“We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.” | Full Text of Hillary Clinton's concession speech

A day after losing the 2016 Presidential Election to rival Donald Trump, Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States, Hilary Clinton gave a powerful and moving concession speech to the nation. She thanked and urged her supporters to accept the results and give the new President a chance. Read below.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Very rowdy group. Thank you, my friends. Thank you. Thank you, thank you so very much for being here. I love you all, too. Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for and I’m sorry that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.

But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together, this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it, too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort.

This is painful and it will be for a long time, but I want you to remember this. Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought, but I still believe in America and I always will. If you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things. The rule of law, the principle that we are all equal in rights and dignity, freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values, too, and we must defend them.

And let me add, our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear. Making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top, protecting our country and protecting our planet, and breaking down all the barriers that hold any American back from achieving their dreams.

 

We have spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone, for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people and for people with disabilities. For everyone.

So now, our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek, and I know you will. I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I want to thank Tim kaine and Anne holden for being our partners on this journey. It has been a joy getting to know them better and it gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front lines of our democracy representing Virginia in the senate. To Barack and Michelle Obama, our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude.

We thank you for your graceful, determined leadership that has meant so much to so many Americans and people across the world. And to bill and Chelsea, Marc, Charlotte, Aden, our brothers and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express. You crisscrossed this country on our behalf and lifted me up when I needed it most, even 4 month old Aden who traveled with his mom. I will always be grateful to the creative, talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country.

You poured your hearts into this campaign. For some of you who are veterans, it was a campaign after you had done other campaigns. Some of you, it was your first campaign. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anybody could have ever expected or wanted. And to the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook, even in secret private Facebook sites, I want everybody coming out from behind that and make sure your voices are heard going forward.

To everyone who sent in contributions as small as $5 and kept us going, thank you. Thank you from all of us. And to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have, as Tim said, spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I have had successes and I have had setbacks. Sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.

It is. It is worth it. And so we need―we need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives, and to all the women and especially the young women who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.

Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.

Finally―finally, I am so grateful for our country and for all it has given to me. I count my blessings every single day that I am an American, and I still believe as deeply as I ever have that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us. Because, you know, I believe we are stronger together, and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So, my friends, let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary. Let us not lose heart, for there are more seasons to come, and there is more work to do. I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May god bless you, and may god bless the United States of America!

A New Axis of Power: Women at the Top | By: Tony Ogunlowo

In less than a months’ time the Americans will be heading
to the polls to elect a new President. And unless Republican contender, Donald
Trump, can pull a last minute trick out of his hat or resort to more dirty
tricks, the front runner, Hilary Clinton, is most definitely going to be the
next President of the United States of America.
Not only
will she become the first female leader of the World’s most powerful nation
she’ll be joining two other female leaders – Theresa May of GB and Angela Merkel of Germany –  to form a
new axis of power. This will mean that a third of the G8 nation leaders will be
women. Already Christine Lagarde
heads up the International Monetary Fund and for a while Diezani Alison-Madueke was the President of the all-powerful OPEC
organisation.
The joke
currently circulating around political circles is that the women are coming in
to clear up the mess made by the men. Perhaps.
We are beginning
to see a new breed of female leaders ready to take on the world in a move never
before seen since the Thatcher era. Traditionally women are better leaders (-
sorry guys but its true!) They are strong, decisive and pull no punches. They
are also not as scandal-prone as men, having little or no skeletons in their
cupboards. The Margaret Thatcher era of 1979 – 1990 turned a bankrupt and
floundering Great Britain into one of the most prosperous and powerful nations
that we know today. During her regime she battled the unions, introduced
capitalism across the board, whilst at the same time showing Britain’s military
might in facing off the Argentines over the Falkland and taking the country
into the First Gulf War. Under her rule Britain was a key player on the
international scene earning her the nickname of the no-nonsense ‘Iron Lady’.
With women at the
top of the three most powerful nations in the world we can expect a lot of
change in the world in the coming years. Even though President Hilary Clinton
will initially have her hands full with domestic issues we can expect changes
in areas such as world trade, migration and terrorism. All three are not
novices when it comes to governing a nation and performing on the international
scene: Angela Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005, Theresa May
is a former Home Secretary and Hilary Clinton was Secretary of State in
President Obama first cabinet. Collectively, with their joint experience, they
can steer the world on to another course.
As any married man
knows fully well you can’t argue with a woman; they are better at putting an
argument across( and getting their own way!), they are better negotiators, more
thick skinned and are a lot better at dealing with(or ignoring!) criticism
levelled at them. Without a doubt there will be feminists out there who’ll
think it’s time to dust off their placards and take to the streets – they’ll be
wrong! These new leaders are not bra-burning feminists but competent leaders
who have proven themselves in a predominantly male-dominated chauvinistic
environment. They don’t have’ to prove themselves any further to make a point
or statement.
Women leaders,
unlike their male counterparts, tend to think of the bigger picture and as a
result their policies will be more diversified. They also well known for their
ability to negotiate peace deals – something the world desperately needs right
now with all the trouble hotspots.
Women
leaders are not scared to fight when necessary; Margaret Thatcher fought the
Argentines over the Falkland’s and when PM Theresa May was asked whether she
was prepared to authorize a nuclear strike, if need be, that could potentially
kill over a 100,000 men, women and children with a nuclear bomb she replied
with a curt ‘yes’.
Women leaders are prepared to fight just wars if need be-
when there is no other option. They won’t rush off and fight an unjust war like
Blair and Bush did. Having said that one of the areas they are bound to focus
on will be the turbulent Middle East – and they won’t be afraid to use military
force if necessary. Dealing with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea will also
be high on the cards.
There are
currently twenty-two female leaders in the world today running their countries
in the capacity of President, Prime Minister or Monarch (the Queen of England).
With the exception of ex-President Dilna Rousseff of Brazil who was recently
impeached all the other leaders are running their countries comfortably.
Come next
year it would be very easy to see Clinton (if she wins) sitting down with
Merkel and May discussing ways on to how to solve the worlds growing problems.

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