Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Thank you Ohio .

For everyone here in Ohio and across America whos ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, and for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you. You know what they say, as Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

Well, this nations coming back, and so is this campaign. The people of Ohio have said it loudly and clearly: were going on, we're going strong, and we're going all the way. You know, they call Ohio a bellwether state. It’s a battleground state. It’s a state that knows how to pick a president. And no candidate in recent history, Democrat or Republican, has won the White House without winning the Ohio primary.

[Audience: Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will!]

You all know that if we want a Democratic president, we need a Democratic nominee who can win the battleground states just like Ohio . And that is what we've done. We’ve won Florida , Nevada , New Mexico , Arizona , Michigan , New Hampshire , Arkansas , California , New York , New Jersey , Massachusetts , Oklahoma , and Tennessee . And today, we won Rhode Island , and thanks to all my friends and supporters there.

This is a great night, but we all know that these are challenging times. We have two wars abroad. We have a recession looming here at home. Voters faced a critical question who is tested and ready to be Commander-in-Chief on day one? And who knows how to turn our economy around, because we sure do need it.

Ohio has written a new chapter in the history of this campaign, and we're just getting started. More and more people have joined this campaign and millions of Americans haven't spoken yet. In states like Pennsylvania and so many others people are watching this historic campaign, and they want their turn to help make history. They want their voices to count. And they should. They should be heard. So please, join us in this campaign. Go to  www.hillaryclinton.com. This is your campaign and your moment and I need your support.

For more than a year, I’ve been listening to the voices of people across our country. The single mom who told me she works two jobs; neither provides health care for her kids. She just can't work any harder. The little girl who asked how I helped people without homes turns out her family was about to lose their own. The young man in a Marine Corps shirt who said he waited months for medical care. He said to me, take care of my buddies, a lot of them are still over there. And then, will you please help take care of me?

Americans don't need more promises. They’ve heard plenty of speeches. They deserve solutions and they deserve them now.

America needs a president who’s ready to lead, ready to stand up for what's right even when it's hard. And after seven long years of George W. Bush, we sure are ready for a president who will be a fighter, a doer and a champion for the American people again.

Oh, I think we're ready for health care, not for just some people or most people, but for every American. I think we're ready for an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, but every single hard-working American who deserves a shot at the American dream. I think we're ready to declare energy independence and create millions of green collar jobs. Were ready to reach out to our allies and confront our shared challenges. Were ready to end the war in Iraq and win the war in Afghanistan . And we're past ready to serve our veterans with the same devotion that they served us.

Protecting America is the first and most urgent duty of the president. When there's a crisis and that phone rings at 3:00 a.m. in the White House, there's no time for speeches or on-the-job training. You have to be ready to make a decision.

I congratulate Senator McCain on winning his party's nomination and I look forward to a spirited and substantive debate with him.

[Audience: Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will!]

I want to thank the wonderful people of Ohio for your support and your confidence in me. I especially want to thank Governor Ted Strickland and his wonderful wife Frances. Governor and Mrs. Strickland are working so hard on behalf of Ohio and they deserve a president who will work hard with them to give Ohio the future that you deserve. I want to thank Senator John Glenn and his wonderful wife Annie. I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and his wife Peggy.

And I especially want to thank Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She does an extraordinary job for her constituents, and she has been a champion on behalf of the people of Ohio and America . I look forward to working with her to bring more opportunity to the people that she loves and represents so well. I want to thank my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters here in Ohio and across America .

And I especially want to thank the two most important people in my life, Bill and Chelsea .

And, of course, to my mother who I know is watching, thanks very much, mom, for everything. And finally, to Senator Obama, who has brought so much to this race. I look forward to continuing our dialogue in the weeks ahead on the issues that matter most to our country.

I want to end by sharing with you a message that I got late last month from someone who didn't have much money to spare, but sent me $10 for my campaign and sent an e-mail in which she wrote: "My two daughters are two and four, and we chant and cheer for you at every speech we see. I want them to know anything is possible."

Tonight I say to them, keep on watching. Together, we're going to make history. To those little girls, I say this is America , and we do believe you can be anything you want to be, and we want our sons and our daughters to dream big. I have big dreams for America ’s future. The question is not whether we can fulfill those dreams, it’s whether we will. And here's our answer: yes, we will.

We will do what it takes, and we will once again make the kind of progress that America deserves. Were going to protect our country and preserve our constitution. We’re going to lead with our values. We will reach out to those on the margins and in the shadows because that's what we do in America . We break barriers, we open doors, we make sure every voice is heard. Together, we will turn promises into action, words into solutions, and hope into reality.

It will take leadership and hard work, but we've never been short on either. So I hope all of you will join, join with the Ohioans who voices and votes have been heard today. Together, we will seize this moment, lift this nation, and heal and lead this world.

Thank you all and God bless you.