Hillary and Tim forged ahead in what promises to be a whirlwind of
campaign stops in battleground states over the next two weeks. Today
they rallied voters at the Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh.
They enter around the 32 minute mark.
At
a rally in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Hillary Clinton called Donald
Trump’s recent refusal to commit to accept the results of the election
unacceptable, saying “We know in our country the difference between
leadership and dictatorship, right? The peaceful transition of power is
one of those things that sets us apart. And whether you support me or
you support my opponent, together we must show that we support American
democracy.” Clinton said Trump’s disdain for our democratic decisions
dovetails with his divisive rhetoric against women, minorities and
immigrants, as well as his policy proposals that favor the wealthy over
working families. Clinton contrasted Trump’s plans with her and Tim
Kaine’s commitment to build an economy that works for all, not just
those at the top. She added, “We’re going to grow this economy from the
middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. And we’re going to make
sure we produce enough good jobs with rising incomes so that every
single person, especially every single young person, in America can go
as far as your hard work and talent will take you.”
Clinton also
asked Pennsylvanians to send Katie McGinty to the U.S. Senate to be her
partner in Washington, D.C. The daughter of a police officer and one of
10 children, McGinty would be a steadfast ally to working families
there, Clinton said.
Tim Kaine criticized Trump for his praise of
authoritarian leaders, use of Chinese steel and aluminum instead of
American-made metals and attacks on our military even though he paid no
federal income taxes for years to support it. Kaine also reflected on
why Clinton’s historic candidacy resonates with him personally, saying
“I wouldn’t have gotten very far – in fact, I wouldn’t have gotten into
my first office – without a whole lot of really amazing women who have
lent me their strength along the way so that I could be the candidate.
[…] that’s why I’m just so proud to be a strong man supporting a strong
woman who will be the next president of the United States.”
Clinton and Kaine’s remarks, as transcribed, are below: HILLARY CLINTON:
“Thank you! Thank you all so much! Wow. Oh, man, I’ll tell you, it is
so great to be back here in Pittsburgh. I don’t think it gets any better
than to be accompanied out onto the stage by Dan and Pat Rooney. I am a
big admirer of the Rooney family, and I was so honored to serve with
Dan when he was our ambassador to Ireland. And the Rooney family
commitment to Pittsburgh is really extraordinary, and it’s not just the
amazing commitment to the Steelers, as special as that is, but to their
roots, what they believe in, their values and their deep concern for
future generations. So I am incredibly humbled to be supported by Dan
and Pat and the Rooney family. It means a great deal to both Tim and me.
I
also want to thank Congressman Mike Doyle, who is here with us.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who is here; Mayor Bill
Peduto; Mayor John Fette; Pennsylvania Attorney General Bruce Beemer;
and all the other elected officials. It means a lot for you to be here
with us. If all goes well, in 17 days we are looking forward to working
with you on behalf of Pittsburgh.
Some of you know that I have a
special place in my heart for Pennsylvania, and I am excited about
helping in any way that we can for Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and
Western Pennsylvania to keep moving forward with confidence and optimism
about what’s possible for the future we want to create together. And I
am thrilled to be here with Tim Kaine. I asked him to be my running mate
because I knew he would be one of the smartest, toughest, most
qualified vice presidents we have ever had. And I also knew he had never
lost an election. I kind of figured that might rub off on me a little
bit. And now that I’ve gotten to spend more time with him and with his
wonderful wife Anne and their family, I’m even more confident that he
will be such an extraordinary leader for our country. He’s not just
smart and tough and qualified. Tim Kaine is as good and decent a person
answer you’ll ever meet. And I am deeply honored to have him by my side
in this campaign.
Now, Tim and I are excited by all the energy and
enthusiasm that we’re seeing across the country, and particularly here
in Pennsylvania. But both of us, both of us, unlike our opponent, do not
believe we can do this alone. We believe that we’re going to do this by
working with all of you, and that we’re going to come together in the
next 17 days and convince everybody you can to get out and vote because
whatever issue you care about, it’s going to be on the ballot. It may
not be listed, but it will be on the ballot. Whether you care about new
good jobs with rising incomes, or you care about better education, or
you care about what we can do to get the cost of prescription drugs down
– whatever it is you care about, it’s literally going to be on that
ballot. Now, my name and Tim’s name may be the ones on the ballot, but
we’re going to be representing everything that you and we hope we can do
together in our country.
And we’re going to need help doing that
after the election, and that’s why I hope you will do everything you can
to elect Katie McGinty your next senator. Katie is the daughter of a
Philadelphia police officer. I think she’s one of 10 children, right?
One of 10 children. She has devoted her professional life to protecting
working families. I’ve known her now for more than 20 years, when she
was really young, and I’ve seen that same can-do spirit. She just gets
up every day and says what can she do to fight for healthier
neighborhoods, to keep our kids healthy, to fight for cleaner air and
cleaner water, to really help people make the most out of their own
lives.
And now she’s running for the Senate because, like Tim and
I, she believes our economy should work for everyone, not just those at
the top. Katie is exactly the kind of partner we need in the Senate, but
more importantly, she’s exactly the kind of senator that Pittsburgh and
Western Pennsylvania need in the Senate. We have got to get things done
for the people of Pennsylvania and America, and Katie will help us
break through the gridlock, actually make a difference in people’s
lives, help us create more good jobs with rising incomes, guaranteeing
equal pay for women, defending Planned Parenthood.
And I think
it’s pretty clear, when you look at Katie’s opponent. He still refuses
to stand up to Donald Trump. Now, a lot of Republicans have. They have
had the grit and the guts to stand up and say, ‘He does not represent
me.’ But Pat Toomey heard Donald attack a grieving Gold Star family who
lost their son in Iraq. He heard Donald call Mexican immigrants rapists.
He heard him say terrible things about women. He heard him spread the
lie that our first black President wasn’t really born in America. Now,
how much more does Pat Toomey need to hear? If he doesn’t have the
courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all this, then can you be sure
he’ll stand up for you when it counts against powerful interests?
So
when I look at this, I’m thinking to myself, ‘We’ve got work to do in
Washington.’ And I know it’s not easy. I understand we’ve got some real
challenges. I believe we can do it. I wouldn’t be standing here. Tim
wouldn’t be with me. But we need people in Washington who put you first,
who get up every day thinking about middle class families, who worry
about where you’re going to get the money to send your kids to college,
how you’re going to take care of your mom or dad because they’re failing
and what are you going to do for them, how are you going to be able to
deal with all of the challenges. That is what I have tried to do my
entire life. That is who you should be electing: people who care about
you, care about your families, your children.
Now, as Tim said, he
asked if any of you watched the debate on Wednesday. Well, I’ll tell
you that was the third and last time I will ever have to debate Donald
Trump. I mean, think about this. I have now spent four and a half hours
on stage with Donald, proving once again I have the stamina to be
president and commander-in-chief. And after every one of those debates,
people have said, ‘How did you do that?’ And, really, you just have to
be of good cheer when you find yourself in a situation like that. You’re
in front of 50, 60, 70, 80 million people. And so, no matter what he
was saying, I just kept thinking of all the people I’ve met throughout
this campaign.
Just earlier today, I met Henry, who is over there.
Henry is on top of his dad’s shoulders. And Henry gave me a note saying
he hoped I’d be president. And I really want to be president for all of
the kids in America to do everything I can to help you.
I also
did have a chance to talk about some of the important concerns that
people have shared with me. From the very first day I started this
campaign back in April of 2015, people have been telling me what’s on
their minds. And it is one of the greatest honors. Sometimes it’s just
fleeting. I’ll be in a coffee shop shaking hands or I’ll – later on,
I’ll come down and shake hands on a rope line or just running into
somebody. And that person, that man or woman or that young person, takes
a moment to stop, looks into my eyes. I can tell they’re trying to take
my measure. And I am grateful that they take their vote, their choice
so seriously. And then they might say something like ‘I have a really
terrible problem in my family. My son’ or ‘my daughter has gotten
addicted to opiates’ or ‘to heroin. What are you going to do about it?’
or maybe they’ll say, ‘My brother has schizophrenia. And we can’t afford
to get them – get him the kind of consistent care he needs’ or maybe
they’ll say, ‘I am a diabetic. And the drug company has just raised the
cost of insulin. And I can’t afford it. What are you going to do about
it?’ That is the right question to ask anybody running for president
because at the end of the day, this is about you.
As I said the
other night, we’re going to invest in the middle class. We’re going to
grow this economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top
down. And we’re going to make sure we produce enough good jobs with
rising incomes so that every single person, especially every single
young person, in America can go as far as your hard work and talent will
take you.
Now, I’ve got to say I believe in hard work. That’s how
I was raised. I believe that you’ve got to work for what you get in
life. But I think we’ve got to knock down some of the barriers that
stand in the way of people getting ahead and going as far as they
should. And for me, that starts believing – by believing in our country.
There has been no other place in the history of the world that has
given so much opportunity to so many. Do we have problems? Yeah, we have
problems. Do we have challenges? Of course we do; we’re human beings.
But boy, there is no more blessed place.
And Donald Trump did
something the other night no – no other presidential nominee has ever
done, of either party. He refused to say that he would respect the
results of this election. Now, make no mistake about this, my friends.
He is threatening our democracy. Look, I’ve lost elections. You don’t
feel very good the next day, believe me. But we know in our country the
difference between leadership and dictatorship, right? The peaceful
transition of power is one of those things that sets us apart. And
whether you support me or you support my opponent, together we must show
that we support American democracy. And I believe both Donald Trump and
I should be grateful for the opportunities that our country has given
us. And the best way to demonstrate that we support our democracy is to
turn out and vote.
And there is an inspiring story being written
by people across America right now. We have just reached a milestone:
more than 200 million Americans are registered to vote in this election.
And you know what, that includes 50 – more than, actually – more than
50 million young people. More than ever before. I find that a very
hopeful sign. And here in Pennsylvania, hundreds of thousands of more
voters are registered than were in 2012.
So what does this tell
us? I think it tells us no matter how much negativity is out there,
something exciting is happening right now. People are coming together,
Democrats, Republicans, independents, all to reject hate and division.
And in the states where they can, people are motivated to vote early to
defend core American values and embrace a future where every person
counts, everyone has a place, everyone can contribute. Because, you see,
despite what Donald Trump may think, most Americans really believe that
we can do better. Most Americans really believe women should be
respected. Most Americans really believe that workers should be paid
fairly. Most Americans believe that the United States should work with
our allies to lead the world and keep us safe.
So the energy we
are seeing in the final weeks of this campaign is about more than
winning an election. It is about standing up for the kind of country we
want for ourselves and for our children. And it’s about the lessons we
want to teach our sons and daughters. I want all of you to know that if
Tim and I are fortunate enough to be your president and vice president,
that we will work with everyone. Now, I imagine here in Allegheny
County, and if you’re from further west, you probably know people who
are thinking about voting for Donald Trump, and here’s what I want you
to tell them. I want you to tell them that I understand that they need a
president who cares about them, will listen to them, and I want to be
their president too.
Because whether you agree or disagree with
me, whether you vote for me or vote against me, I believe we can
disagree without being disagreeable. I’ve seen that. I know it can
happen. And I know there are a lot of people right here in Pennsylvania
who have a lot of questions. They want to know, how do we move forward
better? They want to know what’s going to happen to their town where
there used to be a lot of jobs and there aren’t as many anymore. They’re
upset about what they see happening around them. I get that. But anger
is not a plan.
And we need to work together. We need plans that
will help us deal with the legitimate concerns and questions that people
have here in Pennsylvania. I think that’s what our whole country needs
right now. That’s what I will try to do. I’m not going to pretend that
we can just snap our fingers and solve our problems. That doesn’t happen
in the real world. But I know we can make progress together. And the
choice we face in this election is stark, especially when it comes to
the economy.
Tim and I believe that when the middle class thrives,
America thrives, and when we invest in working families, in the middle
class, in small businesses, we can make the economy work again for
everybody.
Now, I think it’s fair to say that both Donald Trump
and Pat Toomey have a different perspective. They believe – and they
believe this – that if you give trillions of dollars, that’s trillion
with a ‘t,’ trillions in tax cuts to the wealthy, to millionaires, to
billionaires, to corporations, it will all trickle down to everybody
else. Hasn’t worked before, and it’s caused us a lot of messes that
we’ve had to clean up. And I’ve been privileged to see presidents up
close and personal, right? Married to one. That’s right. Worked for one.
And here’s what I know. That when you focus on helping the middle
class, you end up lifting everybody. When you focus on helping the top,
you help the top. That is not good enough.
Donald likes to say
he’s on the side of American workers, but his actions tell a different
story. Yes, he’s bought cheap Chinese steel and aluminum for his
construction projects. He should be buying good American-made steel that
supports good American jobs. I’d like to hear Donald explain to
American steelworkers filing for unemployment why he put Chinese
steelworkers to work instead of steelworkers here in Pennsylvania. And
for all of his talk about putting America first, he’s made many of his
products in 12 different countries. So if he wants to make America great
again, why doesn’t he start by making things in America again?
And
we now know he hasn’t paid a dime in federal income taxes for years. He
says that makes him smart. Well, I don’t know how smart you have to be
to lose a billion dollars in a year in the first place. Especially
answer me this: How do you lose a billion dollars when you’re in the
casino business? Never could figure that out. But what it means is that
every one of us here has paid more in federal income taxes than a
billionaire has. That is wrong, and we’re going to end those kinds of
loopholes and gimmicks.
I’ll tell you what, it also means that
Donald has contributed zero – zero for our military, zero for our vets,
zero for Pell Grants to help young people go to college, zero for our
highways, zero for everything. And yet he stands up on the stage and he
criticizes America. Well, it’s unfair and it’s wrong. With your help,
we’re going to make the biggest investment in new jobs since World War
II – jobs in infrastructure. Our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our
ports, our airports, our water systems all need help, and those are a
lot of good jobs waiting to be done – jobs that can’t be exported out of
Pennsylvania.
I believe we can bring advanced manufacturing back
to the United States. That’s why we will invest $10 billion in make it
in America partnerships that bring together workers and unions and
businesses, universities and community colleges. Some country is going
to take the lead with precision machining. Some country is going to take
the lead with 3D printing. We invented both of those technologies. We
should take the lead and we should have the jobs.
We’re also going
to fight climate change with clean, renewable energy jobs. And we’re
going to help small businesses which will create two-thirds of all the
new jobs in America. And we’re going to defend your right to organize
and bargain collectively for higher wages and benefits. Don’t let
anybody fool you, my friends; assault on worker rights and on unions is
an assault on the middle class. It is time to say loudly and clearly
right to work is wrong for workers and wrong for America.
So I’ve
set some big goals. I’m excited about what we’re going to do, and it’s
all going to put people to work right here. And sometimes folks say to
me, ‘Well, how are you going to get that done? You go to the Congress.’ I
said, ‘Well, first of all, I hope we’re going to elect some more
Democrats.’ That would be number one. But number two, I think it’s going
to be a very simple question: Are members of Congress, members of the
Senate, going to be on the side of the rich, the powerful, and the
wealthy, or on your side? And you know what? They’re going to have to
answer that question. Because if they stay beholden to the special
interests, if they continue to do the bidding of the lobbyists and the
lawyers and others who stand there outside their doors – I’ve been in
the Senate, I’ve seen it, I know it – if they’re going to continue to do
the work of those who are already privileged in America, then I want to
make sure that they don’t come back to Washington after the next
election.
And look, we’re in a great, great high school here, and
I’m so proud to be here. And so we’re going to do more to be a good
partner with education, especially with educators. We’re going to start
with universal pre-K, we want good schools with good teachers in every
zip code so every kid gets a world-class education. And I want us to
bring technical education back to high school. I think it was a mistake
when we took it out. There are a lot of good jobs that you can be
prepared for in today’s economy coming out of high school, maybe going
to community college, going into an apprenticeship program, and I want
to lift up that work.
A four-year college degree should not be and
is not the only way to have a good job with a rising income and a
satisfying life. We’re going to make public colleges and universities
tuition free for any families making less than $125,000 a year. And
we’re going to help you pay down your college debt. It’s going to be
great to help you pay it back as a percentage of your income at your job
so you’re never on the hook for more than you can afford. I worked on
this with Senator Bernie Sanders, and it’s going to help to save. It’s
going to help save people thousands of dollars. In fact, after here, or
maybe while you are here, you can go to hillaryclinton.com/calculator to see how much you and your family can save. We want you to know we’re going to deliver results for you.
I
mean, ultimately, it’s pretty simple. I think the American dream is big
enough for everybody and I want everybody to have a chance to get your
piece of the American dream. So there’s a lot of work we’re going to be
doing. We need to raise the national minimum wage. People who work full
time should not be mired in poverty. We are, as Tim said, going to
guarantee equal pay for women. Look, it’s not just a women’s issue. If
you have a mother, which all of us do – if you have a mother, a wife, a
daughter, or a sister who’s working, it’s your issue. It’s good for the
entire family. It’s good for our economy.
So my friends, there’s a
lot for us to do in the next 17 days, because we’ve got to get the word
out. We’ve got to tell everybody what we’re doing and why this election
is so critically important, and that’s where all of you – all of you –
come in. If you do know people who are thinking about voting for our
opponent–”
AUDIENCE MEMBER: “Nope.”
HILLARY CLINTON: “–
well, you may – I hope you will stage an intervention – and I do hope
you’ll talk about the reality versus the demagoguery of what we’ve seen
in this campaign. We need to come together around all of the issues that
are important to everybody, and as I said in the beginning, whatever
issue you care about, it’s going to be on the ballot. I care a lot about
making sure that women and girls are treated with dignity and respect
that they deserve in our country. I care a lot about making sure that we
save Social Security and we ensure that everybody has the benefits that
they need in order to be able to live a decent life in retirement.
And
boy, do I care a lot about our Constitution. And maybe it’s because on
your behalf I went to 112 countries as your Secretary of State – and I
met a lot of people who envy us because we’ve been so steady and so
committed to our constitutional system and our values. And what I hope
is that you care as deeply as our founders did, as our parents and
grandparents did, because maybe they came from somewhere else where they
weren’t treated right, maybe they saw firsthand what it meant to be
deprived of the rule of law.
Every time Donald Trump says he wants
to jail his opponent, meaning me – I think to myself, we don’t do that
in America. We actually have laws and courts and an independent
judiciary. Or when he blows up at a journalist or criticizes the press
and goes on and on and on. I get criticized by the press. I know that’s
part of our democratic system. We believe in a free press, and boy, if
you go to countries where there isn’t one, you will understand why that
is so important.
And when he says there should be a religious
test, a religious test for people at our borders – a country founded on
religious freedom – you have to ask yourself who’s going to conduct the
test. Are we going to get a quiz? And what if the border security
official doesn’t believe you? Who gets to decide whether you come in or
out based on your religion? And if you haven’t seen it yet, I hope you
will go and look at the extraordinary statement by Mr. Khan on YouTube
in a new video that we have put out. You remember he pulled out a
Constitution at our convention. And he reveres our Constitution, and for
good reason, because he too came from a place where there was no rule
of law to speak of.
So whatever issue you care about, this is an
issue that will be decided by this election, and that’s why I’m reaching
out to Republicans, Democrats, Independents, everyone. I know that if
we bring our talent, our energy, and our ambition to the work of
building our country, we’re going to see the best days of America ahead
of us. And when your children and your grandchildren ask what you did in
2016 when everything was on the line, I hope you’ll say you voted for a
better America.
So here’s we go. Just remember you got to get out
and vote. You got to get everybody you know to get out and vote. If you
don’t know where you’re supposed to go vote, please go to iwillvote.com.
You can put your information in and it’s the magic of the internet;
they’ll tell you where you’re supposed to vote. You can go to hillaryclinton.comand sign up to volunteer, or you can take your phone out right now and text J-O-I-N, ‘Join,’ to 47246.
And
if we can get all of you and everybody you know involved in these next
17 days, I will tell you this. It’s easy to forget how far our country
has come. There are a lot of people here, as I said, whose parents and
grandparents came as immigrants. My grandfather, Hugh Rodham, came as an
immigrant as a young boy and settled in Scranton. And he went to work
in the Scranton lace mills; went to work when he was still in his teens.
He worked there until he retired at the age of 65. He believed in our
country. He believed in the kind of future that he could get through his
hard work.
That’s what I want everybody in our country to believe
again. We’re going to unleash the talents, the innovation, and the
energy that brought people like my grandfather here, but which we will
harness for the future. Don’t let anybody tell you America’s best days
are behind us; don’t believe that for a minute. We’re going to pull
together. We’re going to make it clear that confidence and optimism,
respect for each other, bringing folks together who may disagree but can
begin to try to find common ground, is what’s always worked and it will
work again. Help us. Help us create that kind of future and help us
prove once and for all that love trumps hate. Thank you all.”
TIM KAINE:
“Hillary,
this energy must be a Pittsburgh thing. This just must be a Pittsburgh
thing. Hillary and I are so glad to be with you this afternoon. We came
right out of that great convention in Philadelphia and did a – and did a
huge rally here right at the beginning of August. It is so great to be
back together with 17 days to go to a wonderful victory.
We are
not taking anything for granted in the next 17 days. And one of the
things we want to do is ask for volunteers. Who is already volunteering
for the campaign? All right. If you are not volunteering yet and you
just have a whole lot of free time in the next 17 days, there are folks
going around with clipboards. You can sign up. And you can also text
TOGETHER to 47246. And they will bring you on board as we make history
by electing Hillary Clinton as our president.
Hey, can I – can I just ask you guys, how fantastic was Hillary in the last debate?”
AUDIENCE MEMBER: “All the debates.” TIM KAINE: “You’re right, not just the last debate, all three debates. All three debates.
Donald,
Donald Trump, had been talking a lot about stamina. But, boy, at the
end of those debates, he really looked like he was on the ropes. And
Hillary looked like she would have said, ‘Yes.’ If they had said, ‘Why
don’t we do five more debates?’ She would have said, ‘All right. I’m
ready to go. I’m ready to go right now.’ When the – when the debate
finished, Hillary was excited to get out and keep talking about her
plans and her vision for this country. And Donald just couldn’t wait to
get back to start tweeting out more insults. That’s what – that’s what
he was focusing on.
Those debates showed so much. They showed
Hillary’s preparation and her experience and judgment. But I think what
they really showed was the temperament and the compassion and the grace
and the poise that we want to see in our next president. In fact, I
think if you had even watched those debates with the sound off, you
still would have known there is only one person on this stage that we
want to be president of the United States.
Now, you guys all know
that Pennsylvania doesn’t vote until Election Day, but – but I want to
tell you this. In states where early voting has already begun, we’re
already seeing huge spikes at the polls in activity behind our ticket.
Support for the Clinton-Kaine ticket is surging, even in red states like
Arizona, because Americans have locked on and know that this election
is about what kind of country we want for our children and they trust a
stronger together vision that Hillary has laid out throughout this
campaign. And they have also seen the kind of campaign that Donald Trump
has run. And they’re wondering how somebody who wants to be president
of the United States is running a campaign that demonstrates almost
every day what a low opinion he has about the United States and about
the voters of the United States.
I’m a – my wife, Anne, and I have
a boy in the Marines. Donald says our military is a disaster. But
Hillary got him to admit, Hillary got him to admit, basically on the
stage of the first debate that he doesn’t even pay federal income taxes
to support America’s troops.
Donald likes to trash-talk where the
economy is, but we found out that he makes all of his products overseas.
And he’s bought Chinese steel and aluminum to build his hotels, instead
of buying American steel right here in Pennsylvania.
For some
bizarre reason, for some bizarre reason, he praises authoritarian
leaders, like Vladimir Putin, every chance he gets. And he even promises
that he will seek political and legal retribution against his enemies
if he is president. He shouldn’t –”
AUDIENCE MEMBER: “He’s a loser.”
TIM KAINE: “Well,
maybe – maybe he’s running for something else. And – and during the
last debate, he even warned that he might not accept the results of
American democracy. Folks, it was – it was like he ran a campaign and
started and he insulted every group he could: Mexican Americans;
immigrants; African Americans; Muslims; women; POWs, for gosh sake; Gold
Star families. And he’s gotten to the end of campaign, and he’s
insulted every possible group. Who’s left to insult? What he’s decided
is, why don’t I insult the pillars of American democracy? We cannot let
this guy be president.
And I don’t know if you’ve – if you’ve
heard this thing because he seems to really like to say this thing,
especially when he’s in Pennsylvania, that the election is going to be
rigged. He’s losing, and he knows it. And he’s not a guy who would ever
accept responsibility and say, ‘Oh, I lost an election because I ran the
most divisive campaign in American history.’ He’s not going to accept
responsibility. So it’s got to be somebody else’s fault, just like when
The Apprentice didn’t win an Emmy award one year. And he said it was
clearly rigged. This guy can’t take responsibility for anything,
anything.
I think it proves that Mr. Khan, the Virginian from
Charlottesville, the father of Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed as
he protected the lives of his comrades-in-arms, Mr. Khan was right to
ask the question, has Donald Trump even read the United States
Constitution?
Now, I know we all think this has been a long
election season and you can hear from my voice that it has been a long
election season. And I only joined in the last 100 days. She’s had to do
it for two years. Right? And I know that sometimes – and this is
unfortunate, and this is a challenge that we have to embrace should we –
should we have the honor of winning and serving. Sometimes it can seem
like during this election cycle that we’re seeing the worst that our
country has to offer. But let’s remind ourselves and feel good about
that we’re also seeing something special, something good about our
country. And that’s what brings you here tonight, something that – we’re
seeing – we’re seeing something that doesn’t get mentioned nearly
enough. It was right here in Pennsylvania that Hillary and I accepted
the nomination of the Democratic Party. You guys put us on our way with a
fantastic convention. And – and after she finished her acceptance
speech on that Thursday night, that powerful night, the Clinton and
Kaine families, we walked out on the stage together as that massive –” AUDIENCE MEMBER: “Balloons.” TIM KAINE: “–
group of balloons – yeah, the balloons. We had a – we’ve got some fans
of the balloons here. And as we were standing out on that stage with our
spouses and kids and nieces and nephew and kind of trying to absorb
what it meant, I saw my 21-year-old daughter, Annella, trying to kind of
take in what it meant. I saw my wife Anne, wife of 32 years come
November 24, who’s been with me – been with me through thick and thin,
trying to take it all in. And then my mom, Kathy, who’s 82, who was
standing onstage with me and turned to me as the balloons were coming
down and said, ‘Tim, this is the best night of my life.’ Hey, at least –
at least for the next day and a half I got no criticisms or
suggestions. I bought myself a little window that night.
And as I
was standing there with Annella and my mom and so many others, something
really started to hit home. Really started to hit home. And I’ve been
thinking about this the whole campaign. I’ve been in public service for
22 years, since I ran for the Richmond city council in 1994 and won my
first race by the landslide of 97 votes. And let me tell you something, I
wouldn’t have gotten very far – in fact, I wouldn’t have gotten into my
first office – without a whole lot of really amazing women who have
lent me their strength along the way so that I could be the candidate. I
could have my name on the bumper sticker or on the yard sign or on the
ballot.
And that night – and that night in Philadelphia, that city
of history, I wasn’t just thinking about the love and support of the
strong women in my family. I was also thinking about women campaign
managers and cabinet secretaries and agency heads and staff and
volunteers and donors. And I was thinking about women voters who have
enabled me to serve because let’s not forget, beginning with the
presidential election of 1964, in every presidential election, women
have made up the majority of the American electorate.
In other
words, while I’m probably no more free of patting myself on the back
than anybody in politics, if I really think about it I know that I’ve
only gotten the positions of leadership and responsibility because I’ve
had a lot of strong women who were willing to support me so that I could
be the person getting the headline and doing the job. So when Hillary
asked me three months ago today, the 22nd of July, if I would be her
running mate, I was honored to have the chance to play the role for her
that so many strong women have played for me.
Now, make no
mistake. Women in America have come an awful long way. Even 50 years
ago, women couldn’t get a credit card – couldn’t get a credit card –
without a man to cosign for them. They needed a husband’s permission to
start a business. They needed a husband’s permission or cosigner to rent
an apartment. And in some states in our lifetime, women were even
barred from serving on juries. So we’ve come a long way, but so much of
the progress that we’ve made, progress that we should feel good about,
is at stake in this election.
Instead of turning back the clock on
women like Donald Trump wants to do, we should be doing everything we
can possibly do to keep pushing forward because, folks, it’s 2016. Isn’t
it time that women were paid the same wages and salaries as men? Isn’t
it time that women should be able to take off work to care for a child
or relative without losing their job? I didn’t tell Hillary this –
Hillary, I went out and shook some hands with some folks who weren’t
able to come in because you guys turned out in such numbers that some
were outside.
And a woman holding a 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter
in her arms, I said, “Tell me about your son” – it was a daughter –
‘Tell me about your daughter.’ And she said, ‘When my daughter was born,
when I was at the hospital I got fired from my job. I got fired from my
job because there was no maternity leave.’ And she started to cry. This
was 3 and a half years ago. And I said, ‘Well, we’ve made a commitment
that we’re going to do somebody about that, and not just for women,
either. Women and men ought to be able to take off time when their kids
are born or to care for a sick parent.’ And I told her, ‘You may not be
able to get into the rally, but because you said that to us, Hillary and
I will even have more energy because this is one of these things that
we need to fix. It’s about time.’
And how about this: After 240
years of American history, isn’t it about time that a woman can serve as
president of the United States and commander-in-chief? Of course it’s
time. Of course it’s time. Of course it’s time. Of course it’s time.
Well, I think you can tell from the reaction that it’s not only strong
women but also strong men who feel that now is the time. Now is the
time. Now is the time.
Is there anybody out in this audience – is
there anybody out in this audience who’s tried to do something for the
first time? In your house, in your family, in your neighborhood, maybe
in your workplace, in the school, tried to do something that hasn’t been
done before? And you know how hard that is? Is there anybody out there
that when you’ve tried to do that or tried to do something hard, you’ve
had people say to you, ‘Hey, I don’t think that’s going to happen,’ or
‘I don’t think the time is right for you,’ or ‘Somebody else is probably
more qualified,’ or ‘Somebody else is ahead of you?’ And sometimes the
voice that says that to you is the voice of an adversary who wants to
get in your way. And sometimes it’s the voice of a friend who says,
‘Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t want you to be disappointed.’ And
sometimes that voice isn’t even an external voice. It’s a voice inside
because let’s face it, we all carry a little bit of doubt inside of us.
And at that moment when we’re most going to reach for our dreams, that
headwind, that voice that you can’t do it or it’s not your time, whether
it’s from the outside or the inside, kicks in. Everybody knows this.
Everybody’s experienced this.
Let me tell you something about
Hillary Clinton. She has heard that her entire life. She’s heard it her
entire life that maybe the time isn’t right, or if you’re going to be in
this profession, no, that’s more for guys than – she has heard this her
entire life. She’s heard it repeatedly during this campaign. She’s
heard it during this campaign. But guess what? Hillary Clinton has never
let that voice stand in her way. She’s never let it stand in her way.
Never let it stand in her way. And as your next president, Hillary
Clinton is not going to let anyone stand in your way. She’s not going to
let anybody stand in your way. Just think about this. Just think about
this. Hillary’s mom was born before women had the right to vote. And
Hillary’s daughter Chelsea will now get to vote for her mom to be
president. That’s the kind – that is the kind of generational progress
that this country holds for all of us when we do our best work.
So
that’s why we’ve got to do our best work for the next 17 days because
in just 17 short days, we can forever – and I mean forever – change the
way little girls and little boys look at their future in this country.
Because if you can be president of the United States, you can do
anything. And that’s what Hillary Clinton’s election – that’s the
message that her election will send.
So Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, my
friends here, that’s why I’m just so proud to be a strong man
supporting a strong woman who will be the next president of the United
States. And she will show that in America, we really are stronger
together. Please join me in welcoming our next president, Hillary
Clinton.”
In other news: You
may have encountered what was variously being touted as "Trump's 100
Day Speech" and "Trump's Gettysburg Address." On Gettysburg's hallowed
ground, Trump vowed to prosecute his accusers (a new one surfaced after
the speech), remove environmental regulations, abolish Obamacare (of
course), and impose term limits on members of Congress.
Christina Reynolds at HFA offered this statement.
HFA
Deputy Communications Director Christina Reynolds offered the following
statement on Trump’s “closing argument” speech today in Gettysburg, PA:
“Today,
in what was billed as a major closing argument speech, Trump’s major
new policy was to promise political and legal retribution against the
women who have accused him of groping them. Like Trump’s campaign, this
speech gave us a troubling view as to what a Trump State of the Union
would sound like—rambling, unfocused, full of conspiracy theories and
attacks on the media, and lacking in any real answers for American
families.”
Trump's plan ignores the fact that the USA
shares the earth with other countries. Whatever pollution his deregulation releases into the atmosphere
endangers all life on earth. We only get one earth. This is it. This
is the one planet we get. We are the stewards not the owners. It is
among the more troubling aspects of the Republican attitudes and policy
planning.
Trump's vindictive agenda in his own name and paltry menu for the American people is
in stark contrast to Hillary's plans.
On the tarmac in Pittsburgh prior to leaving for Philadelphia, Hillary
and Tim held a press gaggle in which they both discussed Trump's
self-centered, mean-spirited postures.
Literally Trump 
Adam Jentleson 
