Politics

Clinton Linking Her Campaign with Fight for Middle Class

Published

11 years ago

June 12, 2015

In this May 27, 2015 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks in Columbia, S.C. Clinton plans to draw on her mother’s difficult upbringing to cast herself as a fighter for ordinary Americans in the first major speech of her 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)

LISA LERER, Associated Press
KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton is putting everyday Americans at the center of her first major campaign speech for the Democratic presidential nomination as she connects the Depression-era struggles of her mother to the challenges facing those who helped the nation recover from the Great Recession.

“It is your time,” Clinton will say while arguing that hard-working Americans deserve to be rewarded for their sacrifices, according to aides who described the speech she’ll deliver Saturday during a rally at New York City’s Roosevelt Island.

As Clinton reintroduces herself to voters, she can’t claim a hardscrabble background of her own — she grew up comfortably in postwar Chicago suburbs and attended elite universities — and can’t put herself in the same category as those hurt by the Great Recession. She and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have earned millions of dollars over the years, raising even more for their foundation, and live in a five-bedroom home in Westchester County, New York.

Instead, Clinton’s speech aims to present the decision facing voters as more than just an assessment of her career as a former first lady, U.S. senator from New York and secretary of state. Her campaign wants to cast the race as a choice about the economic future of the middle class. Among her campaign aides, Clinton refers to the election as a “job interview” and the question before voters as a “hiring decision.”

“We think the question is: Can I count on you to be that person who is going to fight for me?” said Jennifer Palmieri, the Clinton campaign’s communications director. The speech, Palmieri said, will showcase Clinton’s differences with a large, and what she will describe as a monolithic, Republican presidential field.

Her remarks also represent an effort by her campaign to cast off the shadow of scandal that has dogged her over the past several months. Clinton has seen her personal approval ratings drop amid questions about her wealth, use of a private email account and server as secretary of state, and the financial dealings of her family charity.

“Hillary Clinton’s latest campaign reset won’t change a thing,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. “She still refuses to answer the serious questions surrounding her finances, her family foundation, and her secret email server.” The RNC is airing an ad in Washington and New York City starting Friday that criticizes Clinton’s campaign rollout.

The emphasis on her late mother, Dorothy Rodham, is a change in course from Clinton’s failed White House bid in 2008, when her campaign focused on her experience and toughness, presenting her as an American version of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Rodham died in 2011 after a life that has been described as Dickensian. Abandoned at a young age by her parents, she was sent as an 8-year-old with her 3-year-old sister on a four-day journey to live with strict, unloving grandparents in California. At the age of 14, she left their house to work for $3 per week as a mother’s helper.

She eventually arrived in Chicago, where she married Hugh Rodham, a traveling salesman, and raised Clinton and her two brothers. In her nearly four decades of public life, Clinton has often cited her mother as an inspiration, recounting how she pushed her daughter to stand up for herself. One of her earliest memories, Clinton has said, is her mother telling her to challenge a neighborhood bully.

“I said, just go out there and show them you’re not afraid,” Rodham said in a rare 2004 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “And if she does hit you again, which she kept doing, hit her back.”

While Rodham largely stayed out of the public eye, Clinton has long credited her mother with giving her a love of learning and a sense of compassion. “She has empathy for other people’s unfortunate circumstances,” Rodham said of her daughter in a 2007 campaign ad. “I’ve always admired that because that isn’t always true of people.”

Clinton will be joined by her husband and their daughter, Chelsea, at Saturday’s rally, marking the first time the family has been seen together in public since Clinton announced in April her intention to again run for the White House.

After the speech, she’ll embark on a tour of early-voting states, with events focused on her relationship with her mother, work as a young lawyer on behalf of poor children, and her father’s background as a veteran and small businessman.

In the coming weeks, her campaign will begin rolling out specific policy initiatives on issues including college affordability, jobs and the economy. Those policies, campaign aides argue, will help build Democratic enthusiasm for her bid, despite the lack of a serious primary challenge.

“They’re a great organizing tool,” said Marlon Marshall, Clinton’s head of early state strategy.

___

Follow Lisa Lerer and Ken Thomas on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/llerer and http://twitter.com/kthomasDC

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Clinton Linking Her Campaign with Fight for Middle Class

Don't Miss

A Civil Rights Leader Has Disguised Herself As Black For Years, Her Parents Say

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Life Expectancy in Marin City, a Black Community, Is 15-17 Years Less than the Rest of Marin County

“Marin City residents have been fighting for years just to stay here. Residents live with the fear of being forced out, public housing torn down and rebuilt for the wealthy. Due to ongoing issues continually being ignored, residents feel they must be empowered to make their own decisions for the future survival and protection of their community,” said Terrie Green, a lifelong resident and executive director of Marin City Climate Resilience (MCCR).

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Marin City community leaders (l.-r.): Terrie Green, executive director of Marin City Climate Resilience (MCCR); Wambua Musyoki, Stanford University; Khamil Callahan, Santa Rosa Junior College; Serenity Allen, Xavier University; and Chinaka Green, MCCR associate director.

By Ken Epstein

People may be aware of the existence of Marin City and know a little about its history as a center of U.S. resistance to fascism in the World War II. But fewer know of the community’s ongoing struggles to survive potential displacement while facing severe toxic health and environmental conditions on a daily basis.

These conditions cause chronic disease and premature death, dramatically shown in the sharp difference in life expectancy between Black and white people living in households only a few miles apart.

A historically African American enclave, Marin City, occupies a 0.5-square mile area between Mill Valley and Sausalito with its own freeway exit near the Golden Gate Bridge. In contrast, the rest of Marin County rates among the healthiest, wealthiest, and most environmentally friendly counties in the country. However, it is one of the least racially equitable counties in California, with Black residents being the most impacted, according to the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization,.

The community owes its continued existence to the World War II generation that came to the Bay Area from the South to work in the shipyards and to the resiliency of its residents. Despite often facing discriminatory practices, such as redlining and a segregated school district, Marin City residents have continually created a strong community rich in culture, spirituality, and community values.

The current statistics are brutal. At present, Marin City residents face more than a 17-year difference in life expectancy compared to neighboring cities and towns. Contributing to these conditions are a lack of investment in public housing and infrastructure: unsafe drinking water, air pollution caused by proximity to the U.S. 101 freeway, unsanitary stormwater drainage that produces mold and mildew, as well as old and broken lead pipes and sewage in homes.

As an unincorporated community, Marin City residents must rely primarily on the elected Marin County Board of Supervisors, Department of Public Works, Transportation Authority of Marin and Caltrans for the decisions and investments that impact their lives.

MCCR’s focus is on environmental justice. Its purpose is to empower and advocate for individuals to embrace sustainable living, envision a future free of environmental harm and collectively work towards a better Marin City. MCCR’s motto is “Forever Marin City.”

MCCR has created a unique team of Marin City Youth Environmentalists who have studied and researched environmental issues impacting the health of the community.

Serenity Allen is an MCCR Youth Coordinator/Young Environmentalist studying to be a medical social worker at Xavier University. She has been working in the community for six years. “I strongly believe that where you live should not determine how long you are able to live,” she said.

Allen referred to the work done by former Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis, who stated that Marin City has a 17-year life expectancy difference between residents of Marin City (77 years) and more affluent areas like Ross (94 years).

“The research shows this gap is heavily correlated with race and socioeconomic status. Sausalito, which is not even two miles outside of Marin City, has a life expectancy of 92 years,” Allen said.

“Many elements contribute to this gap,” she said. “A major factor may be the 12 acres of toxic flood waters that pour down off the highway into low-lying Marin City.

In addition, “We do not have a barrier wall protecting us along our highway; the rest of Marin County has 16 barrier walls to protect from noise and air pollution. Marin City has been fighting for a barrier wall since 2008,” she said.

Octavien Green, an MCCR high school environmentalist, spoke about the impact of the absence of recreational facilities on health and wellness, particularly for youth.

“Lack of investment in our recreational facilities means we have fewer spaces and opportunities for physical activity, which contribute to serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, weak bones and low energy, especially for kids. We are presently involved in an ongoing struggle just to rebuild a sports ball field for the community that’s been unusable for the last 15 years.”

“Marin City is the center of Black culture for all of Marin County,” said Green. “Historically, though, the county has not invested in the community, and you see it in the life expectancy, the highest chronic disease and disability rates and eight times the amount of asthma. In the last six weeks, we’ve had three young people in their 40s and 50s die from heart attacks. This is alarming and must be addressed.”

Looking toward next steps, she said, “The way forward is through incorporation,” which would mean that Marin City would have its own elected leadership to find solutions that determine the future of the community.

This is the first in a series of articles on Marin City, examining conditions in the community and interviewing both community members and public officials.