Talk Bronx New York

Clinton Speaks At High School Graduation In The Bronx

New York Senator Hillary Clinton made her first public appearance since leaving the presidential race, speaking at a graduation in the Bronx Sunday afternoon.

Clinton delivered the commencement address at Pelham Prep Academy’s graduation at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus.

“I have just finished the most extraordinary experience that anyone could possibly have,” said Clinton. “Being able to travel around our country, this great, sprawling, diverse country, from one end to the other, meeting thousands and thousands of people who want a better life for themselves and their families, who believe with all their heart in the American dream.”

The former first lady spoke at the graduation to fulfill a promise made to one of the students, Aleatha Williams, a young woman who worked on Clinton’s campaign for the Senate and Bill Clinton’s campaign for president.

“During her historic bid to become the Democratic nominee for president, she taught us all that no glass ceiling is high enough to limit the will of a person who is committed to living up to their true potential,” said Williams.

Clinton was introduced by Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who said that Clinton’s hard fight in the presidential race should serve as an inspiration to the graduates.

“Someday soon we’ll have a woman for president, and that woman will say, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Hillary Clinton,” said Klein.

Many of the graduates said they hope they haven’t seen the last of Clinton in this presidential race. They said they want to see an Obama-Clinton ticket.

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Obama Cites Case of Bronx Nursing Aide 

Senator Barack Obama was giving an address by satellite to the Service Employees International Union convention on Wednesday, when he unexpectedly began talking about a nursing home worker from New York City who died last month.

The worker, Audrey Smith-Campbell, died on May 13 after she had an asthma attack. Her family said the attack was caused by her employer cutting off the workers’ health insurance and the resulting inability to afford her asthma medication.

Ms. Smith-Campbell and 220 other workers at the Kingsbridge Heights Rehabilitation Care Center in the Bronx went on strike on Feb. 20 to protest the nursing home’s decision to stop paying for their health insurance. The strike continues after more than three months.

Ms. Smith-Campbell, who had worked at the home for 29 years as a certified nursing assistant, was known as one of the most dedicated strikers, picketing day after day. Describing her as a “66-year-old grandmother,” Mr. Obama said, “For 82 straight days she kept marching, she kept standing strong, right up to the day that an asthma attack took her life.”

Her daughter, Yvonne Young, said she had an asthma attack on Mother’s Day, shortly after she picketed that day. She died the next day. Ms. Young said her mother simply could not afford the $600 a month for asthma medication once the health insurance was cut off.

“We cannot accept this kind of injustice in the United States of America,” Mr. Obama told the 2,000 delegates at the S.E.I.U. convention in Puerto Rico. “We cannot tolerate this outrage of workers having to go on strike to get the benefits they promised.”

The nursing home’s owner, Helen Sieger, accused the union — 1199 S.E.I.U. United Healthcare Workers East — of “using this woman’s death to gain support.”

“This shameless act screams of desperation and guilt,” she said.

In his remarks, Mr. Obama, now the presumptive Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, who has the union’s endorsement, said, “Audrey is no longer with us, but her spirit is with us.”

He added, “It’s driving me on this campaign.”

Mrs. Sieger sought to hold the union responsible for the termination of health benefits, saying that she had offered 1199 an interim agreement that would have offered health insurance.

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Bronx, NY — “Latinos Con Obama,” a group of young Latinos & Latinas and dedicated supporters of senator Barack Obama, is heading down to the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area today, headed by the Dominican Haile Rivera.

“Our goal in the DC/MD/VA area this weekend is to focus on the Latino community and visit businesses, bodegas, restaurants, beauty parlors, and just talk to the Latinos about who Barack Obama is and why we should stand with him and vote for him on Tuesday, February 12th. It is no secret that the Latino community has a deep affection for the Clintons because of Bill Clinton’s Presidency. However, I am convinced that once they hear where she (Hillary) stands on the issue of immigration, they will re-think supporting her. We (Latinos) can not support or have a President who believes that the best thing to do is deport individuals “with no questions asked” and “without due process.” This is something I would expect from a Bush administration but definitely not a true Democrat”, said Rivera, Founder and Coordinator of Latinos Con Obama.

Rivera further states that “after having dinner with the Senator back in

July 2007, I was even more convinced that supporting him was the best political decision I have ever made in my life. As a Bronxite, I have taken allot of heat for supporting Obama, which is fine with me, but I’m with him not because of what is politically convenient for me or any aspirations I may have in public service. I went with him because he has what it takes to make this country great again: courage, conviction, judgement and knows the issues. Senator Obama came from the bottom and worked his way up. That’s exactly what the Latino community takes pride in: success. The Bronx, New York and the American people needs a change, now and Obama is the way to go.”

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 The Mamosa Lounge hosted a Clinton event Thursday night.

 Ana tries to sway another voter toward Hillary.

 The salsa dancers only waited a few minutes after the debate to start dancing.

Bronx’s Mamosa Lounge Hosts Clinton Support Event

Only in New York City could you find a woman from the Honduran rainforests trying to convince an Indian man to vote for a woman president while they smoked cigarettes outside a salsa bar.

That scene took place Thursday night after Sen. Hillary Clinton supporters watched her debate Sen. Barack Obama over beers and munchies at the Mamosa Lounge in the East Bronx. The Bronx County Democrats put on the event and several political heavyweights attended, including the potential next mayor of the city - comptroller Bill Thompson. This wasn’t a surprise considering 48 of 52 elected officials in the Bronx support Clinton.

But 32-year-old Ana Mejia stood out as a non-politico in a stylish Hillary t-shirt and slacks. Most of the suit-wearing crowd treated the event as a schmooze-fest with free drinks. A few paid attention to the debate. Mejia, who said she recorded the debate at home, had another agenda. The Bronx resident wanted to talk to politicians about a multicultural voter registration drive that would include blood donations, job applications and free condoms.

“I’m here to network and get things done,” said Mejia, who moved to the Bronx from San Pedro Sula, Honduras in 1992 and became a citizen a decade later.

And she also tried to sway voters, including this reporter. Mejia led a 60-person bus trip to New Hampshire for the primary. She organized a canvassing group in Manchester and said that she swayed a lot of voters using what she called the five P’s (Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance) — a sales tool she learned when she worked retail.

“I told [the canvassers in New Hampshire] that they had to listen to what the voters said, which is a big part of sales and then speak from your heart,” she said with a sensational smile. “She won that election in New Hampshire by a small margin and I think it’s because of people like me and the people that were on that bus.”

As she sipped on a Corona, she talked more about why she didn’t support Obama, even though she liked him.

“Obama inspires me. He’s black. I’m Hispanic. I’m a minority. Now I think I have a chance too,” said Mejia, who took vacation days Thursday and Friday to volunteer for Clinton. “But do I believe he has experience or backbone? No.”

When asked about the recent media coverage of the perceived divide between blacks and Latinos, Mejia didn’t hesitate to answer.

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Former President Clinton Supports Bloomberg — But Not Over Hillary

December 7th, 2007

While in the Bronx with Mayor Michael Bloomberg Friday to unveil a new initiative to make public housing more environmentally friendly, former President Bill Clinton lavished praise on the mayor but admitted that he wouldn’t like to see the mayor as one of his wife’s presidential rivals. NY1’s Rita Nissan filed the following report.

Mayor Bloomberg versus Hillary Clinton in a presidential contest is a match-up former President Bill Clinton says he hopes never comes to fruition.

“He’s been a really good mayor. What he does with the rest of his life, he’ll have to decide. I have the highest regard for him,” said the former president. “Obviously, I hope they never wind up being opponents just because I like him so much.”

Clinton and Bloomberg teamed up in the Bronx Friday to announce an initiative to make public housing more environmentally friendly. Clinton was quick to pile on the praise on the mayor.

“None of this would be possible without the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg,” said Clinton.
“I think he’s a good man and a great mayor and I think he’s also been a positive change agent.”

Bloomberg insists he’s going to focus on philanthropy when he leaves office, but many think he is also flirting with the idea of running for president as an Independent candidate.

At Friday’s event he leaned towards giving away his billions, with this remark to the former president.

“I’m glad to see after public service you can still make a big contribution. So in 754 days, I’ll have something to do,” said the mayor.

Whether there’s even room for an Independent candidate, Clinton - a master political strategizer – would not speculate.

“No one knows the answer to any of those questions until they happen,” said the former president.

What is happening right now is a fierce contest on the Democratic side, with Clinton talking up his wife’s credentials with the same adjective he used to describe the mayor.

“We need to make a new beginning and I just think she’s the most proven agent of positive change,” he said of his wife.

Saturday, President Clinton will be in South Carolina, perhaps to bring some star power to the campaign trail, because Barack Obama will be campaigning there this weekend with Oprah Winfrey.

SOURCE: NY1 Bronx

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