Hillary Clinton put her Methodist roots on display in a speech Saturday before 7,000 United Methodist women in Kentucky in a speech with plenty of metaphorical cues for politics.
From Talking Points Memo, for example, is an account from AP on how Clinton talked about reconciling her tough father’s belief in self-reliance and her more compassionate mother.
“The disciples come to Jesus and suggest they send away the people to find food to fend for themselves. But Jesus said, ‘No. You feed them,'” Clinton said. “He was teaching a lesson about the responsibility we all share.”
If that’s not a metaphor for how she’d approach safety net issues as a president, I don’t know what is.
Clinton also talked of empowering women, a key element in current Democratic campaign themes as they oppose Republicans who’ve opposed equal pay legislation and violence against women legislation, supported restrictions on contraception and abortion and slashed away at social welfare programs that generally enjoy strong support among women (rich and poor).
“The truth is there are too many women in our country today trying to build a life and a family that don’t just face ceilings on their aspirations and opportunities; it’s as if the floor is collapsing beneath them,” Clinton said. “These are our sisters, our daughters, granddaughters. Some are hungry, not just for nutritious food but for opportunity, for chance to thrive, for their own piece of the American dream.
“Don’t think we can sit back and wait for someone else to step forward and solve these problems,” Clinton added.
Republicans should feel free to take this as a marker of a government activist. I certainly would hope so.
More coverage from WIKY in Louisville. Some in the audience left teary-eyed.