Hillary Clinton won't confirm that she is running for president, but she certainly sounded like a candidate Tuesday when she said she supports Obamacare, called for tighter gun control, and said the country faces "social collapse" if inequity continues in the United States.
Clinton spoke in National Harbor, Md., at the National Council for Behavioral Health, an organization that focuses on mental health,
Politico reports.
"We have to rein in what has become [an] almost article of faith, that anybody can own a gun anywhere, anytime. And I don't believe that," the former Secretary of State said. "At the rate we're going, we're going to have so many people with guns everywhere, fully licensed, fully validated, in settings where [one] could be in a movie theater, and they don't like someone chewing gum loudly or talking on their cellphone and decide they have the perfect right to defend themselves against the gum-chewer or cellphone user by shooting. That's what happens in the countries I've visited where there's no rule of law."
Perhaps to silence critics on the left who think she is too aligned with big business, Clinton also took a populist tone with the crowd of mostly healthcare professionals.
"We need to be honest about what's happening in our country," she said. "We need [to] take a clear-eyed view about some of the causes of this social collapse.
"The debate about economic inequality is often carried out in political terms or economic terms, but it's social, it's a psychological challenge. We need to start demonstrating our care for one another, particularly those that are struggling the hardest."
And Clinton defended Obamacare, even though it could hurt her if and when she runs for president.
"There have been many complaints and concerns about the Affordable Care Act, but I've been struck by the polling I've been reading," she said. "Because it tells the same story: A small majority of Americans don't think they like the Affordable Care Act, but a large majority of Americans don't want to do away with the protections that are in the Affordable Care Act. A small majority wants to repeal it, but that is slowly receding as a rising majority says, 'No, fix it.' This is the tradition of good old-fashioned American pragmatism."
ABC News reported that the former first lady even revealed one of her vices during the speech.
"I'm just trying to think of some G-rated ones," she told the audience and then added, "Chocolate. I hate to be so predictable … but chocolate."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.