Aiming to be the first female president of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at a rally at West Los Angeles College on June 3 that celebrated the theme of women’s rights and women’s achievements.
The speakers who preceded Clinton were all female (including a trans woman from San Francisco) and among their ranks were politicians such as Assemblywoman Christina Garcia, Congresswomen Karen Bass and Maxine Waters, and actors Mary Steenburgen, Debra Messing, and Sally Field.
The WLAC gymnasium was packed with several hundred students, many of them holding up signs with Clinton’s campaign slogan “Fighting For Us.” During the wait for the rally to begin, each time the rock music on the P.A. system was turned off, anticipation of Clinton’s appearance drew fervent cheers.
Except for a couple of people who stayed outside and called for Clinton to pay attention to cancer-causing radiation, there were no protests of the kind that had drawn headlines when Clinton recently appeared at a rally at Cal State L.A. Security was tight and all attendees (the event was free) underwent inspection by the Secret Service.
The parade of speakers kicked off with MTV and E! News personality Zuri Hall, who spoke of how her parents worked hard to give her an education. “Nobody gave it to us-we worked for it,” she said, possibly alluding to Clinton’s rival Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders’ promise of a free college education for all.
“It’s gonna take a special kind of person to create a world that I would want my children to grow up in. I feel that Hillary is that person,” said Hall.
County Supervisor and former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis praised Clinton for her vigilance in helping to pass the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act guaranteeing equal pay for equal work for women. She also noted that she and Clinton had worked together when Clinton was Secretary of State.
“She knows what it is to work through tough times,” said Solis.
Debra Messing stated that Clinton “gets things done” and added that she has “a great sense of humor.”
Sally Field is famous for her “You really like me!” speech at the Academy Awards but in addressing the issue of Clinton’s “likeability factor,” which her opponents believe does not exist, she had some strong words to say.
“What is this-a high school sorority contest?” she said. “She’s not running to be anything but President of the United States. We don’t need someone who’s ‘nice.’ We do need kindness, we need generosity. That’s not the same as ‘likeable.’”
Congresswoman Bass finally brought Clinton to the microphone, to the tune of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.”
“There’s so much energy from everyone in this room, “ Clinton remarked.
Her speech echoed in many ways her speech of the previous day in San Diego, in which she had blasted her Republican rival Donald Trump.
She spoke of Trump as “temperamentally unfit” to be President, calling his style “divisive” and accusing him of not having “ideas.”
She reminded the crowd of her platform, including paid family leave, defense of women’s reproductive rights, equal pay, and health care. On the health care front, Clinton said there are two areas that still need work-mental health and addiction-and if elected, she will work on those areas.
Above all, she stressed the importance of voting.
“We have to -starting in the California primary on Tuesday - send an unmistakable message we are stronger together, we are going to work together for a better and fairer nation. And that’s why I need all of you to send in those ballots that are sitting on your kitchen counter. If all goes well, I will have the great honor as of Tuesday to be the Democratic nominee for president.”
Following the rally, Clinton posed for photos with the other speakers and with audience members.
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