The United States of America is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Not because of its location on a map, or the ground beneath our feet, but because of the people that make up our country. Every American deserves and demands the respect of their government and those elected to represent them. Hillary Clinton’s hateful and divisive comments about millions of patriotic men and women are sickening and a new low, even for her.
America faces many serious challenges. Too many of our schools are failing our children, it's increasingly difficult to pursue the American dream in today’s job market and our military has been depleted and left without leadership. These issues are bipartisan and Americans are tired of the status quo. The American people rightfully have deep concerns about their security and their future. This election, voters have a clear choice between the same old government controlled by special interests or a return to a government of, for and by the people.
As Florida’s Speaker of the House, I watched Hillary Clinton defame and insult millions of hardworking Americans for simply disagreeing with her and rejecting her pay-to-play scheme at the Sate Department where she traded official access for donations to the Clinton Foundation from foreign donors. By calling so many of our nation’s citizens ‘deplorable’ haters and racists and the other half too stupid to make their own decisions about who should be our next President, Hillary once again revealed how the elitist Clintons really view Americans.
I’d like to ask Hillary Clinton these simple questions - Is the factory worker looking for a job that Hillary helped send overseas, deplorable? Are the families whose sons and daughters fight for our country, deplorable? Are the millions of Americans who simply want her to tell the truth, deplorable? If asking these questions is reason for Hillary to put someone in a basket - she can throw me in too.
The millions of people she insulted may never be able to afford to attend one of her swanky fundraisers or receive special favors after donating to the Clinton Foundation, but they still matter. Frustrated after years of being ignored, millions of hard working Floridians have stood up demanding to be heard. Today Donald Trump has given them a voice against the offshoring of jobs and Clinton’s brand of Washington pay-to-play cronyism and back room deals.
We can’t allow someone who wants to be the leader of this great nation to stand against half of the electorate. Hillary Clinton’s basket is lined with the riches of a corrupt political life that has disconnected her from the realities of struggling families around this country. She should apologize or get out of the race.
Rep. Steve Crisafulli is speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
