Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton formally opened her presidential bid with a deeply personal address that promised thousands of supporters gathered at a rally in New York City that she would champion “an economy for everyday Americans.”
The former first lady, secretary of state and favored candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination offered a full-throated embrace of the populist rhetoric backed by the party’s progressive wing, citing the liberal legacy of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt and her husband, Bill Clinton. And she made clear that her potential to make history as the country’s first female president would be a major part of that liberal message.
“I’ve been called many things by many people,” Clinton told the 5,550 cheering voters. “Quitter is not one of them.”
Her focus marked a sharp departure from her previous presidential bid, when Clinton was reluctant to dwell on her gender during until nearly the final moments of her campaign. After a months-long primary contest against President Barack Obama, she conceded defeat with an address that acknowledged the “18 million cracks” her bid put in the “that highest, hardest glass ceiling.” The path, she said then, “will be a little easier next time.”
“I may not be the youngest candidate in this race but I will be the youngest woman president in the history of the United States and the first grandmother,” she said on Saturday.
Speaking on Roosevelt Island on Saturday, Clinton described her broad vision for her second presidential campaign — with a platform designed to appeal to the coalition of young and minority voters that twice boosted Obama to victory.
“Prosperity can’t be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers,” she said. “You brought our country back now it’s time your time to secure the gains and move ahead.’
While she shied away from specific policy proposals, she laid out a wish list of Democratic policies to the cheering crowd. Over the course of her roughly 45 minute remarks, Clinton backed universal pre-K education, Wall Street regulation, paid sick leave, a path to citizenship for immigrants, equal pay, campaign finance reform, and banning discrimination against gay workers and their families. Lisa Lerer, New York, AP
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