The fact is that in this election, we havea candidate for President of the United States who over the course of his lifetime and thecourse of this campaign, has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning thatI simply will not repeat anything here today. And last week, we saw this candidate actuallybragging about sexually assaulting women. And I can't believe that I'm saying that acandidate for President of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women. And I have to tell you that I can't stop thinkingabout this. It has shaken me to my core in a way thatI couldn't have predicted. So while I'd love nothing more than to pretendlike this isn't happening, and to come out here and do my normal campaign speech, itwould be dishonest and disingenuous to me to just move on to the next thing like thiswas all just a bad dream. This is not something that we can ignore.
It's not something we can just sweep underthe rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season. Because this was not just a "lewd conversation." This wasn't just locker-room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freelyand openly about sexually predatory behavior, and actually bragging about kissing and gropingwomen, using language so obscene that many of us were worried about our children hearingit when we turn on the TV. And to make matters worse, it now seems veryclear that this isn't an isolated incident. It's one of the countless examples of howhe has treated women his whole life. And I have to tell you that I listen to allof this and I feel it so personally, and I'm sure that many of you do too, particularlythe women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you wantto a woman. It is cruel. It's frightening. And the truth is, it hurts. It hurts. It's like that sick, sinking feeling you getwhen you're walking down the street minding your own business and some guy yells out vulgarwords about your body. Or when you see that guy at work that standsjust a little too close, stares a little too long, and makes you feel uncomfortable inyour own skin. It's that feeling of terror and violationthat too many women have felt when someone has grabbed them or forced himself on themand they've said no but he didn't listen — something that we know happens on college campuses andcountless other places every single day. It reminds us of stories we heard from ourmothers and grandmothers about how, back in their day, the boss could say and do whateverhe pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped overevery hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough. We thought all of that was ancient history,didn't we? And so many have worked for so many yearsto end this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect, but here we are in 2016 and we'rehearing these exact same things every day on the campaign trail. We are drowning in it. And all of us are doing what women have alwaysdone: We're trying to keep our heads above water, just trying to get through it, tryingto pretend like this doesn't really bother us maybe because we think that admitting howmuch it hurts makes us as women look weak. Maybe we're afraid to be that vulnerable. Maybe we've grown accustomed to swallowingthese emotions and staying quiet because we've seen that people often won't take our wordover his. Or maybe we don't want to believe that thereare still people out there who think so little of us as women. Too many are treating this as just anotherday's headline, as if our outrage is overblown or unwarranted, as if this is normal, justpolitics as usual. But, New Hampshire, be clear: This is notnormal. This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn't matter what party you belongto — Democrat, Republican, independent — no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse. And I know it's a campaign, but this isn'tabout politics. It's about basic human decency. It's about right and wrong. And we simply cannot endure this or exposeour children to this any longer — not for another minute, and let alone for four years. Now is the time for all of us to stand upand say enough is enough. This has got to stop right now. Because consider this: If all of this is painfulto us as grown women, what do you think this is doing to our children? What message are our little girls hearingabout who they should look like, how they should act? What lessons are they learning about theirvalue as professionals, as human beings, about their dreams and aspirations? And how is this affecting men and boys inthis country? Because I can tell you that the men in mylife do not talk about women like this. And I know that my family is not unusual. And to dismiss this as everyday locker-roomtalk is an insult to decent men everywhere. The men that you and I know don't treat womenthis way. They are loving fathers who are sickened bythe thought of their daughters being exposed to this kind of vicious language about women. They are husbands and brothers and sons whodon't tolerate women being treated and demeaned and disrespected. And like us, these men are worried about theimpact this election is having on our boys who are looking for role models of what itmeans to be a man. In fact, someone recently told me a storyabout their six-year-old son who one day was watching the news — they were watching thenews together. And the little boy, out of the blue, said,"I think Hillary Clinton will be President." And his mom said, "Well, why do you say that?" And this little six-year-old said, "Becausethe other guy called someone a piggy, and," he said, "you cannot be President if you callsomeone a piggy." So even a six-year-old knows better. A six-year-old knows that this is not howadults behave. This is not how decent human beings behave. And this is certainly not how someone whowants to be President of the United States behaves. Because let's be very clear: Strong men — menwho are truly role models — don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring otherstogether. And that is what we need in our next President. We need someone who is a uniting force inthis country. We need someone who will heal the wounds thatdivide us, someone who truly cares about us and our children, someone with strength andcompassion to lead this country forward. And let me tell you, I'm here today becauseI believe with all of my heart that Hillary Clinton will be that President. See, we know that Hillary is the right personfor the job because we've seen her character and commitment not just in this campaign,but over the course of her entire life. The fact is that Hillary embodies so manyof the values that we try so hard to teach our young people. We tell our young people "Work hard in school,get a good education." We encourage them to use that education tohelp others — which is exactly what Hillary did with her college and law degrees, advocatingfor kids with disabilities, fighting for children's health care as First Lady, affordable childcare in the Senate. We teach our kids the value of being a teamplayer, which is what Hillary exemplified when she lost the 2008 election and actuallyagreed to work for her opponent as our Secretary of State — earning sky-high approval ratingsserving her country once again. We also teach our kids that you don't takeshortcuts in life, and you strive for meaningful success in whatever job you do. Well, Hillary has been a lawyer, a law professor,First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a U.S. senator, Secretary ofState. And she has been successful in every role,gaining more experience and exposure to the presidency than any candidate in our lifetime— more than Barack, more than Bill. And, yes, she happens to be a woman.
It's not something we can just sweep underthe rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season. Because this was not just a "lewd conversation." This wasn't just locker-room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freelyand openly about sexually predatory behavior, and actually bragging about kissing and gropingwomen, using language so obscene that many of us were worried about our children hearingit when we turn on the TV. And to make matters worse, it now seems veryclear that this isn't an isolated incident. It's one of the countless examples of howhe has treated women his whole life. And I have to tell you that I listen to allof this and I feel it so personally, and I'm sure that many of you do too, particularlythe women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you wantto a woman. It is cruel. It's frightening. And the truth is, it hurts. It hurts. It's like that sick, sinking feeling you getwhen you're walking down the street minding your own business and some guy yells out vulgarwords about your body. Or when you see that guy at work that standsjust a little too close, stares a little too long, and makes you feel uncomfortable inyour own skin. It's that feeling of terror and violationthat too many women have felt when someone has grabbed them or forced himself on themand they've said no but he didn't listen — something that we know happens on college campuses andcountless other places every single day. It reminds us of stories we heard from ourmothers and grandmothers about how, back in their day, the boss could say and do whateverhe pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped overevery hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough. We thought all of that was ancient history,didn't we? And so many have worked for so many yearsto end this kind of violence and abuse and disrespect, but here we are in 2016 and we'rehearing these exact same things every day on the campaign trail. We are drowning in it. And all of us are doing what women have alwaysdone: We're trying to keep our heads above water, just trying to get through it, tryingto pretend like this doesn't really bother us maybe because we think that admitting howmuch it hurts makes us as women look weak. Maybe we're afraid to be that vulnerable. Maybe we've grown accustomed to swallowingthese emotions and staying quiet because we've seen that people often won't take our wordover his. Or maybe we don't want to believe that thereare still people out there who think so little of us as women. Too many are treating this as just anotherday's headline, as if our outrage is overblown or unwarranted, as if this is normal, justpolitics as usual. But, New Hampshire, be clear: This is notnormal. This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable. And it doesn't matter what party you belongto — Democrat, Republican, independent — no woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse. And I know it's a campaign, but this isn'tabout politics. It's about basic human decency. It's about right and wrong. And we simply cannot endure this or exposeour children to this any longer — not for another minute, and let alone for four years. Now is the time for all of us to stand upand say enough is enough. This has got to stop right now. Because consider this: If all of this is painfulto us as grown women, what do you think this is doing to our children? What message are our little girls hearingabout who they should look like, how they should act? What lessons are they learning about theirvalue as professionals, as human beings, about their dreams and aspirations? And how is this affecting men and boys inthis country? Because I can tell you that the men in mylife do not talk about women like this. And I know that my family is not unusual. And to dismiss this as everyday locker-roomtalk is an insult to decent men everywhere. The men that you and I know don't treat womenthis way. They are loving fathers who are sickened bythe thought of their daughters being exposed to this kind of vicious language about women. They are husbands and brothers and sons whodon't tolerate women being treated and demeaned and disrespected. And like us, these men are worried about theimpact this election is having on our boys who are looking for role models of what itmeans to be a man. In fact, someone recently told me a storyabout their six-year-old son who one day was watching the news — they were watching thenews together. And the little boy, out of the blue, said,"I think Hillary Clinton will be President." And his mom said, "Well, why do you say that?" And this little six-year-old said, "Becausethe other guy called someone a piggy, and," he said, "you cannot be President if you callsomeone a piggy." So even a six-year-old knows better. A six-year-old knows that this is not howadults behave. This is not how decent human beings behave. And this is certainly not how someone whowants to be President of the United States behaves. Because let's be very clear: Strong men — menwho are truly role models — don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring otherstogether. And that is what we need in our next President. We need someone who is a uniting force inthis country. We need someone who will heal the wounds thatdivide us, someone who truly cares about us and our children, someone with strength andcompassion to lead this country forward. And let me tell you, I'm here today becauseI believe with all of my heart that Hillary Clinton will be that President. See, we know that Hillary is the right personfor the job because we've seen her character and commitment not just in this campaign,but over the course of her entire life. The fact is that Hillary embodies so manyof the values that we try so hard to teach our young people. We tell our young people "Work hard in school,get a good education." We encourage them to use that education tohelp others — which is exactly what Hillary did with her college and law degrees, advocatingfor kids with disabilities, fighting for children's health care as First Lady, affordable childcare in the Senate. We teach our kids the value of being a teamplayer, which is what Hillary exemplified when she lost the 2008 election and actuallyagreed to work for her opponent as our Secretary of State — earning sky-high approval ratingsserving her country once again. We also teach our kids that you don't takeshortcuts in life, and you strive for meaningful success in whatever job you do. Well, Hillary has been a lawyer, a law professor,First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a U.S. senator, Secretary ofState. And she has been successful in every role,gaining more experience and exposure to the presidency than any candidate in our lifetime— more than Barack, more than Bill. And, yes, she happens to be a woman.
