The Power of Your Story
In this election, we have a candidate for President of the United States who over the course of his lifetime and the course of this campaign has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning, that I simply will not repeat anything here today.
And last week, we saw this candidate actually bragging about sexually assaulting women, and I can't believe that I'm saying that a candidate for President of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. And I have to tell you that I can't stop thinking about this. It has shaken me to my core in a way that I couldn't have predicted.
So while I'd love nothing more than to pretend like this isn't happening, and to come out here and do my normal campaign speech, it would be dishonest and disingenuous to me to just move on to the next thing like this was all just a bad dream. This is not something that we can ignore. It's not something we can just sweep under the rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season.
Because this was not just a lewd conversation. This wasn't just locker room banter. Right. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory Whoo.
And actually bragging about kissing and groping women, using language so obscene that many of us were worried about our children hearing it when we turn on the TV. And to make matters worse, it now seems very clear that this isn't an isolated incident.
It's one of countless example of how he has treated women his whole life, and I have to tell you that I listen to all of this and I feel it so personally, and I'm sure that many of you do, too, particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies, the disrespect of our ambitions and intellect, the belief that you can do anything you want to a woman, it is cruel. It's, it's frightening.
Right. And the truth is, it hurts. Yes. Hurts, yeah. It hurts.
Yes. Yeah, it does. It does. It's like that sick, sinking feeling you get when you're walking down the street, minding your own business, and some guy yells out vulgar words about your body, or when you see that guy at work that stands just a little too close, stares a little too long, and makes you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.
It's that feeling of terror and violation that too many women have felt when someone has grabbed them or forced himself on them and they've said no, but he didn't listen, something that we know happens on college campuses and countless other places every single day.
It reminds us of stories we've heard from our mothers and grandmothers about how back in their day, the boss could say and do whatever he pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped over every hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough. We thought all of that was ancient history, didn't we?
And so many have worked for so many years to end this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect, but here we are in 2016, and we're hearing these exact same things every day on the campaign trail. We are drowning in it. And all of us are doing what women have always done.
We're trying to keep our heads above water, just trying to get through it, trying to pretend like this doesn't really bother us. Maybe because we think that admitting how much it hurts makes us, as women, look weak. Maybe we're afraid to be that vulnerable.
Maybe we've grown accustomed to swallowing these emotions and staying quiet because we've seen that people often won't take our word over his. Or maybe we don't wanna believe that there are still people out there who think so little of us as women. That's right. Too many are treating this as just another day's headline, as if our outrage is overblown or unwarrant- unwarranted, as if this is normal, just politics as usual.
But New Hampshire, yeah, be clear. This is not normal. Right. This is not politics as usual.
This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn't matter what party you belong to, Democrat, Republican, Independent, no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse.
And I know it's a campaign, but this isn't about politics. It's about basic human decency. Yeah. Whoo. It's about right and wrong, and we simply cannot endure this or expose our children to this any longer, not for another minute, and let alone for four years.
To stand up and say enough is enough. This has got to stop right now. Because consider this: if all of this is painful to us as grown women, what do you think this is doing to our children?
Yeah. Yeah. What messages are our little girls hearing about who they should look like, how they should act? Mm-hmm. What lessons are they learning about their value as professionals, as human beings, about their dreams and aspirations? Preach it, Michelle. And how is this affecting men and boys in this country?
Because I can tell you that the men in my life do not talk about women like this, and I know that my family is not unusual. And to dismiss this as everyday locker room talk is an insult to decent men everywhere. The men that you and I know don't treat women this way.
They are loving fathers who are sickened by the thought of their daughters being exposed to this kind of vicious language about women. They are husbands, and brothers, and sons who don't tolerate women being treated, and demeaned, and disrespected. We're with you! And like us, these men are worried about the impact this election is having on our boys who are looking for role models of what it means to be a man.
In fact, someone recently told me a story about their six-year-old son who one day was, watching the news. They were watching the news together, and the little boy out of the blue said, "I think Hillary Clinton will be president." Whoo. And his mom said, "Well, why do you say that?"
And this little six-year-old said, "Because the other guy called someone a piggy." Wow. And he said, "You cannot be president if you call someone a piggy." So even a six-year-old knows better.
A six-year-old knows that this is not how adults behave, this is not how decent human beings behave, and this is certainly not how someone who wants to be president of the United States behaves. Because let's be very clear, strong men, strong men who are truly role models, don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up.
People who are truly powerful bring others together, and that is what we need in our next president. We need someone who is a uniting force in this country. We need someone who will heal the wounds that divide us, someone who truly cares about us and our children
Someone with strength and compassion to lead this country forward. And let me tell you I'm here today because I believe with all of my heart that Hillary Clinton will be that president. See, we know that Hillary's the right person for the job because we've seen her character and commitment, not just in this campaign, but over the course of her entire life.
The fact is that Hillary embodies so many of the values that we try so hard to teach our young people. We tell our young people, "Work hard in school. Get a good education."
We encourage them to use that education to help others, which is exactly what Hillary did with her college and law degrees, advocating for kids with disabilities fighting for children's healthcare as First Lady, affordable childcare in the Senate. We teach our kids the value of being a team player That's right.
Which is what Hillary exemplified when she lost the 2008 election and actually agreed to work for her opponent as our Secretary of State earning sky-high approval ratings serving her country once again. We also teach our kids that you don't take shortcuts in That's right.
And you strive for meaningful success in whatever job you do. Yes. Well, Hillary has been a lawyer, a law professor, First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a US senator, Secretary of State, and she has been successful in every role, gaining more experience and exposure to the presidency than any candidate in our lifetime. More than Barack, more than Bill, and yes, she happens to be a woman.
