Six Takeaways from the Hillary Clinton Rally at the Fillmore
WRITTEN BY: JOHN COLE
Just six days before the Pennsylvania Primary, Secretary Clinton touched down in the City of Brotherly Love to campaign in Fishtown’s very own Fillmore. This address was made just a day after Secretary Clinton’s impressive victory over Sen. Sanders in the delegate rich state of New York.
With the primary season in the final stretch, Sec. Clinton looks forward to sealing up the Democratic nomination and a win in Pennsylvania will get her closer to the desired 2,383 delegates. The former Secretary of State is the projected favorite coming into the Keystone State and addressed the issues voters will be considering this upcoming Tuesday, as well as in the general election in November. Here are my six points from Hillary Clinton’s address last night.
- Defeating Isis
The debates between Sec. Clinton and Sen. Sanders have mainly revolved around the current state of the American economy and other social issues within the U.S. Sec. Clinton spent a great deal of time last night discussing how the U.S. will go about defeating Isis if she is elected president. Even leading up to Sec. Clinton’s speech, U.S. Senator Bob Casey highlighted three reasons why Hillary is the right choice with one of them being her plan on dealing with national security.
Sec. Clinton took shots at Sen. Ted Cruz and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump by stating to defeat Isis, “We need to have a coalition that includes Muslim majority nations.” Clinton added that the international talk between Sen. Cruz and Trump is “down right dangerous.”
Sec. Clinton stressed the importance on being a good Commander in Chief and boasted about her role in putting together negotiations with Iran. This was a definitive sign that Sec. Clinton has her sights on the general election now.
- Another Clinton Rally; Another Protest
The last time the Clintons took on the city of Philadelphia, things did not go as smoothly as planned. Just weeks ago in an East Mount Airy rec center, a rally for Hillary turned chaotic as protesters engaged in a heated debate with Former President Clinton about the controversial 1994 Crime Bill. This verbal exchange garnered national attention when Former President Clinton defended his bill against the “Black Lives Matter” protesters.
Turn the clock forward a couple weeks and you have what some may call déjà vu. Sec. Clinton’s rally in Philadelphia entailed protesters once again. Though she did not engage in a verbal debate with these protesters, they held up signs and chanted as she spoke. However, the protesters were ultimately escorted from the event.
These protesters will not garner the national attention that Former President Clinton drew in Philadelphia earlier this month, but it is noteworthy that this seems to be a reoccurring theme. As the primary season winds down, it will be interesting to follow whether these protests at Sec. Clinton’s rallies will subside or just increase.
- Time to Unite the Party
As the end of April is approaching, Sec. Clinton’s lead over Sen. Sanders is expected to widen and this has her attention toward the general election. Sec. Clinton did not spend much time discussing the differences between herself and Sen. Sanders, but instead talked about her record of working with Republicans in public office. Clinton even stated, “Republicans actually say nice things about me.” The former Secretary of State stressed the need to find the common ground and get back to working together. The rhetoric from last night’s speech reinforces that moving forward with this election, she will most likely move toward the middle in her message.
- “When a Democrat is in the White House”
Sec. Clinton stated that, “Our economy always does better when there’s a Democrat in the White House.” This statement was followed by loud cheers, but what she said to back up her claim did grab my attention. Clinton boasted about the American economy in the ‘90s while her husband was in the Oval Office first. She referenced a statistic that median family income went up 17% and African American families up 33% while President Clinton was in office.
Bringing up the economic successes of her husband’s term is an expected move in a state like Pennsylvania, where the former president is still widely liked, but did not give the same praise for President Obama. Sec. Clinton did state President Obama does not get the credit he deserves, but her pitch was much more tailored to comparing the ‘90s American economy to what the economy would be like during her presidency.
- Standing Up to the Gun Lobby
Much of the campaign between herself and Sen. Sanders has left her message being the more moderate one for the Democrats. One issue that Sec. Clinton has which will appeal to the progressive wing is her stance on gun control. Sec. Clinton vehemently defends standing up to the gun lobby and has discussed the need for gun control reform. Clinton labeled the 33,000 gun deaths a year as an epidemic. Sec. Clinton referenced the 12 shootings over the past weekend in Philly, which included four murders, one being a four-year-old girl and the shooting of an on-duty Philadelphia Police Officer.
- Pennsylvania ties
Sec. Clinton thanked the voters of Pennsylvania for being kind to her and Bill over the past couple of decades. Clinton recalled spending Christmas and her summers in Scranton, PA because her father was born and raised there. Sec. Clinton reminded the crowd that even her son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky, is from Philadelphia. Clinton continued to state her support for Philadelphia by referencing the importance of the DNC being held in the City of Brotherly Love.
Bonus Point:
One of the biggest political stories of the day was the report of Harriet Tubman replacing Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This will be a historic change to the currency, but – to my surprise – Sec. Clinton did not reference this once during her rally.
