Hillary Clinton emerged from a month-long speaking tour hiatus on Wednesday with a host of new potential stump speech lines that could soon become the cornerstone of her all-but-certain presidential run.
The former secretary of state and prohibitive favorite for Democrats’ 2016 presidential nomination laid out a vision for the future during the prepared portion of her remarks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, highlighting the need to combat radicalism, increase stagnating wages and reform the United States’ immigration system.
“For our democracies to meet the tests ahead, all of our people, not just those of us here, but all of our people, have to believe they too have a stake in our prosperity and our future, no matter where they are from, what they look like, who they worship or who they love,” Clinton said.
Wednesday’s speech in Winnipeg was Clinton’s first headline appearance since Dec. 15. The dearth in events is noticeable considering Clinton’s prevalence last year.
But the former secretary of state has been busy, according to a Democratic source who told CNN Clinton has been meeting with advisers for the last month at her Chappaqua, New York, home for strategy sessions about launching a 2016 presidential run.
The new lines focused heavily on empowering middle-class Americans and used Clinton’s time as secretary of state to convey an understanding of the issue.
“We have to show the world that free people and free markets, human rights and human dignity, respect for our fellow men and women, is our core strength,” Clinton said when speaking of the Paris terrorist attacks earlier this year. “We can’t give in to division or distraction.”
People, no matter what society they are in all want mostly the same thing, Clinton said.
“Overwhelmingly they say, ‘I want a good job. I want my children to get an education. I want my family to be safe and feel that they have a good future.’ That is not so different than from what we want in the United States and Canada,” she said.
Referring to the recent Paris terrorist attacks that gripped France and its allies, Clinton said the incidents “were stark reminders of the threats we face together,” and “sharpened the true contours” of the fight against radicalism.
“Islam itself is not the adversary and the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people,” Clinton said, before endorsing more controls on how extremists use the Internet to recruit.
Clinton also offered fresh comments on immigration, another hot-button issue.
“Canada and the United States, unlike most places in the world, are nations built by immigrants and energized by our diversity,” Clinton said. “It hasn’t always been smooth or easy, but at our best, we kept expanding our idea of family and community … to keep making more room at the table.”
In the past, Clinton has backed the Obama administration’s plan to issue an executive action to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, but not addressed the issue as core to continuing growth.
Though she has at times distanced herself from Obama — her former boss and rival — on a number of issues, in Canada, Clinton embraced many of the President’s efforts.
“I think the President has been very successful,” Clinton said, reflecting on Obama’s sixth State of the Union address on Tuesday. “I think the President did a really good job in laying out some broad areas.”
In unveiling these new lines, Clinton also hugged closely to the vision for the future that Obama laid out on Tuesday night.
Clinton said, Obama “offered a vision for helping the middle class in the United States reclaim its seat at the table. And the proposals he offered are an important start for a critical debate.”
“I think we are certainly coming out of the worst of our problems,” Clinton said reflecting on the Obama years. “I don’t think the President gets the credit he and his team deserve for the way they navigated through the difficult area.”
The former New York senator also dissuaded Democrats in the Senate from pushing new unilateral sanctions on Iran while negotiations with the country were still ongoing.
“I take the position that I think the President articulated last night,” Clinton said, arguing that the sanctions would threaten the negotiations and be a “very serious, strategic error.”
Once again, Clinton declined to offer an opinion about the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial proposal currently under review by the State Department and the subject of a power struggle between the Obama administration and the Republican-led Congress.
Before the event, some of the 2,000 people who paid $300 a ticket to attend Clinton’s speech chatted about the former first lady’s likely presidential run and the fact she was getting paid for Wednesday’s appearance. Some even asked, “Do you think Clinton will declare her candidacy today?”
They were left disappointed, though. Clinton was not asked about her 2016 plans during a moderated discussion with CIBC CEO Victor Dodig and made no mention of them in her prepared remarks.
Clinton now heads to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for a similar event on Wednesday night.
