Hillary Clinton: Americans "Cannot Give In To Panic And Fear"
UNIVERSITY PARK (CBSLA.com) — Hillary Clinton said Americans must face terrorism head-on. The democratic presidential hopeful visited the USC Ronald Tutor Campus Center in University Park Thursday to take part in a roundtable discussion on combating terror.
"We cannot allow our nation to be pitting groups of people against one another," the former Secretary of State said. "We cannot give in to panic and fear. That's not in keeping with our values. It's not effective in protecting us and it plays into the hands of terrorists."
Mrs. Clinton outlined her strategy for defeating the Islamic State group.
"We face an adversary that is constantly adapting and operating across multiple theaters. So our response must be just as nimble and far-reaching," Clinton said.
"Second, to defeat this transnational threat, we need to reinforce the alliances that have been core pillars of American power for decades," She added. "And third, we need to rely on what actually works, not bluster that alienates our partners and doesn't make us any safer."
She said the event was meant to give her invited guests a chance to be heard above the roar of partisan politics. "I think it's important that we hear these voices."
As president of the Muslim Public Affairs council, Salam Al-Marayati has been spreading the message that moderate voices in all communities and speaking out against extremism serve as a potent weapon against terrorism.
"When we see that American Muslims are part of the solution, that sizes ISIS down. That puts them in their place," Al-Marayati said.
After the discussion, CBS2/KCAL9's Randy Paige asked the Democratic front-runner whether Californians have much of an impact on the presidential election.
"People in California come to feel relatively irrelevant in presidential primaries. What are your thoughts about this election cycle?" Paige asked.
"Far from the fact, California will be the final word on the nominating process for both sides," Clinton said emphatically. "I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can to do well here, reaching out to every part of the state, every voter in it. Because not only do I value California's important role as the exclamation point on the primary nominating process, but it's important to get ready and organized for the fall election."
Afterwards, she spoke at two fundraisers during her ninth trip to the Los Angeles area since declaring her candidacy in April 2015.
Clinton's first fundraiser took place in early evening at the Santa Monica home of Julia Franz and Chris Silbermann.
Silbermann is a co-founder of the talent agency ICM Partners. Franz, his wife, has produced such television series as "State of Affairs," "Men at Work" and "Made in Jersey."
Her second fundraiser took place at the Avalon Hollywood nightclub, where singers Estelle and Ben Harper were to perform.
Then she capped off her visit to Southern California with an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
