Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland speaks at a ‘Columbus is Ready for Hillary’ rally event on Feb. 17 at the Union Cafe in the Short North.
Credit: Noah Toumert / Lantern reporter
A Ready for Hillary event in Columbus this week brought together Ohio State students, a state representative and a former governor to discuss Hillary Clinton’s potential run for president.
The event, which took place at the Union Cafe in the Short North, was sponsored by the Ready for Hillary super political action committee. The organization is working to urge Clinton to run for presidential election in 2016 and help lay the groundwork for her campaign.
Strickland was introduced by Joyce Beatty, the United States representative for Ohio’s 3rd congressional district. Before her current term as congresswoman, Beatty was the senior vice president for outreach and engagement at Ohio State.
“Before anyone was talking about health care, Hillary was talking about health care,” Beatty said. “Before anyone was talking about early childhood education, Hillary was talking about early childhood education.”
“Ohio has always been ready for Hillary,” she added, “because she’s ready.”
Clinton has not formally announced whether she will run for president.
Strickland asked the crowd whether it was concerned about the country.
“Are you afraid of what would happen to the United States of America if a Republican had the opportunity to appoint any more of those freaky conservatives to the United States Supreme Court?” Strickland asked the crowd.
Strickland said Clinton is “experienced, mature and capable of dealing with the threats that face us.”
He added that Clinton could provide answers for problems in the United States.
“We have a Republican legislature that cares only for the billionaires,” Strickland said. He said Clinton is the answer to problems when thinking economically.
He spoke about President Barack Obama’s final term and praised the president for his work in immigration reform.
“But my friends, Barack Obama’s time in the White House is limited. And he will be replaced by the next president,” Strickland said.
“On election night in 2016,” Strickland said, “We will hear the announcer say, ‘Ohio has gone for Hillary, the glass ceiling has been shattered.’
“And it will be because of the people who live in the great state of Ohio.”
Some Ohio State students showed their support for Clinton at the event.
R.J. Yaptangco, a first-year in OSU’s Moritz Law School working on a master’s degree in public administration and policy, said he was confident about Clinton’s presidential campaign if she decides to run.
“Although we didn’t get the DNC for 2016, Ohio is so committed to Hillary, to Democratic causes and we’re gonna turn this state blue,” Yaptangco said.
The U.S. Democratic Party selected Philadelphia to host its national nominating convention in 2016. Columbus was announced as one of the final three cities for the event in November, along with Philadelphia and New York.
Yaptangco went to the event to support Clinton, but said being there made him realize the importance of voting in the upcoming election.
“As someone who came from another country and got his citizenship here,” Yaptangco, who is from the Philippines, said, “being able to vote for the president is one of the best opportunities, duties, actually, that one can ever have in this country, so definitely vote.”
