In
Cincinnati, Ohio, today, Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
of Massachusetts laid out the stark economic choice voters face in
November between Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton and Warren
spotlighted Trump’s erratic statements and self-centered vision on the
economy that adds up to someone temperamentally unfit to be responsible
for the livelihoods of millions of Americans. They specifically
mentioned his response to last week’s Brexit vote - which
wiped $100 billion out of Americans’ 401(k) plans
- when Trump boasted about the potential profits for his luxury
Scottish golf resort. Clinton also questioned how Trump’s practice of
manufacturing products overseas in places like Mexico, Slovenia and
Turkey, not in Ohio or elsewhere in America, fits with his proclamations
of putting America first.
Clinton also affirmed her her
ambitious, progressive vision for an economy that works for everyone,
not just those at the top - reiterating the
five bold economic goals
she set out in a speech on the economy last week: 1) the largest
investment in good-paying jobs since World War II, 2) debt-free college,
3) re-writing the rules so businesses share profits with their workers,
4) making sure the wealthy, Wall Street, and the largest corporations
pay their fair share in taxes; and 5) updating our laws for how families
live and work in the 21st Century.
Transcripts of Clinton’s and Warren’s remarks are below:
HILLARY CLINTON:
“Thank
you, Cincinnati! I especially want to thank all the people outside who
couldn’t get in. Thank you for coming today. I am so delighted to be
here with my friend and a great leader, Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Now,
you just saw – you just saw why she is considered so terrific, so
formidable, because she tells it like it is. I am very grateful for
that introduction, but more importantly, I want to thank her for
fighting every single day for families like hers, families like yours,
and millions of hardworking Americans who deserve to have more folks on
their side.
You know, Elizabeth and I came of age around the same
time, and when we were coming up, as you heard her talking about her
parents, her brothers, we believed in the American dream. It wasn’t
always going to be easy. My dad was a small businessman; it was hard
work. He got up every single day and went off to work and worked hard,
and lots of times my mother and my brothers and I would be there to
help. He printed drapery fabrics in a long warehouse with a long
table. It was dark and not very pleasant, but it was decent, honest
work. And he believed – and he taught me – that’s what you do in
America. That’s the basic bargain. You work hard, you do your part,
you will get ahead and stay ahead. And we need to make sure that basic
bargain is alive and well in 2016.
Elizabeth is leading the fight
to liberate millions of Americans from the burden of student debt, and
to make sure – to make sure Washington never again profits off of our
students. She and I agree, the federal government should not be making
money off of sending our young people to college to get an education.
And
no one works harder to make sure Wall Street never, never wrecks Main
Street again. She’s come up with a lot of great ideas, but here’s one
that has already made a big difference. It’s called the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau. It’s been around a few years under the
leadership of a great leader from Ohio, Richard Cordray, who is leading
the charge. It has already – think about this. It’s only been around a
few years, but it has already returned over $10.8 billion to 25 million
Americans who have been hurt by illegal financial practices. Now, that
is what standing up and fighting to right economic wrongs looks like.
And
I must say: I do just love to see how she gets under Donald Trump’s
thin skin. As Elizabeth made clear, Donald Trump proves every day he’s
not in it for the American people – he’s in it only for himself. And
Elizabeth reminds us of that every chance she gets because –it is really
important that voters here in Ohio and across America understand this.
She exposes him for what he is: temperamentally unfit and totally
unqualified to be president of the United States.
Now, some of the
best TV since Elizabeth came to the Senate is actually on C-SPAN. So
whenever you see her pressing a bank executive or a regulator for
answers, refusing to let them off the hook – remember she is speaking
for every single American who is frustrated and fed up. She is speaking
for all of us, and we thank her for that.
I am thrilled that
Elizabeth could be here with me in this glorious, beautiful building
that has been rehabbed and put to new use as a museum. Because we want
to make the point together that we must have an economy that works for
everyone again, not just those at the top. Not just the rich or the
well-connected – everybody.
Now, one might ask, well, yes, that is
what we believe – it sounds simple, doesn’t it? Honestly, I think it
is. It shouldn’t be complicated. But there are too many politicians
and corporations that don’t agree. They don’t even seem to get it. But
you do, and we do. And for the past now more than a year, I have been
traveling across our country meeting people who have told me their wages
haven’t budged, even though they see executives who give themselves big
bonuses. And you ask yourself, well, wait a minute, why do the richest
Americans and the biggest corporations get away with manipulating the
tax code so they pay lower rates than you do? That’s a good question.
It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make moral sense, economic sense,
historic sense.
And you know what else doesn’t make sense? When
leaders in Congress give more tax breaks to hedge fund millionaires
instead of making investments in manufacturing, clean energy, and
education that will actually create more good jobs.
It doesn’t
make sense when corporations stash their profits overseas, or send them
to influential shareholders, instead of making long-term investments in
raising wages, training and research.
Or when governors and
legislatures use every trick in the book to weaken unions and make it
harder for Americans to organize themselves for better wages and
benefits. You know what I’m talking about. Well, you’ve heard of
“Right to Work” laws. Well, they’re wrong for workers and they’re wrong
for America.
None of this is right, my friends. But this
election is a chance for us to make it right for the future, for our
kids and our grandkids. Let’s make it right.
Let’s make it right
for hardworking Americans like Stan Hall in Cleveland, who owns a small
trucking company. It’s a non-stop struggle for him to compete against
the bigger guys. But if we keep our economy growing, and make sure
small businesses like Stan’s get the right support, we can give more
people a chance to succeed under that American basic bargain.
Let’s
make it right for young people like Erika Roitblat in West Lake. She
dreamed her whole life of going to Ohio University in Athens. But the
housing crash in 2008 wiped out her parents’ savings and their small
business. So to get her college degree at a public university, Erika
wound up $100,000 in debt. We cannot let this student debt crisis
continue. We have got to give hardworking students and families
relief. And you know what Erika’s doing now? She’s volunteering for
our campaign and working to elect Democrats across Ohio.
Stan’s
volunteering with us too, because he, like so many people across Ohio
and across the country, know that we are fighting for a better future. I
got into this race because I wanted to even the odds for people who
have the odds stacked against them. And this is not a time for
half-measures. To build an economy that works for everyone, not just
those at the top, we’ve got to go big and we’ve got to go bold.
So
we need to take that frustration, the fear, the anxiety, and yes, the
anger, and after we have vented it, we need to work together to achieve
the kind of changes that will give everybody in this country a better
shot. So let’s set five ambitious goals for our economy.
Let’s
break through the dysfunction in Washington and make the biggest
investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. Let’s do what
we need to do to invest in infrastructure like President Eisenhower did
with the Interstate Highway System. That’s when Republicans used to
believe in building America and putting Americans to work. That’s what
we’re going to do again.
Let’s set the goal of making college
debt-free for everyone, like Erika. And let’s provide debt relief –
let’s provide debt relief as soon as we can, as soon as we start to
work, Elizabeth. We’ll take the day off for the inauguration, and then
the Senate, the Congress, the White House, we’re going to get to work to
give students and their families relief from this debt.
Now,
we’ve got more work to do, so let’s set the goal of rewriting the rules
so more companies share profits with their employees, not just their
executives, instead of shipping profits and jobs overseas. We’ve got
the greatest country and the greatest economy in the world. Let’s start
acting like it. And let’s make it clear that the companies have to be
part of that greatness.
And let’s set the goal of making sure that
Wall Street and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. Now, there
are a couple ways of doing this. I’ve been proposing a number of them.
Something called the Buffett rule, after Warren Buffett. No
millionaire should pay a lower tax rate than somebody working for him,
like his secretary. The people who have profited the most, even since
the Great Recession, are people who now need to give back. This country
has given so much to all of us, and everybody should share the burden.
So
I have made a pledge: I will not raise taxes on the middle class, but
we are going to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
And
don’t you think it’s about time that we put American families first?
We’re not living in the ‘50s or the ‘60s anymore. We’ve got to catch up
to how Americans actually live and work in the 21st century. I have
met so many stressed-out young parents. I’ve met so many stressed-out
middle-aged and older folks. Young parents because they’re trying to
balance what should be the joy of their lives, like our new grandson is
for us, and our granddaughter. I remember, I was talking to Elizabeth on
the phone when she was visiting her family, her grandchildren, and we
talked about all this important stuff, and what we have to do, and then
she said, well, I’ve got to go, because I have to go buy my
granddaughter some sparkly shoes. There is no greater joy. But to see
young parents struggling so hard, and to see older people taking care of
their parents – we’ve got work to do. We shouldn’t make it so
difficult to do your job at home and to do the job that puts food on the
table and a roof over your head.
Let me just say a word about
rewriting the rules. There are a lot of businesses thriving right here
in Ohio who see their employees the right way. They see them as assets
to invest in, not costs to cut. But unfortunately, there are too many
who take the opposite view, and their behavior contributes to stagnant
wages and lower economic growth. That’s why as President, I will work
to reward companies that share profits with their employees, on top of
paying a good wage. Because if they can do it for their executives,
they sure can do it for their workers. And we will encourage companies
to invest in worker training and to build high-quality apprenticeship
programs where you earn while you learn. And we will strengthen unions,
because they are the bedrock of a strong middle class in America.
Unions helped bring back the auto industry in Ohio, and they will help
bring back America, from coast to coast. So here’s our message to every
corporate boardroom: Do the right thing by your employees and your
country, and we will stand by you. But cheat your employees, exploit
your customers, pollute our environment, or rip off taxpayers, and we
will hold you accountable.
Because when companies take taxpayer
dollars with one hand and give out pink slips with the other, and ship
hundreds of jobs overseas, we’re going to make them pay back those tax
benefits. And we’re going to take that money and reinvest it in workers
and communities. And we’re going to slap an ‘exit tax’ on companies
that move their headquarters overseas to avoid paying their fair share
of taxes. And we will defend American jobs and American workers by
saying ‘no’ to bad trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and
unfair trade practices, like when China dumps cheap steel in our markets
or uses weak ‘rules of origin’ to undercut our car makers. I’m going to
appoint a trade prosecutor who will report to the President, so we are
going to end the abuse of our market, our workers, our people.
And
you know what? We’re going to compete and win in the global economy by
not letting anybody take advantage of our workers. Not China, not Wall
Street, not anyone. And we’re going to defend and strengthen the tough
rules to rein in Wall Street that were put in place after the crash.
When corporations pay fines for breaking the law, those fines should cut
into executives’ bonuses. And if laws are violated, individuals, not
just corporations, should be held accountable.
And I will veto any
effort to weaken protections for consumers. And while we’re at it,
we’re going to finally make Wall Street, big corporations, and the
super-wealthy do more that’s not only fair in terms of paying taxes, but
– which is right, because we can use that money to make these big, bold
investments. That will help us build a stronger economy for decades to
come. And you know what? That’s not only good for families and
workers. That’s good for companies, for businesses.
We are a 70
percent consumption economy, my friend. That means the more money that
you have in your pocket that you can spend, the better that is for the
economy. And the way things are right now, people are afraid. They’re
holding back. We’ve got to liberate the American consumer by protecting
and helping the American worker. And we’re going to make more things
in America. We’re going to ensure we have the most competitive auto and
auto parts industries in the world. And when we invest in
infrastructure, we’re not just going to be investing in roads and
bridges and tunnels and ports and transit and water systems; we’re going
to connect every home to high-speed broadband so they can get into the
global marketplace.
And we’re going to fight climate change by
making America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. And I
want to complement your mayor, Mayor Cranley, who’s here, your State
Rep, Alicia Reece – Cincinnati is already one of the biggest cities in
the country to run 100 percent on clean energy. Congratulations. And
I’ll tell you what, Mayor, I hope you don’t mind if I go around the
country in saying, if you can do it in Cincinnati, you can do it
anywhere. That’s what we need across America And while we’re at it,
we’re going to raise the national minimum wage. $7.25 an hour is a
poverty wage. Workers deserve better. They deserve a living wage and a
job with dignity. Families deserve real support – like quality,
affordable childcare, paid family leave, and equal pay for women.
I know when I talk about these things, Donald Trump says I’m playing the ‘woman card.’
Well,
I’ll tell you what, if fighting for families is playing the ‘woman
card,’ deal me in. So I have to say now, in order to achieve all these
goals, we have to go after and end the political dysfunction that’s
holding our country and economy back. So let’s overturn Citizens United
and get unaccountable money out of politics.
Let’s shut off the
revolving door in Washington and make sure the foxes aren’t guarding the
hen house. And let’s learn how to listen to each other and work
together again. I am determined to break through the gridlock to get
things done for working families.
I know Democrats and Republicans
can work together. I know it, because I’ve done it. I worked with
Republicans and Democrats to create the Children’s Health Insurance
Program, which today insures 8 million kids. I worked with Republicans
and Democrats to bring jobs back to upstate New York and to help New
York City heal and rebuild after the 9/11 attacks. I proudly served as
Secretary of State – and I didn’t just represent Democrats – I
represented all Americans.
Because, you know what? We’re all on
the same team. It’s time we start acting like it. There’s no limit to
what we can achieve if we do. Now, I confess. I confess. It’s true I
can be a little wonky. But I have this old-fashioned idea: if you’re
running for President, you should say what you want to do and how you
will get it done.
So now that you’ve heard some of my plans for
the economy, ask yourself: what are Donald Trump’s plans? Well, best I
can tell, he has no credible strategy for creating jobs. And maybe we
shouldn’t expect better from someone whose most famous words are,
‘You’re fired.’ He rails against other countries, doesn’t he? He says
he’s for our workers. But Trump’s own products are made in a lot of
countries that aren’t named ‘America.’ Trump suits were made in Mexico –
he could have had them made in Brooklyn, Ohio. Trump furniture is made
in Turkey, instead of Cleveland. Trump barware is made in Slovenia,
instead of Toledo. So how does that all fit into his talk about
‘America First?’
But that’s just the start. This is a man who
plays coy with white supremacists and mocks people with disabilities.
Who talks about banning an entire religion from entering our country.
Who advocates getting rid of gun-free zones in schools; letting more
countries have nuclear weapons; defaulting on our national debt; turning
back the clock on marriage equality. And just like Elizabeth, I could
go on and on.
This is someone whose reaction to the horrific mass shooting in Orlando was to publicly congratulate himself.
And
on Friday,
when Britain voted to leave the European Union, he crowed from his golf
course about how the disruption could end up creating higher profits
for that golf course – even though
within 24 hours, Americans lost $100 billion from our 401(k)s. He tried to turn a global economic challenge into an infomercial.
Imagine
Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office the next time America faces a
crisis. Imagine him being in charge when your jobs and savings are at
stake. Imagine him trying to figure out what to do in case of an
emergency.
So it’s no wonder, is it, that risk analysts listed
Donald Trump, a Donald Trump presidency, as one of the top threats
facing the global economy – ahead of terrorism. Well, we are not going
to let Donald Trump bankrupt America the way he bankrupted his casinos.
We need to write – we need to write a new chapter in the American dream,
and it can’t be Chapter 11.
If you believe that Donald Trump’s
wrong for American and that our best days are ahead of us, please join
us in this campaign. We are stronger together. We’re stronger when we
grow together, when we lift each other up, when our economy is working
for everyone – not just those at the top. Let’s get to work, Ohio.
Let’s knock on doors and register voters. Let’s send Ted Strickland to
the Senate with Sherrod Brown! Let’s send Alicia Reece back to
Columbus! Let’s get more strong, progressive leaders like Senator
Warren in Washington and statehouses!
This November, let’s take our country in the right direction, with confidence and optimism. That’s what we can do together.
Thank you all and God bless you!”
U.S. SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
“Whoa! Thank you! Thank you for that warm welcome.
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 federal 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!”
