Clinton Resumes Public Campaign with Greensboro Rally | Eastern North Carolina Now

In her first public campaign appearance since departing from a 9/11 memorial service Sunday and collapsing as she entered her car, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at a rally Thursday in Greensboro, telling supporters to fight the divisive Republican tactics of her opponent Dona

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    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Dan Way, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Democratic nominee tries to put health concerns to rest, goes on attack against Trump, other Republican candidates


    In her first public campaign appearance since departing from a 9/11 memorial service Sunday and collapsing as she entered her car, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at a rally Thursday in Greensboro, telling supporters to fight the divisive Republican tactics of her opponent Donald Trump, Gov. Pat McCrory, and the General Assembly.

    After taking several days off the campaign trail to recuperate from what her personal physician diagnosed as pneumonia and dehydration, Clinton used her recent health ailments to pivot to a pitch for affordable health care.

    "I certainly feel lucky when I'm under the weather, and I can afford a few days off. Millions of Americans can't. They either go to work sick or they lose a pay check," Clinton said before supporters on the UNC-Greensboro campus. Many don't have insurance. "They hope that the cough or the virus goes away on its own."


Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at a Thursday rally at UNC-Greensboro. (CJ photo by Don Carrington)


    Speculation about Clinton's health has been aroused by recent persistent coughing fits.

    "As you may know, I recently had a cough that turned out to be pneumonia. I tried to power through it, but even I had to admit that maybe a few days of rest would do me good," Clinton said. "I'm not great at taking it easy even under ordinary circumstances, but with just two months to go until Election Day, sitting at home was pretty much the last place I wanted to be."

    Clinton appeared to be trying to put her health scare to rest.

    "In these final days, let's try to tune out all of the chatter and nonstop analysis," she said. She also ridiculed Trump's release of his medical records Thursday on a nationally televised broadcast. "I will never be the showman my opponent is, and that's OK with me. Look at the show he put on with Dr. Oz [Mehmet] today."

    Clinton assailed Trump as unfit for the presidency.

    "Are we going to bring people together or pit Americans against each other, and rip our country apart?" Clinton said. "Are we going to work with our allies to keep us safe, or are we going to put a loose cannon in charge, and risk everything generations of Americans have worked so hard to build?"

    She said Trump "keeps running us down, saying we're weak, a disaster, an embarrassment." But the Republican nominee "has America all wrong. There's nothing we can't do when we come together as one nation."

    Trump's campaign said it is Clinton who is divisive and contemptuous of the American people.

    "Hillary Clinton's visit to Greensboro couldn't be timed any worse, coming right after she let slip to a group of fat cat donors at a Wall Street fundraiser that she views half of the American electorate - including millions of veterans, police officers, firefighters, and working moms - as either 'deplorable' or 'desperate,' Jason Simmons, Trump's North Carolina state director, said in a news release.

    "Hard-working North Carolinians have heard what she really thinks of us, and we're looking forward to letting her know what we think of her at the polls in November," Simmons said.

    Clinton reminded that there are just 54 days until "the most consequential vote of our lifetime," and just a little more than a month until early voting starts Oct. 20 in North Carolina.


Backers of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton await the candidate’s arrival Thursday afternoon on the UNC-Greensboro campus. (CJ photo by Don Carrington)


    "Let's make these days count, particularly here, because you know what your governor and legislature tried to do, make it harder for young people to vote, harder for people of color, harder for people with disabilities, harder for the elderly," Clinton said.

    "We've got a lot of important statewide races," Clinton said. "Let's come together, and send Deborah Ross to represent the people in the Senate." Ross, a Democrat, is challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

    Clinton also hammered at the House Bill 2 law passed in March by the General Assembly and signed by McCrory, requiring people to use the bathrooms and locker rooms matching their biological anatomy.

    North Carolina is among more than 20 states suing the Obama administration for attempting to impose civil rights protections that go beyond sex to include an individual's gender identity preference, and to force schools to allow transgender students to use the facilities of their choice.

    "I'm running for the LGBT teenager here in North Carolina who sees your governor sign a bill legalizing discrimination, and suddenly feels like a second-class citizen," Clinton said.

    "If anyone wonders what the costs of discrimination are just ask the people and businesses of North Carolina. Look at what's happening with the NCAA, and the [Atlantic Coast Conference]. This is where bigotry leads," Clinton said.

    Both college sports organizations pulled numerous championship tournaments and games from the state, citing H.B. 2 as the reason. Some North Carolina elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8th District, have blasted those decisions.

    "This is political theater by the NCAA and ACC. If these multimillion-dollar, tax-exempt organizations were interested in social change, and not making a political statement, they would proceed with their marquee events in North Carolina, and enact any transgender bathroom policy they wanted," Hudson said in a news release.

    "This blatant political move - less than two months before the election - brings into question their tax-exempt status. This is an avenue we intend to explore," Hudson said.

    McCrory also hit back at the ACC and NCAA decisions.

    "The issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the United States court system for not only North Carolina, but the entire nation," McCrory said in a written statement.

    "I strongly encourage all public and private institutions to both respect and allow our nation's judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging government overreach," McCrory said. "Sadly, the NCAA, a multibillion-dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women."
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