Clinton compares GOP convention to ‘Wizard of Oz’
Hillary Clinton promised not to raise taxes on the middle class and compared the first night of the Republican National Convention to the movie “The Wizard of Oz” while campaigning in Las Vegas at separate events Tuesday.
Speaking to members of the public employee union the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Clinton said watching parts of the GOP convention Monday night reminded her of when she would watch the 1939 musical as a kid.
“Lots of sound and fury. Even a fog machine. But when you pulled back the curtain, it was just Donald Trump with nothing to offer the people,” Clinton said of the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Clinton spoke to the union, which has about 1.6 million members nationwide, during its annual convention.
During her 22-minute speech, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee harped on Trump for his bankruptcies in Atlantic City and for manufacturing many of his Trump-branded products, such as ties and suits, outside the U.S. while also repeating some of her own key campaign goals such as raising the federal minimum wage, making college more affordable and protecting the rights of unions.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus responded to Clinton’s speech to AFSCME members in a press release.
“Promising more tax dollars for the government in exchange for votes is exactly the kind of rigged system Hillary Clinton has long benefited from, and middle class families have every right to be angry about this unethical backscratching taking place at their expense,” Priebus said.
The chairman called for voters to “run the other way” from Clinton and instead “elect a Republican president who will create jobs, cut wasteful government spending, and bring wholesale change to Washington.”
Priebus did not name Trump or any GOP presidential candidate by name in his statement.
Clinton later Tuesday received an endorsement by a separate national union group, UNITE HERE, during a campaign event at the Culinary Academy, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd.
Clinton said in the later speech she would “not raise taxes on the middle class,” while repeating several of the barbs she threw at Trump during the earlier speech.
During both speeches, she urged the two union groups to continue their efforts to register voters to the Democratic Party who will vote for her come November.
Outside the Culinary Academy, a lone protester stood beneath the shade of a tree carrying a white cardboard picket sign that read “Clinton lies, let it slide?”
The protester, who identified himself only as Andy, said he hoped passersby would “look at my sign and think about it.” He said he’s backing Trump for his stance on security, jobs and immigration.
“She lied about Benghazi and didn’t even tell the parents,” the protester said, likely addressing Monday night’s speech at the Republican convention by a mother who accused Clinton of lying about the death of her son in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012.
Review-Journal writer Ana Ley contributed to this report. Contact Colton Lochhead atclochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
