Kamala Harris in Oakland County, Michigan | Friday, October 18, 2024

 Auto-transcribed on Sunday, October 20, 2024.media and text playback available on this page: https://aliceapp.ai/recordings/PUGzo2BSLDIVKXOsgHlthWrJ7TReMF4w

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Duration: 	00:33:25 	
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Speakers:

 Kamala Harris - 100.0%

Notes:

Summary by ChatGPT- Arab-American Community and Middle East Conflict: Acknowledged the contributions of the Arab-American community in Detroit and addressed the devastation in Gaza and Lebanon, emphasizing diplomacy to bring stability and peace.- Upcoming Election: Urged voters to recognize the importance of the upcoming election, calling it one of the most consequential in history, and stressed the stark differences between her and Donald Trump's visions for America.- Economic and Healthcare Policies: Outlined her plan to reduce the cost of living, invest in small businesses, protect reproductive rights, and expand Medicare to cover home health care for seniors.- Criticism of Donald Trump: Criticized Donald Trump's record on manufacturing, healthcare, and union support, particularly his failure to protect manufacturing jobs and his opposition to union efforts.- Defense of Reproductive Rights: Strongly condemned the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, highlighting the immorality of abortion bans without exceptions for rape and incest, and pledged to fight for womenâ€™s freedom to make decisions about their bodies.

[00:00:02]  Kamala Harris 
 Good evening, Michigan. 

[00:00:09]   
 Can we hear it from Mia? 

[00:00:15]   
 Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. 

[00:00:33]   
 Thank you. 

[00:00:39]   
 Thank you. All right. Okay. Thank you. And we need to get to work. 

[00:00:43]   
 All right. Thank you all. It is so good to be back in Michigan. 

[00:00:51]   
 It is so good to be back. I want to thank everyone for taking the time out of your busy lives to take the time to be here this evening. I thank you all so very. 

[00:01:09]   
 Can we please hear for stab. Can we please hear for Senator Stabenow who was here earlier, county executive Dave Coulter, Representative Stephens, who we need to elect to the United States Congress. 

[00:01:32]   
 And let's send Representative sloc into the United States Senate because we need them in DC. We need them in DC. I also want to thank all of the leaders of the arab american community who are here. 

[00:01:54]   
 As everyone knows, this community has deep and proud roots in the Detroit metro area. And I am proud to have the support of arab american leaders like Wayne County. Deputy, we need a medic. Okay. We need a medic. 

[00:02:12]   
 Um, let's figure out a way to part a little bit so that we can bring a medic in over here, please. Okay. 

[00:02:40]   
 Okay. It looks like we need a medic over there, too. Is that what we're saying? 

[00:02:48]   
 Okay. We got a lot of folks in here. It's a little warm. Let's just make sure we're looking out for each other. Okay? 

[00:02:56]   
 Lots of folks. Okay. Are we okay? Okay. 

[00:03:05]   
 All right. It looks like we're good. We're okay. All right. Okay. 

[00:03:09]   
 Thank you and always to our first responders, thank you for your work. So, as I was saying, our arab american community has deep and proud roots in the Detroit metro area. And I am very proud to have the support of arab american leaders like Wayne county deputy executive Assad Turfy. 

[00:03:36]   
 And listen, I know this year has been very difficult. Given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon, it is devastating. And now Sinwar's death can and must be a turning point. 

[00:04:00]   
 Everyone must seize this opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, and end the suffering once and for all. And I continue to believe diplomacy is the answer to bringing lasting stability across the Israel Lebanon border. And as vice president, and with your help as president, I will do everything in my power to achieve these goals and work toward a future with security and dignity for all people in the region. 

[00:04:42]   
 So thank you all. And Michigan, listen, we got 18 days to get this done. 

[00:04:48]   
 18 short days. And you all wouldn't be here spending your precious time here with all the other obligations you've got. If you did not know, this is probably one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. 

[00:05:04]   
 And it's going to be a tight race until the very end. And we are the underdog, and running as the underdog. But make no mistake, we will win. We will win. We will win. 

[00:05:21]   
 Yes, we will. We will win. 

[00:05:29]   
 And we will win because we understand. And we will win because we understand what is at stake. This election is about two very different visions for our nation. One, Donald Trump, that is focused on the past, and the other, and the other ours, that is focused on the future. 

[00:06:02]   
 We are focused on a future where we bring down the cost of living, invest in small businesses and entrepreneurs, protect reproductive freedom. 

[00:06:22]   
 That is in the future that we are fighting for. But as you all know, that's not what we're hearing from Donald Trump. Instead, it is the same old tired playbook. He has no plan for how he would address the needs of the american people. No plan. 

[00:06:42]   
 Can I hear it again? No plan. 

[00:06:47]   
 And he is only focused on himself. And now check this out. He is ducking debates and canceling interviews. 

[00:07:00]   
 You saw, uh, his own campaign team as saying it's because of exhaustion. All right, well, here's the thing. If you are exhausted from the campaign trail, it raises real questions about you are fit for the toughest job in the world. 

[00:07:31]   
 And so, folks, for these reasons and more, it is time to turn the page. Let's turn the page, because, um, America is ready to chart a new way forward, ready for a new and optimistic generation of leadership. That is all of you. It's all of us. 

[00:08:02]   
 Which is why Democrats, um, Republicans, independents, are supporting our campaign. In fact, you may have seen earlier this week, over 100 republican leaders from across the country join me on the campaign trail, including some who served under Donald Trump's administration. Because, you know, they know him best. They understand what's at stake. Sake. 

[00:08:26]   
 And I believe Americans want a president and deserve a president who works for all the american people. All the american people. 

[00:08:42]   
 And that has been, as you all know, the story of my entire career. I've only in my career had one client, the people. One client. 

[00:08:54]   
 As a young, uh, courtroom prosecutor, I protected women and children. As attorney general of California, I fought for students and veterans who are being scammed by those for profit colleges. As vice president, I have stood up for workers and seniors. And as president, I will fight for all the american people. Always. 

[00:09:17]   
 Always. 

[00:09:32]   
 And together. Us, uh, and we will together. Like, I want you to shout your own name for a minute. Let's do that really quickly. Shout your own name for a minute. 

[00:09:47]   
 That's what I'm talking about. Because it's about you. It's about your family. It's about you. That's what I'm talking about. 

[00:09:59]   
 That's what I'm talking about. Because together we will build a brighter future for our nation. Together. Together. A future where we build what I call an opportunity economy. 

[00:10:15]   
 So that every American has an opportunity to own a home, buy a car, build wealth, start a business. Right? Under my plan, we will deal with things like bringing down the cost of housing. We will help entrepreneurs start and grow a small business. Do we have any small business owners here? 

[00:10:40]   
 Our small businesses are the backbone of America's economy. 

[00:10:46]   
 My plan will expand Medicare to cover home health care for seniors. 

[00:10:56]   
 And look, as with so many of the issues that are priority issues for me, including small businesses, the issue of home health care. Look, I'm going to just go off script for a moment. So when my mother was, um, when my mother was sick, I took care of her. And for anyone here who has or is taken care of an older relative, you know what it is? 

[00:11:20]   
 It's about trying to cook something that they feel like eating. 

[00:11:25]   
 It's about trying to put, uh, some clothes on them that won't irritate their skin, right? It's about from time to time, trying to figure out what you can say that will bring a smile to their face or make them laugh. It's about dignity. It's about dignity. And here's the deal. 

[00:11:47]   
 When you look at everyone who is doing that, and then you look at what we call the sandwich generation, which, uh, are people who are raising your young children and taking care of your parents, it's a lot. And either you have enough money to afford to have somebody come in and help you, which most people don't, or you might have to give up your job, which means you're cutting off a source of income for your household, or you have to spend down your savings to qualify for Medicaid, that's just not right. 

[00:12:23]   
 So my plan is to say that we are going to fix it so that Medicare covers the cost of home health care. Work for seniors. 

[00:12:36]   
 Because it's about dignity. It's about promote dignity so more seniors can live at home with dignity. 

[00:12:49]   
 Our plan will lower costs on everything from healthcare to groceries. I'm going to take on corporate price gouging like I've done before. I'm going to do it again. 

[00:13:02]   
 My plan will also give middle class tax cuts to 100 million Americans, including $6,000 during the first year of a child's life. Because here is where I'm coming from. The vast majority of our young parents have a natural desire to parent their children well, but not always the resources. And so, looking at expanding the child tax credit, again, it's about dignity. 

[00:13:28]   
 It's about recognizing that folks just need a little help to buy a car seat or a crib or the essential needs for your child during such a critical stage of their development. 

[00:13:44]   
 And by the way, we all benefit from that. Everybody benefits from that. 

[00:13:56]   
 So these are just some examples of our plan and all of that to say, look, I will always. I will always stand and fight for the middle class and working families of America. 

[00:14:13]   
 I come, um, from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from. 

[00:14:25]   
 My plan also invests in american manufacturing and innovation. 

[00:14:32]   
 And I will make sure America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century. 

[00:14:46]   
 Exactly right. Exactly right. And Michigan knows, and Michigan knows better than most what that means about investing in american industry. Under my plan, we will invest in the industries that built America, like steel, iron, and the great american auto industry. 

[00:15:17]   
 And contrary to what my opponent is suggesting, I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive. 

[00:15:26]   
 But here's what I will do. I will invest in communities like Oakland county and Detroit. 

[00:15:37]   
 We will retool existing factories and hire locally and work with unions to create good paying jobs, including, by the way, jobs that do not require a college degree. Because this is how I feel. Look, this is how I feel about that. We all know a college degree is not the only measure of the skills and experience of a qualified worker. 

[00:16:16]   
 So part of my plan is to do an assessment of all the federal jobs which will be under our jurisdiction to figure out which of them should be rethought of in terms of whether or not it actually requires a college degree. And the next step on that is going to be to challenge the private sector to do the same. 

[00:16:43]   
 I will also protect the pensions of union members and retirees, including yesterday when I announced the protection of the full earned pension benefits of more than 22,500 retirees under the Detroit Carpenter's pension fund. 

[00:17:11]   
 Because back to the point about dignity, I understand the dignity of work, and I understand the importance of having dignity in your retirement. 

[00:17:25]   
 Now, Donald Trump has a different approach. 

[00:17:31]   
 I don't need to tell you he's full of big promises, but always fails to deliver. Always fails to deliver. So remember, he said he was the only one. You know how he talks the only one who could bring back America's manufacturers manufacturing jobs. Remember when he said that? 

[00:17:57]   
 And then America lost almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs when he was president, including tens of thousands of jobs right here in Michigan. And those losses started before the pandemic, okay? Making Donald Trump one of the biggest losers of manufacturing jobs in american history. 

[00:18:43]   
 And his track record for the auto industry was also a disaster. He promised workers in Warren, you remember he promised workers in Warren that the auto industry would, and I'm going to, quote, not lose one plant during his presidency. Then american automakers announced the closure of six auto plants when he was president, including General Motors in Warren and Stellantis in Detroit. 

[00:19:12]   
 Remember that? Thousands, thousands of, uh, Michigan auto workers lost their jobs. 

[00:19:20]   
 And Donald Trump's running mate, you know, because the position was vacant and he had to fill it, right? You know, for the young people here, you know, when you go for an interview and you sit down at the interview and you ask the person who's interviewing, why is the job vacant? 

[00:19:40]   
 So Donald Trump's, um, current running mate recently suggested that if they win, they would threaten the Grand River assembly plant in Lansing, the same plant that our administration protected earlier this year, saving 650 union jobs. Huh? And remember, Donald Trump encouraged automakers to move their plants out of Michigan so they could pay their workers less. 

[00:20:19]   
 And when the UAW went on strike, when the UAW went on strike to demand the higher wages that you deserved, Donald Trump went to a non union shock, remember? 

[00:20:38]   
 And he attacked the UAW and he said, striking. He said, striking and collective bargaining don't, and I'm going to, quote, don't make a damn bit of difference. That's what he said about striking and collective bargaining. Well, Michigan, you know better. We know better. 

[00:20:59]   
 Strong unions mean higher wages, better healthcare, and greater dignity for union members and everyone else, because you don't have to be a member of M a union to thank unions for your five day work week and your vacation time and youre sick leave. Thank a union. 

[00:21:34]   
 Which is why, when I am president, with your help, I will sign the pro act into law and make it easier for workers to join a union and negotiate for better pay and working conditions. And now Donald Trump is making the same empty promises to the people of Michigan that he did before, hoping you will forget how he let you down the last time. 

[00:22:05]   
 But we're not falling for the Okie dope. No. And we won't be fooled. 

[00:22:12]   
 Just, for example, Google Project 2025, which I still, by the way, find it fascinating to think that they actually put that in writing. I mean, they put it in writing. They published it, they bound it and gave it out. Right? And here's the thing. 

[00:22:37]   
 To read it is to know it is a detailed and dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he is elected president. Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, cut Social Security and Medicare, get rid of the $35 cap on insulin for seniors that you all helped us get, make it easier. 

[00:23:05]   
 He will read it, make it, he will make it easier for companies to deny overtime payrol to workers. 

[00:23:15]   
 And he intends to impose what I call a Trump sales tax, which is at least 20%, if not more, of a tax on everyday basic necessities, which economists have estimated will cost the american family an additional $4,000 a year. 

[00:23:37]   
 And if that weren't enough, on top of this and all of this, he plans to end the Affordable Care act. 

[00:23:47]   
 And he has no plan to replace it. 

[00:23:54]   
 He has, because he has, quote, concepts of a plan. 

[00:24:07]   
 So you all have heard me say, you know, I think Donald Trump is an unserious man, and the consequences if he were to ever get back into the White House are, are absolutely dangerously serious, because think about it, he's going to threaten the health insurance coverage of, uh, 45. Okay, so here's the thing. 

[00:24:38]   
 Here's the thing about that. Here's the thing about that. The courts are going to take care of that. 

[00:24:44]   
 We're going to take care of November. We're going to take care of November. How about that? Right? We'll take care of November. 

[00:24:57]   
 But again, concepts of a plan. So think about it in terms of the serious nature of this. He's basically threatening the health insurance coverage of 45 million Americans based on a concept. And taking us back to when you remember, insurance companies could deny people with pre existing conditions. You remember what that was. 

[00:25:21]   
 And that's why we are not going back. We are not going back. No, we are not going back. We will move forward. 

[00:25:37]   
 We will move forward because ours is a fight for the future. Ours is a fight for the future. And it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. 

[00:26:16]   
 And we are. We remember how we got here, right? Donald Trump hand selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did as he intended. And now check this out. 

[00:26:33]   
 In America, one in three women live in a state with a Trump abortion bandaid, many with no exception, even for rape, and incest, which means you're telling someone who is a survivor of a violation to their body that they have no right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. 

[00:26:58]   
 That is immoral. Immoral. M. And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree. 

[00:27:11]   
 The government should not be telling her what to do with her body. Not the government. Not the government. No. If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government. 

[00:27:29]   
 And some folks up in a statehouse telling her what in her own best interest. And so here's my pledge to you. When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. Proudly sign it into and across our nation. Listen, I'm traveling the country, and I'll tell you, across our nation, we are witnessing a full on assault on hard won freedoms and rights, including the freedom to vote. 

[00:28:13]   
 Let me tell you, uh, in places like Georgia, where I'm spending some time, you know, they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote. 

[00:28:26]   
 I mean, the hypocrisy abounds. Uh, what happened to love thy neighbor? 

[00:28:34]   
 Attacks on the freedom to join a union. Attacks on the freedom to be safe from gun violence. Mia talked about that. Attacks on the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. 

[00:28:55]   
 So I say all that to say what you know, which is, again, why you are spending your precious time here. There is so much on the line in this election, and this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher because remember, a few months ago, the Supreme Court of the United States basically told the former president that he has effectively immune from doing whatever he does in office. 

[00:29:24]   
 And just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails. Just imagine he who has vowed, if re elected, to be a dictator on day one, he who calls Americans who disagree with him the enemy from within, you know where that language comes from, and says that he would use the military, the american military, to go after the american people. 

[00:29:54]   
 He who has called for the, quote, termination of the constitution of the United States of America. 

[00:30:07]   
 And let us be very clear. Someone who suggests we should terminate the constitution of the United States of America should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States of America. Never again. Never again. Never again. 

[00:30:46]   
 So we are not going back. And so this is how we're going to make sure we don't go back. Okay, so here, let's get to the business then. So Michigan, it all comes down to this. We are here together because we know. 

[00:31:01]   
 What does that say? We are here together. Most importantly, also because we love our country. We love our country. And I do believe it is one of the highest expressions and forms of love of our country and patriotism to then fight for the ideals of our country and to fight and to fight to realize the promise of America. 

[00:31:35]   
 So, election day is in 18 days. Okay. And here in Michigan, early voting starts on Saturday, October 26, one week from tomorrow. If you live in Wayne county, you can vote in person even sooner. Early voting in Detroit starts tomorrow. 

[00:32:00]   
 So now is the time to make your plan to vote. And if you have received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait. Fill it out tonight and return it. Because, folks, the election is here and we need a to, as you know best how to do, we need to energize. We need to organize, we need to mobilize. 

[00:32:32]   
 Knowing. Knowing our vote is our voice. And your voice is your power. 

[00:32:46]   
 Michigan, today I ask you, are you ready to make your voices heard? 

[00:32:54]   
 Do we believe in freedom? Um. Do we believe in opportunity? 

[00:33:04]   
 Do we believe in the promise of America? 

[00:33:11]   
 And are we ready to fight for it? 

[00:33:16]   
 And when we fight, we win. God bless you. God bless America.