Hillary Rodham Clinton

December 22, 2016

In the final count, Hillary Clinton surpassed President Barack Obama’s 2012 total by 389,944 votes. Rising to the occasion as she always has and always does, Hillary Clinton delivered the classiest concession speech of all time in New York. Before a mass of heartbroken supporters and journalists, Clinton delivered an address that at once admitted defeat and reminded those who voted for her to stay the course. We’re not moving to Canada, people. We have too much work to do.

Mattie Kahn put together the 7 best lines from her speech, which we’re bound to return to over the next few months. Hillary Clinton, you’ve made us so proud.
1. “This is painful and it will be for a long time, but I want you to remember this. Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought, but I still believe in America and I always will.”
2. “Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things. The rule of law, the principle that we are all equal in rights and dignity, freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values, too, and we must defend them.“
3. “[W]e believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone, for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people and for people with disabilities. For everyone.“
4. “[T]o the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook, even in secret private Facebook sites, I want everybody coming out from behind that and make sure your voices are heard going forward.”
5. “[T]o the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have…spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I have had successes and I have had setbacks. Sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.“
6. “I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.”
7. “Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all the little girl whose are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.“

Hillary Clinton’s concession speech – Full Text

History made by Clinton and DNC
The Washington Post
By John Wagner, Ed O’Keefe and David Weigel | July 26

PHILADELPHIA —Hillary Clinton on Tuesday became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party on a historic night during which her campaign also sought to reintroduce her to skeptical voters and calm continuing tensions here.Glass Ceiling Shattered wHRC Logo

Part of that task fell to former president Bill Cinton, who delivered a keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention that began by recounting his courtship of his wife and detailed her lengthy career in public service, including helping children, immigrants and people with disabilities.

“She’s the best darn change-maker I ever met in my entire life,” the former president said. “This woman has never been satisfied with the status quo on anything. She always wants to move the ball forward. That’s just who she is.”

Bill Clinton also argued that Republicans had tried to turn his wife into a “cartoon” during their national convention last week in Cleveland.

“What’s the difference in what I told you and what they said?” he asked. “One is real and the other is made up. . . . You just have to decide which is which, my fellow Americans.”

 

Hillary Clinton has accomplishments.
You don’t have to like them, but they do exist.
By Ryan Denson | 

  • First ever student commencement speaker at Wellesley College.
  • Distinguished graduate of Yale Law School.
  • Former Director of the Arkansas Legal Aid Clinic.
  • Former civil litigation attorney.
  • Former Law Professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
  • Former First Lady of Arkansas.
  • Former First Lady of the United States.
  • First FLOTUS in US History to hold a postgraduate degree.
  • First ex-FLOTUS in US History to be elected to the United States Senate. Elected by the…State of New York to serve two terms in the United States Senate.
  • Former US Secretary of State.
  • GRAMMY Award Winner.
  • Author.
  • Self proclaimed Pantsuit Aficionado.
  • Married to a man named Bill, who plays the saxophone.

You don’t have to like Hillary Clinton or her ideas. She’s a Democrat, a progressive (in most eyes), and conservatives don’t like that. However, you cannot say she does not have any accomplishments. Here are just a few:

  • Even though her major initiative, the Clinton healthcare plan, failed (due to Republican obstruction), you cannot deny that it laid ground for what we have today, the Affordable Healthcare Act, something Clinton supports and would continue.
  • She played a leading role in the development of State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides the much-needed state support for children whose parents cannot afford nor provide them with adequate healthcare coverage.
  • She was also instrumental in the creation of the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act.
  • Successfully fought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and asthma at the National Institute of Health (NIH).
  • She spearheaded investigations into mental illness plaguing veterans of the Gulf War; we now have a term for it – Gulf War Syndrome.
  • At the Department of Justice, she helped create the office on Violence Against Women.
  • She was instrumental in securing over $21 billion in funding for the World Trade Center redevelopment.
  • Took a leading role in the investigation of health consequences of first responders and drafted the first bill to compensate and offer the health services our first responders deserve (Clinton’s successor in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, passed the bill).
  • Was instrumental in working out a bi-partisan compromise to address civil liberty abuses for the renewal of the U.S. Patriot Act.
  • Proposed a revival of the New Deal-era Home Owners’ Loan Corporation to help homeowners refinance their mortgages in the wake of the 2008 financial disaster.
  • Was a major proponent of sensible diplomacy which brought about a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and brokered human rights with Burma.
  • Oversaw free trade agreements with our allies such as Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.
  • Was the most traveled Secretary of State to date.
  • The Clinton Foundation, founded by her and her husband, has improved the living conditions for nearly 400 million people in over 180 countries through its Initiative program.

These are not all of her accomplishments. Her activism on behalf of women and children across the world is renowned. Her activism for raising the minimum wage and combating climate change is stellar.

“I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified
to hold this office,”
Obama said in the video.