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Democratic Nominee For President Of The U. S. Hillary Clinton Gives Speech At USF
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Staff Writer
TAMPA – Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton made another swing through the Cigar City on Tuesday, drawing hundreds of supporters to the campus of the University of South Florida, where she out- lined her platform and assailed her Republican opponent Don- ald Trump.
With just two months before the presidential election, Clin- ton urged the audience to band behind her at the polls saying “the stakes could not be higher.”
“We have 62 days to make the case,” she said. “And I can’t
do it without you. Every single vote counts.”
Clinton began her speech acknowledging Bob Buckhorn as Tampa’s “extraordinary mayor and state Sen. Arthenia Joyner as a “longtime friend.” Both gave speeches preceding Clinton’s.
“She’s always been an ac- tivist,” Clinton said of Joyner. “She’s always tried to make things better for people.”
Clinton then quickly laid into her position on a number of issues, including healthcare, ed- ucation, student debt, and de- fense spending.
“Stronger Together” is more than just a campaign slogan –
HILLARY CLINTON
it’s a “blueprint for America’s fu- ture,” Clinton said.
It’s a future where the healthcare system works and where relationships with allies and partners are stable, she said.
That kind of future cannot be won by just one citizen as the Republican Party nominee has proposed, Clinton said.
“It must be done by all of us and that is something that Don- ald Trump does not under- stand,” she said. “Americans don’t say ‘I alone can fix it.’”
In another jab at her oppo- nent, Clinton said she’s run- ning on “issues not insults,” and aims to be inclusive of all citi- zens.
“I want to be a president for all Americans, not some Ameri- cans,” she said. “I want to bring our country together.”
Clinton said her economic plan will create “millions” of jobs by investing in rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, air- ports, and roadways.
Other highlights include:
• Making solar power more mainstream by installing 1⁄2 bil- lion solar panels in homes by the end of her first term and power homes via solar energy by the end of her second term;
• Provide broadband access to more citizens, especially stu- dents who more and more are being required to use the inter- net to perform schoolwork.
• Increase the availability of technical education in high schools and provide tuition-free community college;
• Place a moratorium on stu- dent debt for up to three years for those who are starting busi- nesses.
This and more can be ac- complished working together, Clinton said.
“We can do this,” she said. “We are living off the invest- ments of our parents and grand- parents made.”
Clinton said her tax plan will require “the millionaires and billionaires...to start pay- ing.”
By contrast, Trump’s plan would give the country’s wealth- iest taxpayers “trillions” in tax cuts, a move that would “ex- plode” massive debt and do nothing for the majority of Americans, she said.
Clinton outlined more dif-
ferences between herself and Trump, calling his recent trip to meet with Mexico’s president Enrique Peña Nieto “an em- barrassment” and yet another example of his being unfit for the presidency.
Trump’s behavior toward veterans and members of the military has been especially dis- appointing, she said.
“His whole campaign has been one long insult to those who wear the uniform,” she said.
When it comes to foreign policy, Trump has “no clue what he’s talking about”, Clin- ton said.
“He says he has a secret plan for ISIS,” she said. “The secret is there is no plan.”
USF students, Kemoya Palmer, Christine Johnson, and Faith Atkins did not make it inside the rally to hear Clin- ton’s speech in person.
Still, the three say they are all in for the former First Lady, New York senator and Secretary of State.
“She’s for equality regardless of your race, sex, or gender, or sexual orientation,” said Palmer, a sophomore. “I feel like that’s a really good thing.”
Johnson, a freshman, said Trump’s attacks on immi- grants and women have turned her off to him. Atkins con- curred.
“I feel like America stand for all kinds of people and his cam- paign...is not adding anything,” she said.
Clinton’s speech hit all the right notes for Sandra Jack- son, who drove with her son, Joshua from Lakeland to at- tend the rally.
“I love the fact that she stresses equal rights for all peo- ple,” Jackson said. “She be- lieves in a united America.”
Clinton’s talk of free com- munity college was appealing, Joshua said.
Sitting out this year’s elec- tion is not an option, he said.
“Not with Donald Trump as the alternative,” he said.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A