of small business people and contractors by stiffing them and refusing to pay his bills. And I have said, you know what, I am sure glad my dad never got a contract from Donald Trump because we could not have afforded that.
But it's not just enough to grow the economy; we have to make it fairer. And if you believe we need a fairer economy then you have to vote. I think the best; the best antidote for whatever ails a person is a good job. I believe in hard work, that's how I was raised. But I also believe that if you work hard and work full-time, you shouldn't still be in poverty at the end of the year and I want to raise the national minimum wage.
And one of the things that I have heard all over America, especially from young families -- really from all families but particularly from young families, is how hard it is to do so many things that are expected like, where do you find affordable, quality childcare? In a lot of states it's more expensive than college tuition. We're going to get the cost of childcare down, we're going to have a paid family leave program so that when you have a sick relative or you're sick you won't lose your job.
You know, I saw the folks over there holding up the Tim Kaine sign and I really appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. I got to tell you, Tim and I were in Pittsburgh last month with a big crowd and couldn't get everybody in, like today. So Tim went out to say hello to people and he saw a woman holding a baby, probably about three years old and he stopped to talk to her and she said, ‘I came here because I wanted to tell you and to tell Hillary Clinton what happened to me. I had my baby, it was a hard labor and delivery and I needed some time off. I called my boss and said, 'you know the doctors want me to take some time off and I won't be in for--'. I think she said like two weeks. And they said, ‘Okay, you're fired.’ That is legal in America still. And what that does is to say, wait a minute. Do we value children? Do we really value families? We've got to have a system that is fair to employers and fair to employees because you've got to be able to balance work and family in today's America.
And then finally, I think it is way past time to guarantee equal pay for women's work. And you know, I got -- I got to say, this always gets a huge round of applause as you can tell. But this is not just a woman's issue; it's a family issue. If you've got a wife, a sister, a daughter in the workforce you want her to be paid what she deserves to be paid to help you and your family. Now, just about everything I've said so far, my opponent disagrees with. And whenever I talk about affordable childcare and paid family leave and equal pay, he says I'm playing the woman's card. And you know what I say? If that's the case, then deal me in.
And here's what else I want you to know. It's fair to ask: Okay, how are you going to pay for that? That's not only fair, that's necessary to ask. Because I want to be a good steward of your tax dollars just as I expect you are a good steward of your family budget. I have proposed a very simple formula. I will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. And for small businesses, we're going to cut your taxes because I know that a lot of small businesses need that kind of tax relief. So instead, we are going where the money is, to the millionaires, to the billionaires and the big corporations.
That is in stark contrast to what Donald Trump has proposed. His economic plan is to cut trillions of dollars of taxes from millionaires and billionaires and corporations. That is trickle down economics on steroids. I profoundly disagree. I think the way to build an economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not from the top down.
You know, when you think about it, Donald hasn't paid anything. For 20 years, he's paid zero to support our military, our vets, and Pell Grants for students here at Grand Valley, our highways. And I'm still pondering; I am just pondering how anybody could lose a billion dollars in one year. Especially when you're running casinos, I do not understand that. But that will be one of the mysteries in this campaign because he's not going to release his tax returns between now and the time you start voting. And that sort of suggests he has released them. So we’ll still wonder, but what we know is his economic approach will cost us jobs, not create jobs and we can’t afford that. We need to keep building. We have recovered from the worst financial crash since the Great Depression, but we’re not where we need to be yet. The last thing we need is a failed economic policy coming back in and pushing us back down, depriving people of the jobs that we want to create.
And if you believe that all of our kids should have good schools and good teachers no matter what zip code they live in, then you have to vote.
And if you believe college should be affordable you have to vote.
Now, I got to say I am proud of the campaign that Bernie Sanders and I ran, right? It was a campaign about ideas and issues, not insults. And when it was over, we actually got together, what a novel idea. We wanted to figure out how we could work together to actually produce on some of the goals we both shared. So Bernie and I worked on this plan together; public colleges and universities should be tuition-free for anyone makes less than $125,000 a year. And they should be debt free for everyone else because nobody should go into debt. And, and if you have gone into debt, if you’re among the millions of Americans who are struggling, as I see some hands pointing in the air, paying back your student debt, we are going to help you pay it down and pay it off.
It makes no sense at all. We have interest rates that are really low right now. Buy a car for what, one or two percent. You can get a house for three, four percent. There are so many people that are paying 8, 10, 12, higher; 8, 10, 12 percent interest. Now where did that -- how much?
So when I say I've gotten to know a lot of our presidents and people who run for president, it goes back aways. And here's what I want you to understand. I didn't agree with everything they did or said. Even the Democrats, we had differences in politics and policies and sometimes on principle. But I never doubted -- I never doubted that they were fit to serve as our president and commander in chief.
That's why -- that's why this election is so different. And it's why so many Republicans have spoken out to endorse me and support me and who have taken very courageous stands against the nominee of their own party. Because they believe that we must put country ahead of party when it comes to this election.
That's why -- that's why this election is so different. And it's why so many Republicans have spoken out to endorse me and support me and who have taken very courageous stands against the nominee of their own party. Because they believe that we must put country ahead of party when it comes to this election.
I was at Kent State in Ohio last week and I was introduced by a gentlemen by the name of Bruce Blair. And Mr. Blair had served in the Air Force. He was a young officer assigned to be what was called a launch officer. That meant he served his time everyday sitting in a bunker where the controls for launching nuclear weapons were housed. And his job -- imagine the responsibility -- a young Air Force officer in his 20s waiting to hear whether or not an order is given to him to launch nuclear weapons. And Bruce Blair explained that there is no appeal from a president's order to do that. The joint chiefs of our military forces can't say, ‘No, don't do it.’ There's no veto from Congress or anyone else. And the time between the order being given and the actual launch is four minutes.
So after watching this election, Mr. Blair began contacting others who had served in this incredibly responsible position to share his concerns about what he was hearing and seeing. And several dozen of them -- I'd never met them before -- several dozen of them wrote a letter explaining why they could never support Donald Trump to be our commander in chief. And the awesome responsibility that is housed in one person is something I want you to think about between now and the time you vote. Because I will pledge to you that I will exercise the greatest care and responsibility in all of the powers invested in the office of the presidency.
I also -- I also -- I also want to pose to you a contrast in visions. Did any of you see the debates? Well, first of all, I did stand for four and a half hours with Donald Trump on the stage, proving conclusively I have the stamina to be president of the United States. But I have to say, in addition to that, there were so many things that he said that of course I sometimes was surprised by. But the theme that ran through of much of his rhetoric was the presentation of a dark and divisive vision for America. Now I have to tell you, I know we've got problems. I've spent 18 months traveling around our country, talking to, by now, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, hearing what's on people's minds. We've got challenges, but America's always had challenges. And since when do we become pessimistic and not able to think about what we can do to overcome those challenges to solve those problems together. I often did not recognize the country that Donald Trump was describing because from my perspective looking back at our history, we have tremendous opportunity ahead of us. And you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America, that will set the stage for an even better future.
I want to say especially to the students that are here. I really believe, that America's best days are ahead of us if we reach for them together. Make no mistake our core values are being tested in this election. My faith in our future has never been stronger, last night in Manchester, New Hampshire; I was introduced by Khizr Khan. Some of you know and remember that his son, Captain Khan serving in the United States Army, was killed serving in Iraq. Like at the Democratic Convention this summer, he spoke powerfully about what America means to him and how we have to defend our values and Constitution that are the envy for the rest of the world.
People look at us with yearning they see we are a beacon of freedom, hope, and opportunity for people right here at home. And you know --- When I heard Mr. Khan speak at the convention, and I heard him again last night, I was so touched because what he said, exhibited a love for our country. He said that when he started hearing Donald Trump speak and all of the things he said about so many people not only Muslims, African Americans, Latinos, and POW, and women and so many people.
When he heard, he could not help but think, as he walked around his house. He has a room where his son's medals, he got the bronze star and Purple Heart. With the flag that was draped on his coffin. He is respectfully represented in the box he was given it in.
And he thought to himself; would there be any room for my son in Donald Trump's America, think about that for a minute because every single one of us has something to give to this great country
We are already great but we can be greater and we will be greater. I love our country, I believe in the American people and I know, there is nothing we cannot do when we make up our minds, throughout our history generations of Americans have risen together to meet the task of their time. They defended democracy; they built the greatest middle class the world has ever known. They marched for civil rights, voting rights, for workers rights, and union rights and rights for people with disabilities.
And now we got to come together. We have to prove we can meet the challenges of our time. We got to get the economy working for everybody not just those at the top. If you believe as I do that America thrives when the middle class thrives then you have to vote tomorrow. We are going to make the biggest investment in good paying jobs since World War II. Our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, and precision
And so many people.
When he heard it, he couldn't help but think as he walked around his house -- he has a room where his son’s medals, he got the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, where the flag was draped on his coffin is respectfully presented in the box that he was given it in -- and he thought to himself, ‘Would there be any room for my son in Donald Trump's America?’ Think about that for a minute because every single one of us has something to contribute to this great country. We are already great but we can be greater and we will be greater!
I love our country and I believe in the American people! And I know there is nothing we can't do when we make up our minds. Throughout our history, generations of Americans have risen together to meet the test of their time. They defended democracy, they built the greatest middle class the world has ever known, they marched for civil rights and voting rights, for workers rights and union rights, for LGBT rights, right for people with disabilities!
And now, now we've got to come together and we have to prove we can meet the challenges of our time. We've got to get the economy working for everybody, not just those at the top. If you believe, as I do, that America thrives when the middle class thrives, then you have to vote tomorrow!
We are going to make the biggest investment in good paying jobs since World War Two, jobs and infrastructure: Our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, our water systems! These are jobs we need doing in America and they are jobs that cannot be exported. They have to be done, right here, in Michigan and across our country.
And we are going to invest in new jobs in advanced manufacturing. I am not one of these folks who think, ‘Well we just can't make it in America anymore.’ And I'll tell you why: Because if we have a plan and we actually commit to fulfilling that plan, we can lead the world in precision machining, in 3D printing. We're not competing for low-wage jobs, we're competing with Germany for high manufacturing, high skilled jobs! And we are going to have clean, renewable energy jobs as a way to fight climate change.
Now, as you heard, my opponent chose to make many of his products overseas, and as I pointed out in the last debate, he buys cheap Chinese steel and aluminum instead of good American steel made by American steelworkers. He's gone all over this country and he's gone all over Michigan talking about how he's going to really get more jobs and he's going to bring back what used to be there. Well, I'll tell you what. Look at his record; don't just listen to his rhetoric. Because I have a different idea: we're going to invest in America again and for everybody who is frustrated, and anxious and maybe even angry because they feel left out, left behind, that America is not working the way it should, I understand that. I understand that. I represented upstate New York for eight years, and I saw first-hand a lot of the loss of jobs and factories, picking up and moving out. But I also realized that anger is not a plan. You have to come together and figure out what is it we're going to do to bring new jobs back and create more opportunity for people.
And I'll just tell you, I believe that we have to defend the American worker's right to organize and bargain for better wages and benefits. We're going to get incomes rising here in western Michigan and across this state. And we're also going to do more to help small business. My dad was a small businessman, he worked really hard. He ran a printing plant that printed fabrics for draperies and I would, from time to time, help him out. You take a silkscreen, you put it down on the long table, you pour the paint in, you'd do the squeegee, you'd picked it up; it wasn't automated. We were the automators.
And you'd go all the way down to one table and you go to the other table. So I know how hard people in small business work. And I also know something else – Donald Trump made a lot of money off the backs of small business people and contractors by stiffing them and refusing to pay his bills. And I have said, you know what, I am sure glad my dad never got a contract from Donald Trump because we could not have afforded that.
But it's not just enough to grow the economy; we have to make it fairer. And if you believe we need a fairer economy then you have to vote. I think the best; the best antidote for whatever ails a person is a good job. I believe in hard work, that's how I was raised. But I also believe that if you work hard and work full-time, you shouldn't still be in poverty at the end of the year and I want to raise the national minimum wage.
And one of the things that I have heard all over America, especially from young families -- really from all families but particularly from young families, is how hard it is to do so many things that are expected like, where do you find affordable, quality childcare? In a lot of states it's more expensive than college tuition. We're going to get the cost of childcare down, we're going to have a paid family leave program so that when you have a sick relative or you're sick you won't lose your job.
You know, I saw the folks over there holding up the Tim Kaine sign and I really appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. I got to tell you, Tim and I were in Pittsburgh last month with a big crowd and couldn't get everybody in, like today. So Tim went out to say hello to people and he saw a woman holding a baby, probably about three years old and he stopped to talk to her and she said, ‘I came here because I wanted to tell you and to tell Hillary Clinton what happened to me. I had my baby, it was a hard labor and delivery and I needed some time off. I called my boss and said, 'you know the doctors want me to take some time off and I won't be in for--'. I think she said like two weeks. And they said, ‘Okay, you're fired.’ That is legal in America still. And what that does is to say, wait a minute. Do we value children? Do we really value families? We've got to have a system that is fair to employers and fair to employees because you've got to be able to balance work and family in today's America.
And then finally, I think it is way past time to guarantee equal pay for women's work. And you know, I got -- I got to say, this always gets a huge round of applause as you can tell. But this is not just a woman's issue; it's a family issue. If you've got a wife, a sister, a daughter in the workforce you want her to be paid what she deserves to be paid to help you and your family. Now, just about everything I've said so far, my opponent disagrees with. And whenever I talk about affordable childcare and paid family leave and equal pay, he says I'm playing the woman's card. And you know what I say? If that's the case, then deal me in.
And here's what else I want you to know. It's fair to ask: Okay, how are you going to pay for that? That's not only fair, that's necessary to ask. Because I want to be a good steward of your tax dollars just as I expect you are a good steward of your family budget. I have proposed a very simple formula. I will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. And for small businesses, we're going to cut your taxes because I know that a lot of small businesses need that kind of tax relief. So instead, we are going where the money is, to the millionaires, to the billionaires and the big corporations.
That is in stark contrast to what Donald Trump has proposed. His economic plan is to cut trillions of dollars of taxes from millionaires and billionaires and corporations. That is trickle down economics on steroids. I profoundly disagree. I think the way to build an economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not from the top down.
You know, when you think about it, Donald hasn't paid anything. For 20 years, he's paid zero to support our military, our vets, and Pell Grants for students here at Grand Valley, our highways. And I'm still pondering; I am just pondering how anybody could lose a billion dollars in one year. Especially when you're running casinos, I do not understand that. But that will be one of the mysteries in this campaign because he's not going to release his tax returns between now and the time you start voting. And that sort of suggests he has released them. So we’ll still wonder, but what we know is his economic approach will cost us jobs, not create jobs and we can’t afford that. We need to keep building. We have recovered from the worst financial crash since the Great Depression, but we’re not where we need to be yet. The last thing we need is a failed economic policy coming back in and pushing us back down, depriving people of the jobs that we want to create.
And if you believe that all of our kids should have good schools and good teachers no matter what zip code they live in, then you have to vote.
And if you believe college should be affordable you have to vote.
Now, I got to say I am proud of the campaign that Bernie Sanders and I ran, right? It was a campaign about ideas and issues, not insults. And when it was over, we actually got together, what a novel idea. We wanted to figure out how we could work together to actually produce on some of the goals we both shared. So Bernie and I worked on this plan together; public colleges and universities should be tuition-free for anyone makes less than $125,000 a year. And they should be debt free for everyone else because nobody should go into debt. And, and if you have gone into debt, if you’re among the millions of Americans who are struggling, as I see some hands pointing in the air, paying back your student debt, we are going to help you pay it down and pay it off.
It makes no sense at all. We have interest rates that are really low right now. Buy a car for what, one or two percent. You can get a house for three, four percent. There are so many people that are paying 8, 10, 12, higher; 8, 10, 12 percent interest. Now where did that -- how much?
I got to tell you friends, that is outrageous. The federal
government should not be making money off of sending kids to college.
I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves with Debbie and Bernie and we’re going to get to work right after this election if I am fortunate enough to win.
I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves with Debbie and Bernie and we’re going to get to work right after this election if I am fortunate enough to win.
Look, you see
working for children and families has been the cause of my life, but
it’s never been more important than it is right now and this has to be
our mission together doing all we can to help every American and
especially every young American and every child in America to have the
chance to live up to their God-given potential. I will wake up every
single day in the White House trying to figure out what I can do to
make that a reality for you.
So after tomorrow the work will begin and one of the highest priorities that I feel an obligation to address is how we bring our country together. A lot of people say we’ve got to heal our country, or as the Bible says ‘repair the breach,’ because we have so much divisiveness right now. We’ve got to start listening to each other, respecting each other. Now I know it is unusual, I’ll admit, for someone running for president especially the day before an election, but I’ve been saying this for months, to say that we need more of two things right now: we need more love and kindness in America.
So after tomorrow the work will begin and one of the highest priorities that I feel an obligation to address is how we bring our country together. A lot of people say we’ve got to heal our country, or as the Bible says ‘repair the breach,’ because we have so much divisiveness right now. We’ve got to start listening to each other, respecting each other. Now I know it is unusual, I’ll admit, for someone running for president especially the day before an election, but I’ve been saying this for months, to say that we need more of two things right now: we need more love and kindness in America.
I
don’t know about you -- I don’t know about you, but I bet every one of
us has received a kindness and maybe I hope we’ve all extended one. I
am standing here today because my mother, who was abandoned by her
parents, rejected by her grandparents went to work at the age of
fourteen as a maid and a babysitter, was extended kindness not by those
who should have loved her, but by others. The first grade teacher who
saw she had nothing to eat at lunch, who began bringing extra food. The
woman whose house she went to work in, who knew my mother wanted to go
to high school, she would have been a freshman in high school when she
had to leave here grandparents’ home and she got this job. And that
woman said, well I know you want to go to high school; if you get up
early and you get your chores done you can go to high school, but
you’ll have to come back because we’ll need you in the late afternoon.
Now that may sound harsh to say to a fourteen-year-old, but to my
mother it was a gift.
I tell you this because we all have to start thinking about how we want to be treated and what that means about how we treat others. You know there's a version of the golden rule in every major religion and it is a reminder that every one of us gets knocked down. The question is my mother would say, ‘Are you going to get back up?’ And for people in our country who feel like they've been knocked down, and nobody cares. Nobody's paying attention. Here's what I want you to know. If you give me the honor of being your president, I am going to do everything I can to get this country and everybody in it -- BACK UP! On our feet! Move it forward together! Because I want to be a president for all Americans! Democrats, Republicans, Independents. Not just the people who support me -- everybody in this country. Because I believe with all my heart that each of us has a role to play in building a better future. So, let's take that first step tomorrow. If you don't know where you're supposed to vote, go to I Will Vote.com. You can get all the information you need. If you want to help us bring out the vote here in western Michigan in the last 24, 36 hours, you can still sign up to volunteer. Go to HillaryClinton.com. Or you can text JOIN 47246 or stop by one of our offices. We would be really excited to see you. Because when your kids and grand kids ask what you did in 2016, when everything was on the line, I hope you'll be able to say that you voted for a better stronger, fairer America. An America where we build bridges not walls! And an America where we prove that yes, love trumps hate! Thank you all so much!”
I tell you this because we all have to start thinking about how we want to be treated and what that means about how we treat others. You know there's a version of the golden rule in every major religion and it is a reminder that every one of us gets knocked down. The question is my mother would say, ‘Are you going to get back up?’ And for people in our country who feel like they've been knocked down, and nobody cares. Nobody's paying attention. Here's what I want you to know. If you give me the honor of being your president, I am going to do everything I can to get this country and everybody in it -- BACK UP! On our feet! Move it forward together! Because I want to be a president for all Americans! Democrats, Republicans, Independents. Not just the people who support me -- everybody in this country. Because I believe with all my heart that each of us has a role to play in building a better future. So, let's take that first step tomorrow. If you don't know where you're supposed to vote, go to I Will Vote.com. You can get all the information you need. If you want to help us bring out the vote here in western Michigan in the last 24, 36 hours, you can still sign up to volunteer. Go to HillaryClinton.com. Or you can text JOIN 47246 or stop by one of our offices. We would be really excited to see you. Because when your kids and grand kids ask what you did in 2016, when everything was on the line, I hope you'll be able to say that you voted for a better stronger, fairer America. An America where we build bridges not walls! And an America where we prove that yes, love trumps hate! Thank you all so much!”
###
For Immediate Release, November 8, 2016
Copyright © 2016 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in
Action.
All rights reserved.