Hillary Clinton to tell convention: ‘This can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election’

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is planning to urge Americans to “vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line” when she speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.

Clinton, who lost to President Trump in 2016, is expected to go hard after the president during her prime-time speech Wednesday while warning voters to get engaged in the November election and take nothing for granted.

“For four years, people have said to me, ‘I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.’ ‘I wish I could go back and do it over,’ ” Clinton is slated to say, according to prepared remarks released by convention organizers.

“Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election,” she will add. “If you vote by mail, request your ballot now, and send it back as soon as you can. If you vote in person, do it early. Bring a friend and wear a mask. Become a poll worker. Most of all, no matter what, vote. Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line, because they are.”

Clinton’s speech will be partly premised around voting and ensuring turnout is high. The former New York senator and U.S. secretary of State is expected to reference the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, which gave women the right to vote, as well as the late Rep. John Lewis’s (D-Ga.) push to secure greater voting rights for African Americans.

Clinton, who has regularly condemned Trump’s presidency, plans to also address his time in the White House, telling convention viewers it was her “wish” that he would be effective in the job.

“But, sadly, he is who he is,” she plans to say, a nod to Trump’s past remark that “it is what it is” when referring to the number of deaths in the U.S. due to the novel coronavirus.

Former first lady Michelle Obama targeted that phrase in her own speech on Monday.

“America needs a president who shows the same compassion, determination, and leadership in the White House that we see in our communities,” Clinton plans to say in her speech.

“There’s a lot of heartbreak in America right now – and the truth is, many things were broken before the pandemic,” she will say. “But, as the saying goes, the world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places. Joe Biden knows how to heal, unify, and lead, because he’s done all of that for his family and his country.”

The speech on Wednesday night will mark the first time Clinton addresses the nation since Trump upset her to win the 2016 election. She is set to speak before Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) receives the formal nomination to be Joe Biden’s running mate.

One ally of Clinton previously told The Hill that the appearance offers the former secretary of State something “she’s been looking forward to for a very long time.”

National and state polls show Biden with a formidable lead over Trump in his bid for the White House. The former vice president officially received the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night.