Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who is retiring at the end of 2016, shared “personal” details about Hillary Clinton during Tuesday evening remarks she delivered at the Democratic National Convention, and said Clinton had single-handedly “restored America’s standing in the world as Secretary of State.”
Clinton served under President Barack Obama between 2009 and 2013. It was in 2012 that the devastating Benghazi, Libya attack took place, in which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were brutally murdered by terrorist insurgents.
During an interview with Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes that aired this past weekend, Clinton said she “took responsibility” for the Benghazi attacks but added that the lack of security provided for Stevens, in spite of his requests to her over email, “was not my ball to carry.” Clinton added that Stevens’s security concerns “never came to my attention … No, the experts — we have security experts. I am not going to substitute my judgment for people who have been in the field, who understand what our men and women are up against. So this has all been investigated over and over again.”
Boxer went on to praise Clinton for her other qualities. She had stated previously that as First Lady and then U.S. Senator from New York, America saw Hillary’s “heart as she worked across party lines to bring health care to millions and millions of children” and “her strength when after 9/11 she stood with first responders and tirelessly fought for them.”
Boxer added: “And I, I personally saw the light in her eyes when she became a grandmother and her fight for a better America became even more personal and even more urgent.”
She also dove into a more personal aspect of her relationship with Clinton, letting the crowd know that their relationshipgoes back over 20 years. “We’re actually family. My daughter was married to her brother. So my beloved grandson is her beloved nephew. Yes. So I know her.” Boxer recalled how Clinton would plan her grandson’s birthday parties when he was a toddler and “rush over after a busy day at the State Department to cheer him on at his high school football games.”
Clinton’s mother, Dorothy, also played a large role in her daughter’s life. As such, Boxer also recalled a letter Dorothy had once written for Boxer in which she had stated that Hillary had always taken “the long view of things; never instant gratification,” adding that she has a “strong sense of empathy for others and a great sense of humor” — both of which, she said, “have served her well.”
Boxer also emphasized the “toughness” Clinton had displayed considering “the right-wing has thrown everything at Hillary. Not only the kitchen sink, not only the stove, but the refrigerator and the toaster too.” Boxer added, “And you know what? She’s still standing,” as she thumped her right hand on the podium.
Women’s issues were also highlighted as a segue to attacking the Republican Party. She called Trump “un-American” for suggesting minimum wage increases would drive out small businesses. On Roe v. Wade, Boxer dug into Trump’s conservative running mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence. “I have a message for Donald Trump and Mike Pence,” Boxer said. “We are not going back to the dark days when women died in back alleys. We are never, ever, ever going back. Never. We are moving forward with Hillary Clinton.”
In conclusion, she said what makes America great is “when we stand together, it’s when we work together, it’s when we build together, it’s when we fight together. And that’s what makes America great. And that’s what Hillary Clinton will do. And that is why I’m telling you tonight, Hillary Clinton will be our next president of the United States of America.”
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz
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