Clinton attacks Trump, appeals to Puerto Ricans
ORLANDO — With a huge lead over her Democratic presidential rivals, Hillary Clinton campaigned here Wednesday in general election mode, flflubbing the date of Florida’s primary and accusing Republican front-runner Donald Trump of campaigning on “racism and hatred.”
Clinton spoke to several hundred supporters at the Meadow Woods Recreation Center gym in an area with a growing population of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics — voters Democrats hope to mobilize in response to hard- line rhetoric on immigration from Trump and some other Republicans. The Clinton campaign handed out signs that said “Puerto Ricans For Hillary” and “Latinos For Hillary” and “Estoy Contigo,” which means “I’m with you.”
Whether Trump or someone else wins the Republican nomination, Clinton and Democrats hope to tar the GOP as hostile to Hispanics and minorities.
“We are hearing a lot of difffffffffffferent things, aren’t we, from the Republicans running for president,” Clinton said. “They seem more interested in seeing who can say the most offffffffffffensive and insulting comments. You’ve heard what they said. They have insulted Latinos, women, Muslims. ... They’re out-Trumping Trump, if you will.
“Well I have one word for them — ‘ basta’ — enough, let’s end this,” Clinton said.
She accused Trump of “making racism and hatred the hallmarks of his campaign. He’s called immigrants rapists and drug dealers. He shouted down and demanded Jorge Ramos stop doing his job.”
Ramos, an anchor with Spanish-language Univision, was brieflfly removed from a Trump news conference in August after Trump would not answer Ramos’ questions about immigration and Ramos kept trying to ask them.
Clinton’s speech was ostensibly part of a rollout of a fifive- year, $ 275 billion infrastructure spending proposal that Clinton says can be fifinanced by “business tax reform” to create jobs and boost economic output. In discussing her plan, she criticized Republicans who say states should be responsible for more infrastructure spending.
“Do you really want to put the responsibility for funding Florida’s infrastructure in the hands of (Republican Gov.) Rick Scott?” Clinton said, noting Scott’s rejection in 2011 of $2 billion in federal money for high-speed rail. She also blasted Scott and Republicans for not expanding Get Palm Beach County political news as it happens at the Post on Politics blog. postonpolitics.blog. PalmBeachPost.com
Medicaid in Florida.
Clinton leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by roughly a 3-to-1 margin in recent Florida polls and also holds a large national lead over Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
About 22 minutes into her 25-minute speech on Wednesday, Clinton mentioned Florida’s Democratic primary.
“I need your help in the primary. So don’t just come tonight. Make sure you’re registered to vote. Make sure you do vote on March the 1st,” Clinton said. Florida’s primary date is March 15.
Florida, which Barack Obama carried by 2.8 percent in 2008 and by 0.9 percent in 2012, is expected to be a key general election battleground again in 2016.
Clinton scheduled fifive fundraisers in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday in addition to her rally. She was making her fifirst appearance in the Sunshine State since an October rally in Davie. She also made public appearances in Fort Lauderdale and Miami in July.
“Florida is so much a symbol of America – diverse, dynamic, optimistic,” Clinton said.
“The diversity of the people here in Florida sends such a strong message about the importance of us always valuing the fact we are a nation of immigrants,” Clinton said.
Playing to the area’s large Puerto Rican population, she added: “Some are even starting to call Central Florida Puerto Rico’s 79th municipality.”
In Florida, a recent Florida Atlantic University poll found her leading Sanders by a 66-to-22 percent margin in Florida’s Democratic primary, but losing hypothetical general election matchups in the state to Republicans Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz.