I am always happy to come to Ohio. It is always good to be in the home state of my great friend and your great Senator, Sherrod Brown! And it is good to be in the state that’s going to send Ted Strickland to the US Senate in November! Yes!
I’m here today because I’m with her. Yes, her. We’re all here today because we’re with her and we’re going to work our hearts out to make Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States! Yes, I’m ready. Are you ready for this? Yes.
We’re here with someone who gets up every single day and fights for us. Someone who has spent her whole life fighting for children. Spent her life fighting for women. Spent her life fighting for families. Fighting for health care. Fighting for human rights. Fighting for a level playing field. Fighting for those who need her most.
We’re here to fight side-by-side with Hillary Clinton!
So today I want to talk about values. My daddy sold fencing and carpeting, he ended up as a maintenance man. And after his heart attack, my mom answered phones at Sears to keep our family above water. And here are some of the values that I learned, up close and personal.
My oldest brother Don Reed was career military – 288 combat missions in Vietnam. Yes. I learned from him that we honor our promises to our service members and veterans, always!
And after my middle brother John got out of the Air Force, he got a good union job operating a crane. Today he has a pension because of that job. I learned from him that unions built America’s middle class, and unions will rebuild America’s middle class! Yes!
And my youngest brother David got out of the army and started a small business. He worked his rear end off. It was tough, and today all he has left is his Social Security. I learned from him that we honor hard working people by protecting and expanding Social Security! Yes!
And me? I was the baby, and I always wanted to be a teacher. I went to a commuter college that cost $50 a semester—and it opened a million doors for me. I learned that America’s public schools can build opportunity for all of our kids!
I’m the daughter of a maintenance man who made it all the way to the United States Senate. And Hillary Clinton is the granddaughter of a factory worker who is going to make it all the way to the White House. We believe in that America! Yes! Yes!
Now, we believe in that America, but we’re worried – worried that those opportunities are slipping away.
And a lot of America is worried—worried and angry. Angry that too many times Washington works for those at the top and leaves everyone else behind. That Washington lets giant oil companies guzzle down billions of dollars in tax subsidies, but then says there’s no money to help kids refinance their student loans. That Washington gives corporations fat tax breaks for CEO bonuses, but won’t raise the minimum wage. That Washington pushes big corporate interests in trade deals, but won’t make the investments in infrastructure that create good jobs here in America.
Angry that friends and neighbors right here in Ohio lost their jobs and their homes when Wall Street wrecked our economy. Angry that instead of sending people to jail, Washington gave bankers a bail out. Now your pensions are in trouble and Washington won’t lift a finger to help. That’s not right!
And we’re here to change it! You bet. We’re here to change it.
Now Donald Trump says he’ll make America great again. It’s right there, it’s stamped on the front of his goofy hat. You want to see goofy? Look at him in that hat.
But when Donald Trump says, ‘Great,’ I ask, ‘Great for who, exactly?’ For millions of kids struggling to pay for an education? For millions of seniors barely surviving on Social Security? For families that don’t fly to Scotland to play golf?
When Donald Trump says he’ll make America great, he means make it even greater for rich guys just like Donald Trump. Great for the guys who don’t care how much they’ve already squeezed from everyone else. Great for the guys who always want more.
Because that’s who Donald Trump is—the guy who wants it all for himself. And watch out, because he will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants. That’s who he is.
Just look at the evidence. Donald Trump cheered on Britain’s current crisis, which has sucked billions of dollars out of your retirement accounts, because he said, hey, it might bring more rich people to his new golf course. He cheered on the 2008 housing crash because he could scoop up more real estate on the cheap. And he cheered on students desperate enough to sign up for his fake university so he could bleed them dry and turn a profit for himself.
What kind of a man does that? What kind of a man roots for people to lose their jobs? To lose their homes? To lose their life savings? I’ll tell you what kind of man: a small, insecure money-grubber who fights for nobody but himself.
What kind of a man? A nasty man who will never become President of the United States! That’s right.
Because Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States. That’s right.
Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States because she knows what it takes to beat a thin-skinned bully who is driven by greed and hate. She knows you beat a bully, not by tucking tail and running, but by standing your ground and fighting back. That’s right.
Just look at her history. She’s been on the receiving end of one right-wing attack after another for 25 years. But she has never backed down. That’s right. She doesn’t whine. She doesn’t run to Twitter to call her opponents ‘fat pigs’ or ‘dummies.’ No, she just remembers who really needs someone on their side, and she gets up and keeps right on fighting for the people who need her most.
So here’s what it boils down to. Hillary has brains. She has guts. She has thick skin and steady hands. But most of all, she has a good heart. And that’s what America needs. And that’s why I’m with her. Are you with her? Are you with her?
This election is about values. So let’s just do a few: Donald versus Hillary.
Donald Trump believes in defrauding students to benefit himself. Hillary Clinton believes that every kid should be able to get an education without getting crushed by debt—that means debt-free college and refinancing student loans. Hillary fights for us!
Donald Trump believes poor, sad little Wall Street bankers need to be free to defraud anyone they want. Hillary Clinton believes that we need strong rules to prevent another financial crisis. Yes, Hillary fights for us!
Donald Trump cheats his workers and wants to abolish the minimum wage. Hillary Clinton believes no one should work full time should live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage, fair scheduling, paid family and medical leave! Hillary fights for us!
You know I could do this all day, I really could. But I won’t. I won’t. Okay, one more.
Donald Trump calls African-Americans thugs, Muslims terrorists, Latinos rapists and criminals, and women bimbos. Hillary Clinton believes that racism, hatred, injustice, and bigotry have no place in our country.
She fights for us! She fights for us and we will fight for Hillary Clinton! She fights for us.
Please join me in welcoming to the stage our next president!
Neither the Catt Center nor Iowa State University is affiliated with any individual in the Archives or any political party. Inclusion in the Archives is not an endorsement by the center or the university.