Hillary Clinton: Why You Should Vote for Me

The following op-ed appears in Monday’s issue of USA Today:

Hillary Clinton: Why you should vote for me
Hillary Clinton
USA Today
November 6, 2016

In January, America is going to have a new president. Things are going to change — that much is certain. The question is, what kind of change are we going to have?

We can build an economy that works for everyone, or stack the deck even more for those at the top.

We can keep America safe through strength and smarts — or turn our backs on our allies, and cozy up to our adversaries.

We can come together to build a stronger, fairer America, or fear the future and fear each other.

Everything I’ve done, as first lady, senator, or secretary of State, I’ve done by listening to people and looking for common ground, even with people who disagree with me. And if you elect me on Tuesday, that’s the kind of president I’ll be.

Here are four priorities for my first 100 days — issues I’ve heard about from Americans all over our country.

First, we will put forward the biggest investment in new jobs since World War II. We’ll invest in infrastructure and manufacturing to grow our economy for years to come. We’ll produce enough renewable energy to power every home in America within a decade. We’ll cut red tape for small businesses and make it easier for entrepreneurs to get the credit they need to grow and hire — because in America, if you can dream it, you should be able to build it. We’ll pay for it all by asking the wealthy, Wall Street and big corporations to finally pay their fair share. And this commitment will go far beyond the first 100 days. Creating more good jobs with rising incomes will be a central mission of my presidency.

Second, we will introduce comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The last president to sign comprehensive immigration reform was Ronald Reagan, and it was a priority for George W. Bush. I’m confident that we can work across the aisle to pass comprehensive reform that keeps families together and creates a path to citizenship, secures our border, and focuses our enforcement resources on violent criminals. This is the right thing to do, and it will also grow our economy.

Third, to break the gridlock in Washington, we need to get secret, unaccountable money out of our politics. It’s drowning out the voices of the American people. So within my first 30 days, I will introduce a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. We should be protecting citizens’ rights to vote, not corporations’ rights to buy elections.

Fourth, we need to get started on end-to-end criminal justice reform. Too many people have been sent away for far too long for non-violent offenses. I believe our country will be stronger and safer when everyone has respect for the law and everyone is respected by the law.

There’s so much more we need to do together, and we certainly won’t get it all done in the first 100 days. But we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to work for American families — and I’ll never, ever quit.

I want to be president for all Americans — Democrats, Republicans and independents; Americans of every race, faith and background.

My opponent has run his campaign on divisiveness, fear and insults, and spent months pitting Americans against each other. I’ve said many times that Donald Trump has shown us who he is. Now we have to decide who we are.

Because it’s not just our names on the ballot this year. Every issue we care about is on the ballot, too. This is about who we are as a country — and whether we are going to have change that makes us stronger together, or change that pushes us further apart.

It all comes down to this. I love our country. I believe in our people. And I think there’s nothing we can’t achieve if we work together and invest in each other.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

News Source: USA Today

Clinton, Kaine Release New Book, “Stronger Together”

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine released a new book titled Stronger Together. Hillary for America released the following description of the book. Buy the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Walmart, or your favorite book retailer.

Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine today released their official campaign book, “Stronger Together” today, a 256-page blueprint for America’s future. The book synthesizes more than fifty detailed policy ideas that Clinton and Kaine have advanced throughout the campaign, including specific and practical solutions to address some of the biggest challenges facing American families and our country.

“We have an old-fashioned idea about politics: People who are running to lead the United States of America should tell you what they’re going to do, why they’re going to do it, and how they’re going to get it done,” Clinton and Kaine write in the book’s preface. “That’s what this book is all about. Over the course of this campaign, we have laid out a comprehensive vision for our country: building an economy that works for everyone, not just those that the top; working with our allies and each other to keep our people safe and our country strong; and forging a strong sense of American unity to tackle the problems and seize the opportunities before us. To that end, we have released more than fifty detailed policy ideas, on everything from apprenticeships to the Zika virus.”

The detailed, specific policy solutions covered in the book stand in stark contrast to the Trump campaign’s soundbites and slogans. According to a recent Associated Press story, “Trump’s campaign has posted just seven policy proposals on his website, totaling just over 9,000 words. There are 38 on Clinton’s ‘issues’ page, ranging from efforts to cure Alzheimer’s disease to Wall Street and criminal justice reform, and her campaign boasts that it has now released 65 policy fact sheets, totaling 112,735 words.”

The book, which includes new introductions from each candidate, is broken into four sections focused on:

• The economy: How we can build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, by: making the boldest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II; making college debt-free for all Americans; rewriting the rules so companies share profits with employees instead of shipping jobs and profits overseas; ensuring that Wall Street, corporations and the super-wealthy pay their fair share; and putting families first with policies that match how people work and live.
• Foreign policy: How we can secure American leadership and keep America safe by: defeating ISIS and global terrorism; continuing to strengthen our alliances and partnerships — and stick with them; being firm but wise with our rivals; keeping our military strong and supporting our veterans and military families; shaping the global rules that will keep us safe and make us more prosperous; and staying true to the values that have always made America great.
• Domestic policy: How we can stand together and build bridges, not walls by providing every child the opportunity to live up to his or her potential; fixing our broken immigration system and keeping families together; reforming our criminal justice system; ending the epidemic of gun violence; breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of equal rights; and protecting our environment and natural resources.
• Getting results: How we can break through the gridlock to get results by reforming our campaign finance system, protecting voter rights and expanding access to the ballot box.

In her introduction, titled Love and Kindness—And Action, Clinton tells the story of her upbringing, the lessons she learned from her mother’s difficult childhood, and her work as an advocate for children. She writes, “To drive real progress, you have to change both hearts and laws. You need both understanding and action. It’s unusual to hear a candidate for President say we need more love and kindness in our country — but that’s exactly what we need. Each of us stumbles at one time or another. I know I’ve made my share of mistakes and missteps. But life is about how we stand back up — and how we lift each other up, too.”

In his introduction, titled Fighting for Right, Kaine describes his service in Honduras and the inspiration he drew from his father-in law, former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton, who integrated the state’s public schools. He writes, “Lin’s example helped inspire me to work as a civil rights lawyer representing people who had been turned away from housing either because of the color of their skin or because they were an American with a disability … All these years later, I am still striving to do what I did then — to fight for right.”

The book was published by Simon & Schuster and is available in paperback, digital and audio formats.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Hillary Clinton Discusses Economic Plan in North Carolina

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton followed up her economic speech on Tuesday with an event in Raleigh, North Carolina. In a second powerful speech on the economy, Clinton said that the country is stronger when the economy works for everyone, and she acknowledged that parts of the system are broken. She outlined five key areas of the economy that she wants to focus on to ensure that the economy works for everyone. The five goals she has set for her presidency are (full details are available on The Briefing):

1. Break Through Washington Gridlock to Make the Boldest Investment in Good-Paying Jobs Since World War II
2. Make Debt Free College Available to All Americans
3. Rewrite the Rules to Ensure That Workers Share in the Profits They Help Create
4. Ensure That Those at the Top Pay Their Fair Share
5. Put Families First by Matching Our Policies to How Families Live, Learn, and Work in the 21st Century Economy

Clinton contrasted her plans with those of Republican Donald Trump. She said, “Compare what I am proposing to what we hear from Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed king of debt. No credible plans for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from his wall. No real plan for creating jobs.” She did not offer as many attacks on Trump and his businesses as she did in yesterday’s speech, but she made it clear that she is focused on making the economy work for everyone while arguing that Trump will destroy it. A video from the speech is available below and a transcript can be read HERE.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The News & Observer, The Briefing

Clinton Steps-Up in Iowa

Hillary Clinton returned to Iowa, where the polls between her and Democratic rival Bernie Sanders have tightened considerably. Last night, Clinton hosted an organizing event in Burlington where she spoke about the specifics of her platform. She said that her agenda may be ambitious, but she also stressed the importance of working together and listening to good ideas from anyone, not just people she agrees with politically. She said, “We may not always agree, but we will always have a conversation where I’m hearing you and we’re talking about the path forward.”

Clinton attended two organizing events today. The first was in Indianola where she changed her tone and went directly after Sanders. She broke from her usual pattern and mentioned Sanders by name several times. She spoke about her experience with health care and foreign policy and his lack of experience. Most importantly, she spoke about her record of getting things done. She criticized Sanders’ plans and his readiness for the presidency saying, “Theory isn’t enough. A President has to deliver in reality.”

At an the event in Vinton, Clinton continued the theme of the speech she gave in Indianola calling attention to the progress that has been made with health care and criticizing Sanders for wanting to scrap it and start over. She said that Sanders has been working to pass the single-payer heath care proposal for over 25 years, but has failed to gain much support. “He never got even a single vote in the House or a single Senate co-sponsor. Not one. You hear a promise to build a whole new system, but that’s not what you get. … You’ll get gridlock and an endless wait for advances that never come.”

Clinton wrapped up the day with an appearance at an event at the University of Iowa in Iowa City with singer-songwriter Demi Lovato. While the crowd of 1,600 were there to see Lovato perform, Clinton spoke to the crowd briefly about her plans as president and criticized Republicans and Bernie Sanders for their positions on a number of topics. This is not the first time Lovato has appeared at an event with Clinton, but it is the first public event. A video will be added when/if available.

Tomorrow, Clinton returns to New Hampshire for three separate events. For all the latest, follow our revamped Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The New York Times, KWQC, CNN, The Hill, KWWL