Earlier this afternoon, Hillary Clinton spoke to thousands of supporters in Alexandria. Speaking just before her was Gov. Terry McAuliffe (see video on the "flip"). Here are a few key points from Clinton's speech.
- She said there's a "real lesson" from Terry McAuliffe running on a "progressive agenda," laying out "very clearly what he wanted to do," and "then he got to work doing it." That includes trying "to lift up the people of the Comomnwealth," not "trying to divide people and set them against each other" (hint hint, Republicans).
- She urged everyone in Virginia to vote on November 3, "because it will determine how much more Terry can get done in the years remaining in his term...think of what he could do for you if he had partners in the State Senate and the State House."
- She said the 2016 election will have a "big impact on the future," and "we're facing a VERY stark choice; either we're going to build on the progress we've made under President Obama, or we're going to give Republicans another chance to tear down everything we've worked so hard to do."
- She recounted the disastrous situation President Obama inherited from the Republicans when he came into office in January 2009, including the economy being on the brink of the second Great Depression. Fortunately, President Obama and the Democrats "got to work, and we've come a long way...I don't think President Obama gets the credit he deserves" for all he did. "Democrats should be proud of that record of achievement and we should defend it."
- She got a huge round of applause for this line: "I'm not running for President Obama's third term; I'm not running for Bill Clinton's third term; I'm running for my FIRST term!"
- She said that for most people, "paychecks haven't budged in years." She added that the minimum wage should be called a "poverty wage," while many women are still paid less than men for doing the same exact jobs. "Inequality is a huge problem in America, and we cannot go back to the policies that actually made it worse."
- She talked about the crushing burden of student debt and noted that she has a plan to refinance it and get on with your lives. She also noted the burden of quality child care, and how that makes it extremely difficult for people to "do their jobs and take care of their kids." She said she's made a "high priority of us achieving paid family leave."
- She said we need comprehensive immigration reform, and noted that this issue has "brought out some of the worst in our Republican candidates running for president."
- "You know a lot of things have been said about me, but quitter isn't one of them."
- She argued, correctly, that Virginia Republican opposition to Medicaid expansion is a classic example where "ideology trumps evidence."
- She talked about the crucial importance of voting rights, and vowed to "fight any effort to disenfranchise any American anywhere."
- "I'm running for president to protect our families and communities from the plague of gun violence; It is both heartbreaking and infuriating that we lose an average of 90 Americans a day because of guns."
- She took a not-particularly-veiled shot at Benrie Sanders, who keeps saying we all need to stop "shouting" about guns. She said: "I've been told to stop shouting about guns. Actually, I haven't been shouting, but sometimes when a woman talks, people think...I will keep speaking out and I will keep taking on the NRA."
- She took another not-so-veiled shot at Sanders when she talked about "one of the most outrageous votes that I ever had to take" - the NRA bill to give gun manufacturers and sellers immunity. Of course, left unsaid was that Bernie Sanders voted for that bill.
- She repeated that she's a "progressive who likes to get things done." She said she will seek common ground with anyone, but "I also know how to stand my ground."
- "I still believe there is nothing wrong with American that can't be fixed by building on what's right with America."
- She urged everyone to get involved in her campaign.
- She concluded by vowing to fight "for a country that opens doors again for everyone, and where every father can say to his daughter, you can be anything you want, including President of the United States!"
