Clinton Celebrates Birthday With Campaign Stops In Florida
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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) -- Hillary Clinton is celebrating her 69th birthday in the sunshine state just two weeks before voters elect the next president.
As Clinton thanked supporters who sang her happy birthday, she said the gift she really wants is their vote -- and sooner, rather than later.
"We can't take our foot off the gas even for a short time," Clinton told a Palm Beach crowd. "Every vote counts. Just ask my friend former Vice President Al Gore."
Clinton is finishing up a two-day Florida tour, encouraged by the volume of people going to the polls -- and she want to make sure they continue.
"Well my friends, change is coming and the choice is yours as to what kind of country we want to be," she said. "We need a fairer, stronger America."
She made her pitch, pointing out the differences between her vision of America and Donald Trump's, calling his dark. She said while he preaches about using American workers and American-made products, he's done the opposite.
"So you can talk a good game but let's look at the facts and the facts show he has stiffed American workers, he has stiffed American businesses," Clinton claimed.
At Palm Beach State College, Clinton told the crowd it was clear how high the stakes were.
"We reached a milestone. More than 200,000,000 Americans are registered to vote, the biggest number we've ever had in out history," said Clinton. "And maybe more exciting, 50,000,000 of them are young voters," said Clinton. "After all this election is more important to young people than anybody else. So to have you register and then turn out to vote is absolutely terrific."
Clinton also played off the health concerns raised by Trump.
"Did you watch the debates. I stood next to Donald Trump for four and half hours during those three debates, I think I have enough stamina to be your president," said Clinton.
She also turned her attention to Trump saying he may not accept the result of the election if it doesn't go his way, which is in direct opposition to what a democracy is all about.
"We know he has spent his entire campaign attacking one group of Americans after another. He's attacked immigrants, he's attacked African Americans, and Latinos and POWs and Muslims and people with disabilities, and boy has he attacked women. But now his final target is democracy itself," said Trump. "We have faced challenges to our democracy before and we've got to keep working until we have a more perfect union. Our very first president understood that."
The former first lady spoke about economic growth that would help everyone.
"I also think the economy has to be fairer. We have to raise the national minimum wage because no one who works full time should still be in poverty. I was raised to believe in hard work and I believe in it. And I don't think there are any short cuts, people need to work. But when you work full time, you shouldn't still be in poverty wondering if you can put food on the table for yourself and your kids," said Clinton. "And don't you think it's finally time for businesses that make profits to do more to share those profits the employees who helped to make the profits in the first place."
As for education reform, Clinton said it starts it starts from the ground up.
"I also believe strongly that we have to make it possible for everybody to get an education that's going to give them the skills to be competitive in the new economy. I believe all our kids deserve universal pre-kindergarten so they can be ready to go to school. They deserve good schools with good teachers regardless of where they live. And you especially deserve to have college affordable enough that you can go and graduate," she said, adding that she'd also like to see college free for families who make less than $125,000 a year and debt-free college for anyone who makes more than that.
One subject she did not touch on is the rising costs of Obamacare -- and the admission that premiums could go up by double digits. Many of her followers didn't seem to mind.
"I don't care, that's the least of our worries," said supporter Jill Perez. "You get taken care of and a lot of people are supposedly subsidized anyways."
Clinton's final message -- vote early and avoid waiting until Election Day.
"If you will work with me, if you will vote between now and the time the polls close on November the 8th, we will make the kind of future we need for ourselves, for our kids and our grandkids, and we will prove once and for all that love trumps hate."