Hillary Clinton pleads with voters to back Joe Biden – accusing 2016 victor of 'stealing' election

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton touted Joe Biden’s candidacy at the Democratic convention as she replayed parts of her own 2016 loss – and urged people to get out and vote so President Donald Trump doesn’t ‘steal’ the election.

Speaking from her home in Chappaqua, New York, the former first lady and Democratic presidential nominee spoke admiringly about Biden and his policy agenda, and repeatedly mentioned his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. 

‘And don’t forget Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose – take it from me,’ she said with a chuckle – pointing to her popular vote win that still didn’t get her to the White House due to the electoral college system.

'We need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can't sneak or steal his way to victory,' former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned

‘We need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can’t sneak or steal his way to victory,’ former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned

‘So we need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can’t sneak or steal his way to victory,’ Clinton warned.

She was echoing concerns raised by Biden, on a day the White House refused to say definitively Trump would accept the election results. 

 Clinton hammered Trump, who called to ‘lock her up’ during his campaign and continues to bring her up repeatedly.  

‘As Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders warned us, if Trump is reelected things will get even worse. That’s why we need unity now more than ever,’ she said, wearing white as the convention marked the centennial of womens’ suffrage.

‘Remember back in 2016 when Trump asked: “What do you have to lose?”’ Well, now we know. Our health care, our jobs our loved ones. Our leadership in the world and even our post office,’ said Clinton. 

‘But let’s set our sights higher than getting one man out of the White House,’ she said, breezing through Biden’s policy agenda in her brief remarks.

She said there was ‘so much to vote for,’ mentioning climate change, ‘caregiving living wages,’ emergency relief, and confronting an economy that allowed billionaires to get ‘$400 billion richer’ during the pandemic. 

She spoke for less than 7 minutes – longer than the time her husband Bill Clinton got. 

The former first lady’s remarks were followed by a video tribute leading into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s remarks. It showed the future congresswoman and pathbreaker as a child, with images of her family and her first run for Congress. 

Pelosi, who has become the primary opposition to Trump, was quoted making her own ‘marble ceiling’ line upon assuming the speakership in 2007, predating Clinton’s ‘glass ceiling’ line in 2016, with images of her first congressional win.   

The Pelosi video also featured some of her battles with President Donald Trump that have made her an icon among the Democratic faithful. First was when she fought with the president during a December 2018 Oval Office meeting about a government shutdown. Afterward Pelosi walked out of the White House, wearing an orange coat and donning her sunglasses – an image that went viral.

The video also showed a photo from an October 2019 meeting in the White House that saw Democrats walk out over, charging Trump with having a meltdown. The White House released a photo showing Pelosi standing up, finger pointed at Trump. She made it her Twitter profile picture.

‘As Speaker, I’ve seen firsthand Donald Trump’s disrespect for facts, for working families, and for women in particular,’ Pelosi said. ‘But we know what he doesn’t: that when women succeed, America succeeds.’

She also touted Biden’s support for women.

‘Joe Biden is the President we need right now: battle-tested, forward-looking, honest and authentic. He has never forgotten where he comes from and who he fights for,’ she said. 

‘Our nation faces the worst health and economic catastrophe in our history: more than 5 million Americans are infected by the coronavirus,’ Pelosi said. ‘And who is standing in the way? [Sen.] Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. Instead of crushing the virus, they’re trying to crush the Affordable Care Act—and its protections for preexisting conditions.’       

During her speech, Clinton warned voters not to let 2020 be a ‘coulda shoulda woulda election’ and said people still come up to her they wish they had not voted for her 2016 rival.  

Clinton told convention viewers people come to her to justify their votes for Trump or express that they didn’t cast a ballot.

‘For four years, people have said to me, “I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.” “I wish I could go back and do it over.” Or worst, “I should have voted,” Clinton said.

Hillary Clinton, with Joe Biden in the background, campaigning in Scranton. She will speak Wednesday about the 2016 election, saying people still approach her to say the didn't know 'how dangerous' Donald Trump was when they voted for him

Hillary Clinton, with Joe Biden in the background, campaigning in Scranton. She will speak Wednesday about the 2016 election, saying people still approach her to say the didn’t know ‘how dangerous’ Donald Trump was when they voted for him

‘Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election. If you vote by mail, request your ballot now, and send it back as soon as you can,’ she continues. ‘If you vote in person, do it early. Bring a friend and wear a mask. Become a poll worker. Most of all, no matter what, vote. Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line, because they are.’ 

Clinton, speaking a night after her husband Bill Clinton gave a 5-minute video address, echoed a theme of the convention: Trump ‘is who he is.’ She is resurrecting a withering line by former first lady Michelle Obama, who also included a similar line in her well-received speech, after Trump used the phrase while explaining the thousands of coronavirus deaths in the country during the pandemic.    

‘I wish Donald Trump had been a better president. But, sadly, he is who he is. America needs a president who shows the same compassion, determination, and leadership in the White House that we see in our communities,’ Clinton said.

In this screengrab taken from the PBS News Hour website, former first lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joins former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during a live streamed town hall on April 28, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware where she officially endorsed Biden

In this screengrab taken from the PBS News Hour website, former first lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joins former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during a live streamed town hall on April 28, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware where she officially endorsed Biden

Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attend a portrait unveiling ceremony for retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in Russell Building's Kennedy Caucus Room, December 08, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attend a portrait unveiling ceremony for retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in Russell Building’s Kennedy Caucus Room, December 08, 2016

'For four years, people have said to me, "I didn't realize how dangerous he was." "I wish I could go back and do it over," Clinton will say

‘For four years, people have said to me, “I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.” “I wish I could go back and do it over,” Clinton will say

‘Throughout this crisis, Americans have kept going – checking on neighbors, showing up to jobs as first responders and in hospitals, grocery stores, and nursing homes. Because it still takes a village,’ she said, quoting her own book.

The ex-candidate who spoke of the highest ‘glass ceiling’ throughout her 2016 campaign also invoked the historic fight for the vote by women – at a time when Biden holds a big edge over Trump with women but trails among men. 

Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party nomination as their candidate for president on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 28, 2016

Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party nomination as their candidate for president on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 28, 2016

In this image from video, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden smiles after the roll call vote during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020

In this image from video, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden smiles after the roll call vote during the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020

‘100 years ago yesterday, the 19th Amendment was ratified. It took seven decades of suffragists marching, picketing, and going to jail to push us closer to a more perfect union. 55 years ago, John Lewis marched and bled in Selma because that work was unfinished,’ she said.

Now it is Biden running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris who is positioned as the female politician with the perhaps the best chance of reaching Clinton’s unfulfilled White House dream.

‘There’s a lot of heartbreak in America right now – and the truth is, many things were broken before the pandemic. But, as the saying goes, the world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places. Joe Biden knows how to heal, unify, and lead, because he’s done all of that for his family and his country.’

source: dailymail.co.uk