WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is attacking everything that has set the US apart for 240 years and after spending his entire campaign targeting various groups of Americans his final target is democracy itself, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said.
"There is a reason why America is the greatest and longest lasting democracy the world has ever known, because we believe that no matter what you look like or where your parents were born or who you love, you have the right to be treated equally and fairly in the United States," Clinton said at an election rally in Florida.
"(Republican presidential candidate) Donald Trump is attacking everything that has set our country apart for 240 years. Now, after spending his entire campaign attacking one group of Americans after another -- immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, women, POWs, Muslims, people with disabilities -- now his final target is democracy itself," she alleged.
Clinton promised her countrymen to strengthen the democratic values.
"Here's what I want you to know, in the four years, we are going to change some things in America, right? I do want to get the economy working for everyone, not just those at the top," the 69-year-old former secretary of state said.
Clinton promised that her administration would do that and bring about other positive changes but asserted that they are not going to change the fundamental values that made America the greatest nation in the history of the world.
"I think it all started when George Washington refused to become a king. Right? Now, Donald Trump probably would have called him a loser," Clinton said.
"Instead, that was one of the most important decisions any president has ever made. Eight years, it's time to move on. We fought a revolution so that we would not have a king. We would not be subjects, we would be independent citizens. I cherish that idea," she said.
But the good news is that Americans are coming together, Clinton asserted.
"At the very moment when Donald Trump is making an unprecedented attack on our democracy, millions of people are registering, voting early and volunteering in this campaign," she said, adding that more than six million people have already voted.
Observing that people should honour the men and women in uniform who fight for the country, Clinton said she was appalled when Trump tweeted that the new effort underway to push the terrorists out of the key city of Mosul is already...I quote him, 'a total disaster' and that our country is, again a quote, 'looking dumb'." "Really? He's declaring defeat before the battle has even started. He's proving once again he is unqualified to be commander in chief of our military," Clinton said amidst applause from the audience.
"Here's another example. He was asked if he would defend our allies. He said well, first he'd want to know if they made any payments to us to defend them. And when asked specifically about Israel, he said, and I quote again, he would love to be neutral," she said.
Clinton asserted that the US cannot have a president who says he is neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday, and who knows what on Wednesday, because in his mind, everything is negotiable.
"We stand with our allies. We stand with those who will help us defeat terrorism," Clinton said.