Clinton urges Dems to keep pushing back against polarization
Colorado is a “state that is really about the future”
Hillary Clinton, in a Denver appearance Thursday night, called Colorado a “state that is really about the future,” urging Democrats — and women in particular— to keep up their activism and push back against the political polarization that dominated last year’s presidential election.
Clinton also raised a red flag about Russian interference in her contest against Donald Trump, saying it poses a “clear and present danger to Western Democracy.”
“This isn’t just about what happened. It’s aboutwhat’s happening right now,” she said while promoting her new book about the campaign, “What Happened.”
“Trump is playing right into ( Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s hands. This is shameful.”
The appearance at the Bellco Theatre at the Colorado Convention Center was the Democrat’s first public one in Colorado since losing the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Clinton covered a range of issues, from the opioid epidemic to her grandchildren, in about an hour.
Politically, she expressed disdain toward Republicans for their tax legislation and hammered Trump for his attacks on national security infrastructure, calling, too, for stricter gun laws.
Clinton applauded the wins Democrats had in last week’s elections, particularly in the Virginia gubernatorial race, calling them an important step in battling divisiveness.
“These victories give us an important chance to make progress on important issues,” she said.
“We’ve got to stay focused.” The former first lady and U. S. secretary of state also thanked the crowd, which mostly filled the theater, for her victory in Colorado last year.
She beat Trump in the state with 48 percent of the vote to his 43, coming up short, however, in Pueblo, which traditionally has been a Democratic stronghold. Trump’s win in Pueblo was the first for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972 and signified Trump’s appeal to blue- collar voters, which helped him across the United States.
“I love coming here,” Clinton told the crowd, which gave her a long standing ovation, “and I was so pleased to see Gov. ( John) Hickenlooper here earlier to talk about some of the exciting things that are going on in Denver and across Colorado.”
Hickenlooper, a fellow Democrat, was once floated as a possible vice presidential running mate pick of Clinton’s last year. Hickenlooper’s name has been mentioned in discussion about the 2020 presidential race.
Clinton, who has said she is “done being a candidate,” returns to Denver on Dec. 11 for a book signing at the Tattered Cover.