CONCORD, N.H.—Hillary Clinton defended the records of both her husband and President Obama while speaking today in New Hampshire during her first visit to the state since the formal launch of her campaign on Saturday.
Clinton said that she is not seeking “a third term” for Obama or for her husband, Bill Clinton, but rather a first term for herself.
During her remarks, Clinton praised the records of both presidents while touting her own experience as a senator and secretary of state.
Clinton said that she has worked alongside the two presidents, both of whom “inherited some problems.”
“The records of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, of cleaning up the messes they inherited, is something that speaks to Democratic values,” Clinton said. “Both my husband and President Obama created more opportunity coming from a lower base, because they believe, fundamentally, that real and lasting prosperity must be built by all and shared by all.”
She told supporters that she wants to earn their vote.
“I’m going to work as hard as I can to persuade people to vote for me because I think I have the right ideas and an understanding about how to get things done,” Clinton said.
Hillary Clinton at a campaign stop in New Hampshire (Photo: Kate Scanlon/The Daily Signal)
Clinton also addressed criticism of her age, reminding the audience that while she is not the youngest candidate in the race, she would be the youngest female president.
She said that her “lifetime of experience” is something her younger opponents lack.
“I’m aware that our world has changed a lot: It is not 1993,” she said.
Clinton said that her Republican rivals are “coming back with more of the same.”
She criticized “the Republican presidential choir” for “singing the same song” of lower taxes for the wealthy and fewer rules for corporations.
“I believe that prosperity cannot just be for CEOs and hedge fund managers, and democracy can’t just be for billionaires and corporations,” Clinton said.
During a press conference after the event, Clinton told reporters that Obama “doesn’t get the credit he deserves” for his work towards economic recovery.
Asked whether her income level conflicts with her populist message, Clinton said she and her husband have “worked really hard” and that she is proud of her “progressive credentials.”
