Chelsea Clinton emphasized the importance of voting early, respect for others and the future in an address at the Overture Center Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., introduced Clinton and initially highlighted the importance of securing a Democratic U.S. Senate seat. He continued by saying Wisconsin residents must be proactive during this election and should not become overconfident that Hillary Clinton will win the presidential race.
Clinton began her speech by adding onto Pocan’s statement about the importance of voting early and how passionate she felt about this election. Her passion, she said, is because she is a mother.
“The president shapes the future for children … and our values are at stake,” Clinton said.
Clinton continued to talk about what she called Donald Trump’s “derogatory, hateful and homophobic speech,” claiming it is detrimental to the country and “un-American.” Trump’s rhetoric, she argued, has created the “Trump effect,” enabling divisions throughout the country.
Clinton told stories from the campaign trail demonstrating this claim. In North Carolina, an eight-year-old girl told Clinton that boys in her class said, “her father would have to go back into the closet where there are monsters.” In Pennsylvania, a single-mother shared that her son was repeatedly told by other students that they could not wait to build a wall to keep him out.
Clinton urged the crowd not to settle for this kind of bullying, and applauded mothers in the audience for demanding action and a brighter future for their children.
“We cannot sit on the sidelines,” said Clinton.
Toward the end, Clinton took questions from the audience. When asked what specifically the Clinton presidency would focus on in regard to the future, Clinton highlighted many important issues voters care about, including economic growth, immigration and a moral obligation to veterans.
Clinton ended the event by saying, “Our week does not finish Election Day,” that as citizens we need to band together to promote a safe, comfortable and respectful environment, especially for our children.
