Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by The Honorable James Clyburn

PHILADELPHIA, July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- My Fellow Democrats, and hello, South Carolina!

As the father of three daughters and grandfather of two adorable granddaughters, I am proud to stand before you as we prepare to offer the American people an opportunity to smash through the ultimate glass ceiling in our nation by nominating for President of the United States a person who is more qualified — by education and training, experience and temperament — than anyone who has ever offered for the job. And when it comes to current pursuers, it ain't even close.

The changes we seek for our great country will not come easy. To achieve a stronger and better America, we need a leader who is willing and able to fight for the dreams of all Americans. If there's one thing I know about Hillary Clinton it is this: She is a fighter. And she fights with her head and her heart. 

In my home state of South Carolina, we often say, "you can best tell what a person will do by looking at what he or she has done." When she graduated from law school, Hillary Clinton came to South Carolina to help reform our juvenile justice system and traveled across the region to help make the 1965 Voting Rights Act real in the lives of all Americans.

In Arkansas, she fought to reform education. As First Lady, she fought for universal health care and succeeded in helping secure the Children's Health Insurance Program that provides health care for millions of children and laid the groundwork for the Affordable Care Act.

As a Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton always worked to advance our nation's "pursuit of a more perfect union." Hillary Clinton knows we must take effective action on the issue of income inequality. She has embraced the Congressional Black Caucus's 10-20-30 plan to target federal resources into areas of persistent poverty. Hillary Clinton's first policy speech in this campaign was on criminal justice reform. She will work to get rid of mandatory minimums, mass incarcerations, and private for-profit prisons.

Hillary Clinton does not fear getting outside of her comfort zone. She knows that we are stronger as a nation when we work together. She embodies our nation's motto, E Pluribus Unum, out of many one.

John F. Kennedy challenged us to reach for the moon, and we did. Lyndon Baines Johnson courageously tackled poverty and inequality in America; his achievements continue to lift our communities and sustain our citizens. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pointed us to the mountaintop, and although we are not there yet, we are still climbing. And with President Hillary Clinton, America will rise even further.

‎My standing before you tonight is a testament to the strength of our party, the goodness of our people, and the greatness of our nation. Our nation is strong, but we can be stronger. Americans are good, but we can be better. America is great, but it can be greater.

My fellow Democrats, America's brightest days are yet to come. We have bigger and better things to achieve. But achieving bigger and better things requires working harder and working together. Let's emerge from Philadelphia working together to make our nation stronger, Americans better, and America greater by electing Hillary Rodham Clinton the next President of the United States.

God bless you and God bless these United States of America.

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SOURCE 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee

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