Larry Griffin
Actress Eva Longoria Bastón appeared in Orlando Friday to help mobilize and energize the vote for Hillary Clinton for president.
At a packed office Friday morning, full of a diverse crowd of young and old; black and white and Hispanic Clinton supporters, Longoria Bastón made her case — Clinton clearly the best choice for president, especially when talking about which candidate will represent the people and help unite the country.
Longoria Bastón was animated, jovial and conversational before the crowd, speaking with a sense of urgency but also with ease and humor on the importance of voting.
“I love seeing all the Hillary Clinton supporters here,” she opened with. “We can make ground here. We can make the difference. All eyes are on Florida — it’s a very contentious state and may decide the election. We need to focus on registering people to vote and diversifying the electorate …. We need Hispanics, women, millennials — we need everyone involved. It’s up to you guys.”
Longoria Bastón said Clinton was the best choice for president — and it wasn’t even close.
“Hillary will defend and unite us all,” she said. “Donald Trump is just fighting for himself.”
She downplayed herself, saying she didn’t think she was that important, but that she hoped she could be a “multiplying factor” and use her position of fame to influence and educate people on the importance of their vote.
On every issue, from health care to immigration, overturning Citizens United, and racial and gender issues, Longoria Bastón said Clinton was a superb choice — the right one for America in 2016.
“I’m in it because I’m a woman, and I care deeply about women’s issues,” she said. “I don’t want the Affordable Care Act defunded. Before it, women could be charged more for pregnancy or domestic violence. Hillary Clinton will lower copay and deductibles and prescription drug costs. I’ve had friends with relatives with illnesses, who needed to buy drugs. The price could range from $50 to $1,800. You can’t budget for that.”
She continued, saying as a Latina, she was “really tired” of all the rhetoric of this election.
“Latino should not be synonymous with ‘illegal’,” she said, to a chorus of cheers and clapping. “I’m tired of this divisive rhetoric. Trump — he’s crazy. Who is applauding him? That’s not our country.”
It was important to go door to door, she said, even through the initial fear of knocking on a stranger’s door. Many people were “good people,” she said, but just didn’t know how to vote or didn’t care enough. But changing that could help sway the outcome of the election overwhelmingly in their favor — not just voting for Clinton, but voting for down-ballot Democratic candidates as well.
“And bring your kids to vote,” she added, addressing the parents in the room. “I’m involved in politics because my mom dragged me somewhere.”
To those who just don’t like Clinton, or who say they hate both candidates, Longoria Bastón had a concise message: don’t vote for the candidate, vote for the government they would represent.
“Hillary says we’ll be stronger together, and that is indicative of the government she is going to run,” she said. “As opposed to the ‘me, me, me’ on the other side. I am voting for Hillary, but if there was another candidate in her place with the exact same campaign, I would vote for them, too.”
