Hillary Clinton tells Florida voters to ‘reaffirm their values’ at polls

Before I get started and really talk about everything that’s at stake and what we have to do the next 39 days to make sure we win this election, I wanted to say a few words about the tragic passing of Jose Fernandez. When he left Cuba, he did not speak a word of English. He didn’t let that stop him. He pursued his dreams. He wanted to and he became one of the best baseball players that Miami has ever seen. And he never forgot where he came from. He worked hard to give back to the community that had given so much to him. Jose’s life really embodied the American dream, and at 24 years of age, he was just getting started. I’m sure you join me in saying that our thoughts and our prayers are with his family, with his fans, and everyone whose life he touched during his extraordinary career.

I also want to mention another resident of Coral Springs, and that’s a man named Bob Levinson. My heart goes out to Bob’s family. He disappeared in Iran more than nine years ago, and it is long past time for the Iranian regime to provide us information about his whereabouts and let him return home to his family.

Now, did any of you see the debate the other night? Well, I think it was pretty clear there are two very different choices for our country based on two very different visions of the kind of America that we want to have. My view is we are already great, and if we work together, we will become even greater in the years ahead. I believe America is an exceptional nation. My opponent believes America is in decline. I’ve never heard such a dark and divisive, terrible image of our country coming from someone running to be president of the United States. When he talks, I lots of times don’t even recognize the country he’s talking about. And why are we already great? Well, it is not just because of the size of our economy or the size of our military. It is because of our generosity; it is because of our ingenuity; it is because of the diversity of our country. I think our diversity is one of our strongest assets.

This morning, I laid out my plan for more national service so that more people of all ages can serve America, serve their communities. Because America is great, when you really strip it all down, because America is good. And we can’t ever forget that.

I have laid out specific plans about how we’re going to make our country even greater. I’ve actually got a book here with Tim Kaine, my running mate. I have this old-fashioned idea: if I’m asking you for your vote for president, I should tell you what I’m going to do. I shouldn’t just talk in generalities and use rhetoric and never answer questions about what we can do, but to lay out how we’re going to make the economy work for everyone, not just those at the top.

That means new jobs – new jobs with rising incomes, jobs in infrastructure, jobs in advanced manufacturing, in innovation and technology, and yes, clean, renewable energy jobs.

photo: photologue_np via Flickr