Clinton in Hollywood, Florida: 'Enough' of 'Us vs Them' politics

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton spoke in Hollywood, Florida, at what the campaign described as his first public event for the election season.

Clinton used the appearance to endorse David Jolly, the Republican-turned-independent candidate running for governor of Florida, saying Jolly is running “for the right reasons” and asking voters to give him a chance.

Message against divisive politics

In remarks aimed at the tone of current political debate, Clinton criticized what he called a “politics of division,” arguing that many elected figures deliberately frame campaigns as a contest between opposed tribes rather than offering practical plans.

He warned that that style of campaigning leaves ordinary voters worse off as they cope with rising costs and everyday choices at the grocery store.

“I’m very glad to be part of a movement where people really care, where they ask me such detailed questions and want to know: ‘If we hire you for this job, what exactly will you do?’ I’m tired, because we’ve abandoned that approach. I’m tired of the constant division: ‘we’ vs ‘they’. Some politicians, without batting an eye, have told me that at the very start you have to define an enemy and build the whole campaign around that, because fear and anger are more powerful than hope and love. So I’m tired of politicians who stir up fights while voters are trying to decide which product they’ll have to put back on the shelf in the store. I’m tired of treating our allies as if they’re nothing,” said former U.S. president Bill Clinton.

Photo: press material from the event