Its good to be in iowa. I am a college wrestler, and i have long admired the many hawkeye champions. [applause] as you may know, i am the only president ial candidate who has been a mayor, u. S. Senator, and a governor. Throughout these experiences, i have tried to earn a reputation for courage and honesty. I also have shown strong convictions, sometimes under enormous political pressure. I am proud of my lone support for beneficial social programs that help build the middle class. My lone support for tax structure that requires the wealthy to pay their fair share. [applause] my lone support for raising the minimum wage. My lone support for protecting the environment and addressing Climate Change. My lone support for Quality Health care for all. My lone support for the womans right to choose. My lone support for lgbt rights. My long support for immigration reform. My long support for investing in public education. My long support investing in all public infrastructure. And my record will stand up to scrutiny on these and many other issues. In this campaign, i also place a high priority on addressing what is happening overseas, especially in the middle east and north africa. As general petraeus famously asked during the invasion of iraq in 2003, tell me, how does this end . The 2016 president ial election will go a long way to answering that question. How does this end . We have a choice in 2016 prosperity through peace or endless war. This week, we got the breakthrough with iran. What a change. Lets give all those who helped make it happen a big hand, especially president obama and his team. [applause] avoiding war is worth every bit of our energy. The iran agreement was crafted with the help of russia, china the united kingdom, france, and germany. This is the right way to make the world safer. [applause] nations partners, this is the model, the sensible path for america, leading with strong smart, patient, diplomacy. Absolutely. [applause] this is also a different course than the failed arrogant unilateral, bellicose, republican approach to the world. Thats the choice we have in 2016. We need to reject once and for all the belligerent etiquette of conflict. As governor and senator, i attended too many funerals of servicemen and servicewomen killed in iraq. It is a sad and avoidable chapter in american foreignpolicy. As one who voted against the iraq war as a member of the Foreign Senate Relations committee and chair of the middle east subcommittee, i have long been supportive of the course that president obama and secretary kerry are charting. Not only with iran, but with cuba. This has been a historic few weeks. If we are smart with our diplomacy, we can avoid these endless wars and create savings that can be better spent at home. Diplomacy is the ultimate test of leadership. [applause] thank you, iowa democrats. Leadership is also about seeing the future. I see a future with a strong and well supported diplomatic corps, a complement to our military strength. I see a future where more will help students get their education without crushing debt. More going to struggling families for true Economic Opportunities and a chance to buy their own homes. More going to help our seniors enjoy the dignified retirement they work so hard to earn. [applause] i see a future where those of different races, religions believes, genders, sexual orientation, and cultural backgrounds can live and work together. I see a future where once again everyone has a chance at the American Dream. The way we are going to do that is to first of all believe it is possible. That is why im running for president and respectfully ask for your support. [applause] we have a special country and a special planet, lets take care of both. Thank you, iowa democrats. Have a great evening. [applause] we have a special country and a dr. Mcguire thank you, governor chafee. I am proud to welcome our next speaker, Hillary Rodham clinton. [applause] eaker, Hillary Rodham clinton. [applause] Hillary Hillary, hillary, hillary. Dr. Mcguire as senator from new york, first lady, secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has been a tenacious advocate for women and their families. Throughout her life, she has been devoted to the cause of human rights and equality working to make our world a more peaceful and inclusive place for all. She has led the fight on some of the most pressing issues of our time, from education to health care, and gotten results to bring us closer to an america where all have the opportunity to succeed. Please join me and welcoming Hillary Rodham clinton. [applause] clinton thank you so much iowa. [applause] thank you. A tenacious advocate for women andy thank you for what you are doing to bring back the Democratic Party in iowa. [applause] clinton just look around this room and you can see that democrats are united, energized, and we are ready to win this election. [applause] clinton i know, and you do as well, that elections are always about the future. This time i feel that even more powerfully. Maybe it is because our country has worked so hard to come back from the financial crisis with president obamas leadership and the determination of the american people. We are standing again. [applause] clinton but we are not yet running the way america should. And now we have to choose whether we are going to return to the failed topdown policies that wrecked our economy before or move forward to chart a stronger fairer, and more prosperous future. Maybe it is the grandmother in me, but this is deeply personal. There is something about becoming a grandparent. It is truly transformational. Some of you know what im talking about. It anchors you in the present and you suddenly have this incredible, amazing little person who commands a lot of attention. It also forces you to think about the future in a new way. What kind of world will be waiting for her . What kind of country will we have when she becomes an adult . And what are our responsibilities to shape it . Im thinking a lot these days about my own mother and what she did for me. Abandoned, mistreated by her own family, she was out on her own by 14, working as a housemaid but she did not get into bitterness or despair, and i remember asking her, how did you keep your resilience . How did you keep your faith in the goodness of people and a future that would be better than the past . Here is what she said. Someone along the way believed she mattered. The first grade teacher who sought she had nothing to eat at lunch, and without embarrassing her brought extra food to share. The woman whose house she cleaned suggesting she go to high school so long as her work was done. And because those people believed in her, she was able to believe in me. She was able to give me the great gift of believing in others and in our country. So my mom was not surprised that my first job out of law school was at the childrens defense fund. She wasnt surprised that i spent my life fighting for women, children, families, and our country. [applause] after all, that is what she taught me to do. She never stop pushing me to fight harder for others, to have the same opportunities she never had. I can still hear her saying life is not about what happens to you, its about what you do with what happens to you, so get act out there. That is why i am here with you today. So get back out there. That is why i am here with you today. [applause] that is why i am so determined to build a Better Future, not just for my granddaughter, but for all of our children and grandchildren. That is why im never going to let a Republican Rep away the progress that we have made. [applause] clinton you know, we democrats are in the future business. But from the republican candidates for president , we see the opposite. They may have some fresh faces, but they are the party of the past. We democrats, we look at america and we see limitless potential. We believe in a a sick bargain. If you work hard and do your part, you should be able to get ahead and stay ahead. We believe that the measure of our success should be how much incomes rise for hardworking families, not just for ceos and money managers. [applause] well, republicans believe something very different. Their answer is always the same cut taxes for the super wealthy let big corporations write their own rules, thats it. Trickle down economics has to be one of the worst ideas of the 1980s. [applause] it is right up there with new coke, shoulder pads, and big hair. [laughter] [applause] clinton i lived through it. There are photographs, and we are not going back to that. [applause] clinton this past monday, i laid out an agenda for raising incomes so hardworking americans can afford a middleclass life. It is an agenda for strong growth, fair growth, and longterm growth. That will be my mission from the first day i am president to the last. This campaign has to be about how we unlock the potential of every american. Because that is how we unlock the potential of america itself. I am having [applause] clinton im having a great debate already with republicans about what that means for our country. Governor bush scrambled to explain his statement that americans need to work longer hours. He now says he just wants parttime workers to be able to find fulltime jobs. Well, so do i. Theres just one problem. His policies and the policies of all these republican candidates would make that harder. Giving more tax cuts to those at the top wont do anything for parttime workers. Rolling back rules for wall street will not help families get ahead. Getting rid of the Affordable Care act certainly wont help entrepreneurs. Just ask the folks in the sharing economy. Americans dont need lectures. They need raises. [applause] so if republicans really want to help us, why dont they join us in breaking down the barriers so more americans can enter and succeed in the work force, especially women . [applause] now, i know that when i talk about this, some people think i can see it in their eyes, there she goes again with the womens issues. Well, im not going to stop so get ready for a long campaign. [applause] you see, i have this Old Fashioned idea we cant afford to leave anyone on the sidelines. And women who want to work should be able to do so without worrying every day about how theyre going to take care of their child or what will happen if a Family Member gets sick. Thats not a luxury. Its a growth strategy. Paid leave. Earned sick days. Child care. Min wage. These are not womens issues. Theyre family issues. Theyre economic issues. [applause] so i will keep fighting for them and ask you to join, and im going to keep fighting for equal pay because when women get short changed families get short changed. When families get short changed, our economy and our country gets short changed. Unlocking potential, though, goes beyond dollars and cents. It really is about our values. How we treat each other. The kind of country we want to build. On that historic day, last month, when Marriage Equality became the law of the land, republican candidates were complaining, not cheering. We even heard a call for abolishing the Supreme Court itself. Instead of trying to turn the clock back republicans should be joining us in saying loudly and clearly, no to discrimination once and for all. [applause] lgbt americans should be free, not just to marry, but to live, learn, and work just like everybody else. [applause] and then theres immigration. Weve heard a lot recently from the new republican frontrunner. Donald trump. Finally, a candidate whose hair gets more attention than mine. [applause] but there is nothing funny about the hate he is spewing toward immigrants and their families. It really is shameful. And so is the fact that it took weeks for most of his fellow republican candidates to stand up to him. The sad truth is, if you look at many of their policies, it is hard to tell the difference. Just look across the border in wisconsin. Governor walker kicked off his campaign by rolling back reproductive rights for women and stripping Union Workers of their rights. We dont knead any more politicians who shame and blame women for making our own Reproductive Health decisions or attacking unions for fighting for middle class jobs. [applause] and i know there are challenges right here in iowa because youve been talking to me about them. Just listen to this. Iowa has fewer than 750 beds for more than 128,000 people in your state with serious mental illnesses. Families worry about relatives who need help app cant get it. The iowans ive talked to dont understand why your governor would veto a bipartisan compromise without funding a viable alternative. And thats not all. The government also said no to investing in iowa students, teachers, and schools. So tonight im adding my voice to yours. Governor bran stead put down your veto pen. [cheering] iowa families dont need a stand off. They need solutions. Thats why we cant let republicans take us back like theyre trying to do. We are not going back to trickle down economics or the wild west on wall street. Were not going back to Insurance Companies charging women more for the same coverage. Were not going back to denying Climate Change. If you ask most of these republican candidates about that, theyll say, sorry. Im not a scientist. Well, then why dont they start listening to those who are scientists . Look, im not a scientist either. Im just a grandmother with two eyes and a brain and im not going to let them take us backwards. So please. Iowa Democrats Join me. Lets build up our party in every corner of this state and country. Elect democrats at every level. Take back School Boards and state houses all the way to the white house. Im running to make our country work for you and for every american for the struggling, the striving and the successful, for the factory workers and the food servers who took care of us tonight. For the farmers who feed us and the Small Business owners who take a risk. For the nurses who work the night shift and the truckers who drive for hours. I am running for everyone whos ever been knocked down but refused to be knocked out. Im running for you. Were going to build an america where we dont leave anyone out or anyone behind. Where if you work hard you will do your part and get ahead and where a father can tell his daughter yes. You can be anything you want to be, even president of the United States. Thank you all very much. [cheering] [chanting] Hillary Hillary hillary i am now excited to welcome to the stage our next keynote speaker Martin Omalley. [cheering] throughout his 15 years of elected executive experience Martin Omalley has established himself as a bold, progressive leader, eager to solve big problems facing commaunts. Governor omalley has served in nearly every level of government. First as a member of the Baltimore City council then as the mayor of baltimore and finally, as the governor of maryland delivering results for his constituents. As mayor of baltimore, he improved education, cracked down on crime, while improving Police Accountability and drove investments to the local community. And as governor, he signed Marriage Equality into law, passed the dream act, fought for environmental protections, and made marylands Public Schools some of the best in the country for five years in a row. No matter the role governor omalley has always put working Families First and fought for the American Dream. Please join me in welcoming Martin Omalley. [applause] [chanting] Omalley Omalley thank you all. I thank you. Thank you very very much. It is a great honor to be here tonight with all of you fine members of the iowa Democratic Party in the resilient city of cedar rapids. [applause] my name is Martin Omalley. I am running for president. I need your help. And tonight i would like to talk with you about the American Dream that we share. You and i are part of a living, selfcreating mystery of america. Weve been given a gift not an old car to be tossed aside or traded in when were done with it, but a country and we must accept this gift with an open mind and an open heart if we are to give it to our children and grandchildren and in a stronger and healthier condition than we received it ourselves. Make no mistake about it. Our ability to give our children a Better Future depends on the strength of our country. [applause] now, let me ask you all a question. How many of you firmly believe that youve enjoyed a better quality of life than your parents and grandparents . Raise your hands. Second question. How many of you believe just as firmly that your children and your grandchildren will enjoy a better quality of life . Raise your hands. That my friends, is the question at the center of our table of democracy. Whether we are still that country where regardless of where you start through your own hard work and your own talent and your own love of family, you can still get ahead. Whether we are still that nation that finds a way in every generation to include more and more of our people more fully in the social, economic, and political life of our nation. F. D. R. Told my grandparents in their day not to be afraid. John kennedy told my parents that to govern is to choose. I say to you that progress is a choice. Now, i am not the only candidate for president in the Democratic Party who holds progressive values, but i am the only candidate for president with 15 years of executive experience. [applause] as a big city mayor and as a g