Clinton: GOP 2016 field ‘just like Trump without the pizzaz and the hair’
By Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated
11:50 AM EDT, Sat August 15, 2015
Clinton starts speaking 710 pm CST Followed by Sanders, OMalley, Webb and Chaffee -- 20 min each Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O?Malley and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will speak at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding fundraiser at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Cost: $30 per ticket. Event begins at 6pm LOCAL Presidential Candidates take stage at aprox. 7pm LOCAL End of event 8:50pm LOCAL qc: cole
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Story highlights
Clinton attacked three Republican presidential contenders by name
She also joked about her email controversy in explaining why she likes Snapchat: "All those messages disappear all by themselves."
(CNN) —
A defiant Hillary Clinton unleashed her harshest attacks on Republicans yet, bringing a rowdy crowd of Democratic activists to its feet Friday night by labeling the entire GOP field “just like (Donald) Trump without the pizzaz and the hair.”
In a 20-minute speech before 2,000 people at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding dinner here, Clinton attacked three Republican presidential contenders by name, blasting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush over education funding.
She hit Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – again, by name – over his accusation that Clinton is playing the “gender card,” saying, “If calling for equal pay and paid leave is playing the gender card, then deal me in.”
And Clinton bashed the Citizens United-produced attack film “Hillary: The Movie.” She noted that the Supreme Court case over the conservative group led to a decision that allowed unfettered money in politics – a ruling, she said, that “was about me.”
“How do you think that makes me feel?” Clinton said. “They ended up damaging our entire democracy. We can’t let them pull that same trick again.”
“I don’t care how many super PACs and Republicans pile on. I’ve been fighting for families and underdogs my entire life, and I’m not going to stop now,” Clinton added.
Clinton makes light of email controversy
Clinton also addressed the controversy surrounding her use of a personal email address on a private server during her tenure as secretary of state, joking with the friendly crowd that she likes the popular picture messaging app Snapchat: “All those messages disappear all by themselves.”
She attacked Republicans who have used congressional inquiries to draw attention to the issue, vowing to not “get down in the mud with them.”
But there’s little doubt her email usage has hurt her campaign. Five months after reports that she’d used the private email, Clinton’s campaign this week turned over her server to the Justice Department. It was, in part, an acknowledgment that the issue has lessened Americans’ views of Clinton’s trustworthiness – and comes as chatter surrounding potential alternatives, including Vice President Joe Biden, heats up.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
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Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
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DONALD R. BROYLES/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
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A. Lynn/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
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Danny Johnston/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
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CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
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LYNNE SLADKY/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
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STEPHAN SAVOIA/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
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TIM CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993.
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Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995.
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
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KATHY WILLENS/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
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PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
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Roberto Borea/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
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SUSAN WALSH/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
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KATHY WILLENS/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
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Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
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Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003.
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BILL PUGLIANO/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
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Ronda Churchill/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
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Charles Dharapak/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
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Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
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Pete Souza/The White House/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
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Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Brendan Smialowski/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
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JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
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Isaac Brekken/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
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Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
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Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
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ADAM ROSE/CNN
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
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Evan Vucci/AP
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
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@hillaryclinton/Twitter
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
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David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president.
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Andrew Harnik/AP
Using a tactic present in her speeches since her first major rally in early June, Clinton highlighted her career before politics – including her work for the Children’s Defense Fund – and her mother, Dorothy Rodham, whose story the wealthy and long-famous Clinton has used to argue that she understands those who struggle.
“Every step of the way, I tried to even the odds for people who had the odds stacked against them. I learned that from my mother,” she said.
Clinton was the first of four 2016 presidential contenders to take the stage. She was followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
The crowd had crammed into the Surf Ballroom, which became a rock ’n’ roll landmark on “The Day the Music Died” – when, after a 1959 performance there, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson were killed in a plane crash.
The Democratic candidates – and most of their 17 Republican opponents – are barnstorming the Hawkeye State this weekend, packing town hall events and organizing meetings around visits to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
She was followed by Sanders, who supported many of the same policies, but highlighted three positions of his that clash with Clinton: His opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and his opposition to the Iraq War, which Clinton supported in the Senate.
He also trained his fire at Republicans, accusing them of being “hell-bent to get us into other wars.”
Sanders’ biggest applause line, though, came when pitched a “Medicare-for-all single-payer health care system,” adding, “Health care is a right, not a privilege.”
O’Malley was the third Democrat to take the stage. He touted a progressive record as Baltimore’s mayor and Maryland’s governor, pointing to gun bans, the legalization of same-sex marriage, pro-family policies similar to those Clinton has touted and a state-level “Dream Act” allowing undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children to stay and receive some benefits.
His refrain: “Action, not words.”
O’Malley latched himself to Obama, but said that “there is a growing injustice in our country – an economic inequality that threatens to tear us apart.”
As he began speaking, however, photographers below the stage had their backs to him. Their lenses were trained on Clinton, who had taken a seat in the crowd.
