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Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Michigan Congressmen Dingell, Kildee Endorse Hillary Clinton for President

February 06, 2008

Today, Congressman John D. Dingell (MI-15), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce and the Dean of the House of Representatives, and Congressman Dale Kildee (MI-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education of the Committee on Education & Labor, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for President. The two veteran Michigan Congressmen made the following statements:

Congressman Dingell's statement:

"I will no doubt be asked why I chose to endorse a candidate for President after my own state has voted. The answer is simple; I did so out of the immense respect that I have for the effort led by my dear friend, Senator Carl Levin, and my wife, Deborah Dingell, to give Michigan a voice in the Presidential Primary process. I am pleased that after all of the early contests we have not yet decided on a nominee.

"We do however have a clear choice. I choose the candidate who I believe will stand up for Michigan's working families, whose keen intellect and strong convictions will make her an ally to our struggling state, and whose will and determination will make her a leader who will move our nation forward. I choose Hillary Clinton.

"We Democrats are fortunate that we have two fine candidates to choose from, but in my mind one is superior to the other. I like Senator Obama and will happily support him if he is my party's nominee, and like many others I am impressed by the energy and enthusiasm he and his supporters have brought to this process. Hillary Clinton, however, has stood up for Michigan voters and for issues important to our state, and I am proud to stand up for her. She is the candidate that best understands the issues that impact Michigan most – health care, protecting our manufacturing jobs, and fighting for the working families who are struggling to pay their mortgages and put food on the table. She is also the only candidate that insisted that Michigan voters be given a voice in our nominating process: she left her name on Michigan's ballot and she has called for Michigan's delegates to be seated at the Democratic Convention.

"Universal health care is the defining purpose of my congressional career and my father's before me. My father first introduced universal health care legislation in 1943 and I have introduced legislation to ensure every American in this nation has health insurance for twenty-six Congresses. When Hillary Clinton is President, I will finally see that ambition become a reality.

"She is the only Democratic candidate with a plan that will cover every single American. At a time when 47 million Americans lack basic health insurance and millions more struggle to afford basic health care, we need Hillary Clinton in the White House, because she will get this done.

"I first worked with Hillary Clinton when she and I tried to pass universal health care in 1994. It was a tough fight, we lost when the health care lobby spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat us, but I knew she'd be back because she never gives up. And she did come back – to help pass the first SCHIP bill to give 6 million low-income children health coverage, to fight for better coverage for women's health, mental health, and affordable prescription drugs.

"Senator Clinton also understands that a green economy is a smart economy. She has an energy policy that promotes job growth while reducing our carbon footprint. Her plan for retooling America's auto factories will help guide our country towards producing more advanced technology vehicles with higher fuel economy standards, but will also protect Michigan jobs. Senator Clinton also shares my values on this nation's trade policy; she knows our current trade policies are devastating Michigan and are wrong for America. She understands that we must have real, enforceable standards and protections for workers and the environment. Future trade agreements have to protect American jobs, not drive them overseas. Hillary Clinton has the experience and the expertise to make these necessary changes and I know that as President she will be a champion of American workers.

"That's why today I am endorsing Senator Clinton. She is ready to be President. She has the experience to get things done, and the character to bring about the change this country desperately needs from the disastrous policies of the current President. There is no candidate in either party better prepared to be President, and there is no candidate in our party I would prefer to see as our party's nominee. I would also say that I am pleased that the best candidate is a woman, because this is a glass ceiling that should be broken and it will be in 2008.

"Hillary Clinton is on the side of the families I represent and the working families like them across America – the families who are worried about their retirement, who have seen their jobs shipped overseas, the families who worry about putting food on the table and making their mortgage payment, the families who are the heart of America. It is time they had a President who will stand up for them, and that President will be Hillary Clinton.

"I want to make clear that today I speak only for myself. My wife Deborah Dingell and Senator Levin are remaining uncommitted as they remain focused on their work to give Michigan a voice in the Primary process."

Congressman Kildee's statement:

"I am pleased to join my colleague and good friend, Congressman John D. Dingell, in endorsing Senator Hillary Clinton for President of the United States of America. Over the last 20 years, I have enjoyed working with Hillary Clinton to improve educational opportunities for our school children and college students, to provide the proper training and protections for our working people, and to work to ensure that all Americans have access to quality health care. Much remains to be done. Hillary Clinton will provide the experienced leadership necessary to bring about real change in America, the change for the better that America's working families so rightfully deserve."

Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Michigan Congressmen Dingell, Kildee Endorse Hillary Clinton for President Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/293698

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