Hillary Clinton and her newly announced running mate, Senator Tim Kane, appeared at their first joint campaign rally since yesterday’s announcement. Speaking in Miami, Florida, the event served as an introduction of Kaine to her supporters and the American people. While Clinton introduced Kaine and praised his public service record, she wasted no time going after Republican Donald Trump and his running mate saying, “I have to say, Senator Tim Kaine is everything that Donald Trump and Mike Pence are not.”
Kaine then took the stage and spoke about a number of topics including religion (he is Catholic while Clinton is Methodist), family, and the military. He spoke about how is son, a Marine, will soon be deployed, and he criticized Trump’s waffling support of America’s military veterans. Kaine followed Clinton’s lead in attacking Trump’s business record, his record in supporting the military, and his thin skin. He acknowledged that some people may not know who he is joking, “Now, I know for a lot of you, this might be the first time you’re hearing me speak. And hey, let me be honest, for many of you, this is the first time you’ve even heard my name.” He continued, “But that’s OK because I’m excited for us to get to know one another.” A video from the event is below.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Campaign Manager Robby Mook and State Representative Brian Sims held a fundraising event. The event was billed as a LGBT and Allies Convention Kick-Off in preparation of the DNC beginning on Monday.
On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump laid out his plan for reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs. His plan calls for a mix of government and private care options for our nation’s veterans. Hillary for America advisor, and Army veteran, Bishop Garrison released a statement saying that the plan was the first step to privatizing the VA and would not address the current issues. He argued that Hillary Clinton’s plan to update the VA systems to include modern technology is a better option for veterans and their families. A copy of the statement is below:
“Make no mistake about what Donald Trump just laid out. The policy reforms he proposed would put us irreversibly on a path toward the wholesale privatization of the VA. We can and must fix the VA to ensure it provides top-of-the-line 21st century care for our veterans, and Hillary Clinton has laid out a plan to do exactly that. But Donald Trump’s proposal would gut the VA of the resources needed to provide high-quality, coordinated care. Fully privatizing the VA – the inevitable result of Trump’s proposals – is not a fix at all; it’s an ideological crusade that will only compound the problem. It would deprive our veterans of access to the specialized care they require and deserve and leave them at the mercy of a private health care market that’s ill-suited to handle their needs.”
Since launching her campaign last April, Hillary Clinton has outlined a number of major platform points in a series of speeches. Now that it it is clear the general election will be Clinton versus Republican Donald Trump, it is important that Clinton continue to deliver substantive speeches and combat a Trump platform that seems to offer no substance or foundation. Clinton’s platform is built on a career of public service and an understanding of domestic and foreign policies. While not everyone may agree with points of her platform, taken as a whole it is clear that she has put together a solid plan to more the country forward and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to live up to their full potential.
When Clinton has introduced a major platform topic, we add it to the Platform category of the website. Looking through Clinton’s speeches and policy proposals, a clear plan emerges. From Clinton’s kickoff rally in June 2015 to the announcement of the proposed cap on child care costs and expanded early childhood education earlier this month, a list of Clinton’s platform speech topics and announcement dates are below:
On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton held a round table discussion in Hampton, Virginia that covered a variety of topics including national security and and the military. Those included in the conversation represented a number of points of view including retired military officers and advocates for veterans and military families. During her remarks on national security, Clinton criticized Republican Donald Trump’s response to the shooting in Orlando saying, “After all the Twitter rants and conspiracy theories we’ve been hearing recently, it’s time for substantive discussions about how we protect our country, how we respond to terrorist attacks like the one that tragically occurred in Orlando.” Clinton stressed that it is important for everyone to work together to stop lone wolves and to ensure our military receives the best care during and after serving. A video from the event is below:
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets audience members following a veterans roundtable discussion with the Truman National Security Project at the VFW Hall in Derry, New Hampshire November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
On Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended a round table event with the Truman National Security Project in Derry, New Hampshire. During the event, Clinton outlined her plans to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a department that has been heavily scrutinized for its outdated practices and massive backlog. Clinton said, “These problems are serious, systemic and unacceptable. They need to be fixed and they need to be fixed now.” She made it clear that the VA and its processes would not be privatized, but modernized in a way that honors the commitment of the veterans it serves. Clinton then spoke to veterans in attendance and answered to their questions while listening to their concerns. A video from the event will be posted when/if available.
Clinton’s plan is complex and contains multiple facets. The Clinton campaign released a full outline of the plan, and key points are below. CLICK HERE to read the full plan.
Ensure that Veterans have access to timely and quality health care
Create a new framework for heath care delivery by the VHA
Refocus as a veteran-centric provider of service-connected care
Synchronize and coordinate VHA benefits with other programs
Strategically purchase private-sector care
Establish a VHA Strategic Oversight and Governance Board
Ensure better communication between the Department of Defense (DoD) and VA
Streamline the DoD-VA health care footprint
Synchronize procurement to find cost savings
Streamline VA and DoD IT Systems
Improve healthcare for women at the VHA
New funding to ensure women equal and respectful access to health services
Requiring the provision of reproductive services
Broadening initiatives to provide childcare at VA medical facilities
End the veteran suicide epidemic
Increase funding for metal health providers and training
Expand programs targeted at providing effective mental heath treatment
Promoter better prescriber and treatment practices
Ensure that Military Sexual Trauma is acknowledged as a valid form of PTS
Encourage state VA departments to include mental health programs
Provide proper legal assistance to review and upgrade other than honorable discharge categorizations for those separated from service due to service-connected mental health and cognitive issues, such as TBI, PTS, and addiction
Continue to identify and treat invisible, latent, and toxic wounds of war
Maintain presumptions of service for latent and invisible connected wounds from the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq war, and Afghanistan war
Expand the current VA burn pit registry
Dedication research funding and provide mechanisms for collaborative efforts to improve veteran treatments
End disability benefits and appeals backlog
Streamline and simplify the claims process
Improve the VA’s partnership with the DoD
Launch an Innovation Initiative to develop innovative solutions for sustainably managing the claims and appeals process
Bring sustained and focused White House leadership to attention
Create a standing President’s Council on Veterans
Conduct an end-to-end evaluation to optimize the full scope of benefits afforded to our veterans
Convene a White House Summit on Veterans
Continue to engage private and philanthropic sectors
Support and broaden initiatives that provide educational benefits, job training, and support for veteran entrepreneurs.
Make the post-9/11 GI Bill part of the nation’s social contract with those who serve
Expand tax credit for veterans’ employment
Improve concurrent certification and credentialing programs
Strengthen veteran entrepreneurship programs
Create pathways and platforms for service member to enter growing career fields
Protect veterans
Fight back against schools that prey on veterans and the GI Bill
Enforce zero tolerance for firms that overcharge service members and veterans
Strengthen non-discrimination laws
Move decisively to end veteran homelessness
Increase funding for reducing homelessness while expanding public-private partnerships
Expand complementary programs and services
Address the needs of homeless women veterans and homeless veteran families
Support Veterans Treatment Courts nationally
Recognize the honorable service of LGBT veterans
Create a culture of accountability, service, and excellence
Hold every employee accountable for their performance and conduct
Revamp the performance evaluation system
Bolster critical whistleblower protections
Provide budgetary certainty
Ensure our veterans are buried with the honor, distinction, and integrity they deserve
Support smart compensation and benefits reform
Ensure reforms to military compensation and retirement benefits improve readiness for quality of life
Modernize the military health system
Adopting modern and inclusive personnel policies
Attracting millennials to military service
Zero-tolerance for Military Sexual Assault and Harassment
Welcoming women to compete for all military positions
Supporting the DoD policy review on transgender service
Promote family policies
Increase access to child care
Create flexibility around military moves
Expand military spouse employment initiatives
Champion efforts to care for our military members and families
Ensure continued focus on mental health for military members and their families
On Wednesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to New Hampshire where she began her day by attending a Politics and Eggs breakfast in Manchester. Clinton gave a speech before taking questions from those in attendance. Clinton spoke about a number of topics, but one of her comments has made headlines. She is against completely abolishing the death penalty, something that her Democratic opponents Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley support. She said, “We have a lot of evidence now that the death penalty has been too frequently applied, and too often in a discriminatory way. So I think we have to take a hard look at it. I do not favor abolishing it, however, because I do think there are certain egregious cases that still deserve the consideration of the death penalty, but I’d like to see those be very limited and rare, as opposed to what we’ve seen in most states.” A video from the event will be posted when/if available.
After making a stop at Moulton Farm in Meredith, Clinton attended the Grover Cleveland Dinner in Bartlett for an event hosted by the Democratic Committee for Carroll County. During Clinton’s speech, she spoke about her political platform and plans as president. Clinton has been criticized for comments she made about the issues in Department of Veterans Affairs not being as widespread as everyone thinks. Clinton backpedaled saying that there is a problem, she said, “I will not let the Republicans use the problem as an excuse to privatize the VA.” A video of her speech is below.
Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to Nevada to attend two major campaign events. Her first event was in Las Vegas where she spoke to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Office (NALEO). Clinton outlined the four fights of her campaign, and focused specifically on expanding funding for preschool programs. She said, “All of our kids need the opportunity to get off the to the best possible start, but too many children are getting behind.”
Clinton also spoke about voter rights and called for universal voter registration saying, “We should be making it easier to vote, not putting up barriers that disempower and disenfranchise Americans. Who are those barriers aimed at: young people, poor people and people of color.” She also focused on immigration, saying that if Congress refused to act on immigration, she would further expand the executive orders President Barack Obama has enacted. She also vowed to limit the the number of deportations, and her goal is comprehensive immigration reform.
In Reno, Clinton hosted a roundtable with a number of veterans. She spoke about her plans to maintain the world’s most powerful military. However, her primary concern is the struggles of veterans returning from combat and the delay of Veterans Affairs providing care. Clinton said veteran care is not a partisan issue, “No matter what we disagree on, we must agree on taking care of our vets.”
Tomorrow and Saturday, Clinton will attend events in California. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
6/13 UPDATE: A full transcript of the speech is available from Time by CLICKING HERE.
In her first official campaign rally held at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island in New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined what she called the “four fights” of her campaign. Throughout the 45 minute speech, Clinton made references to her experience as a lawyer, Senator, Secretary of State, and as a mother and grandmother. The theme of the speech was the prosperity of Americans, and she shared stories from people she has met and her mother to make her points. In her speech, Clinton also criticized Republicans for not looking forward and believing too much in “yesterday.” She vowed to fight for everyday Americans and prepare the United States for the future.
The key to her speech was the “four fights.” She outlined what those will be, but said that said will outline specific policy changes in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, her vision is clearly outlined by the four fights:
Economy: Clinton outlined a number of changes that would serve to strengthen the economy including strengthening the middle class, increasing the minimum wage, providing equal pay for women, making it illegal to discriminate against LBGT workers, rewriting the tax code, and focusing on lifelong learning that will allow works to adapt to a changing workplace. She also called for more affordable college for everyone and improving the infrastructure by creating an infrastructure bank that would sell bonds to help fund improvements roads, bridges, power grids, and broadband Internet. She called for protecting the environment by investing in clean energy and ending the denial of climate change. All these changes, which she will continue to outline in the coming weeks, will create jobs and improve the lives of American workers.
Family: Families have struggled since the recession and Clinton believes that more attention needs to be paid to helping families by guaranteeing paid sick days, paid family leave, pre-school and child care. She also wants to focus on the uneven incarceration polices and provide help to those suffering with mental health issues and addiction.
America’s Leadership: America has long been the leader in the world, but for America to maintain its leadership and influence, Clinton argues that we have not only show strength in our military, but we have to create economic and diplomatic partnerships across the globe. At the same time, we have to stand up to our adversaries and stand by our allies. We need to be better prepared against cyber attacks and provide better services to our veterans after they have served our country.
Governmental Reform: Clinton argued that now is the time to take government out of corporate hands and back into the hands of Americans. She called for stopping the flow of unaccountable campaign funds, undoing Citizens United, and improving government technology so it is more open to the pubic. She also called for improvements to voting including universal registration, longer early voting periods, and ensuring that voting rights are protected despite the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
Clinton’s speech is only the beginning of the next phase of her campaign. Over the coming weeks, Clinton will travel across the country to spread her message and continue to flesh out her campaign platform. We will follow along and continue to cover her campaign events as she continues to build a strong platform for America’s future.
Join Hillary for America by donating, or you can text JOIN to 47246. As always, you can also follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and her all new Instagram page.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 