Hillary Clinton is back! And not just physically with her speech in Greensboro, North Carolina, but also back on her game.
Clinton used her return to the trail Thursday to show a more contemplative side about what is driving her candidacy. Sure, she made a few shout outs to Donald Trump, like admitting that he's a better "showman" than she'll ever be and skewering his antiquated "family friendly" policies.
”We don't need a president who apparently thinks only married people deserve paid leave and only mothers ever stay home with the kids,” Clinton charged.
But forget about all that. What was front and center in this speech, much like her convention oratory, was Hillary's passion for making people's lives better. Reflecting on the privilege of being able to take off several days to mend from her pneumonia, Clinton noted that "millions" of Americans just don't have that luxury. "I have met so many people living on a razor's edge,” she said, “one illness away from losing their job, one paycheck away from losing their home." Then for anyone who wanted to hear what animates Hillary, she let them know.
I am running for everyone working hard to support their families. Everyone who's been knocked down but gets back up. [...]
I'm running for young people like so many of you here who dream of changing our world for the better and for all the parents and grandparents, supporting those dreams by dedicating every dollar they can spare to your education.
I'm running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees your governor signing a bill legalizing discrimination and suddenly feels like a second class citizen. [...]
I am running for women like, Janelle Turner. Back in May of last year, Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through nearly six months of very tough treatments. [...] I am running for her and all the mothers and fathers trying to get and stay healthy so they can be there for their kids.
But perhaps most of all, I'm running for those kids.
Standing up for children has been the work of my life. I have fought for kids housed in adult jails, kids who have been neglected and abused, kids who couldn't get health insurance because of preexisting conditions, kids with disabilities so they could go to school. [...]
So when I meet a little girl in Nevada terrified that her parents are going to be deported, it hits me right in the gut. When I meet a little boy in Flint, Michigan, who can't drink the water at home or in school because it's poisoned with lead—that gets me going.
All I want to do is get to work, making things better for them.
This speech was a great reset in which she articulated why people should vote for her instead of just why they shouldn't vote for Donald Trump. Onward!