President Barack Obama urged men not to simply oppose Hillary Clinton for president simply because she is a woman.
“To the guys out there, I want to be honest, you know there’s a reason why there hasn’t been a woman president before,” he said. “And I think that sometimes, you know, we’re trying to get over the hump.”
Obama spoke personally to each man in the audience, urging them to examine their hearts, pointing out that he wanted his daughters to achieve whatever they wanted for their lives.
“I want every man out there who’s voting to kind of look inside yourself and ask yourself — if you’re having problems with this stuff, how much of it is that we’re just not used to it?“ he said.
Men, he explained, didn’t have a problem supporting a man who was in public and demonstrated ambition, but sometimes questioned women who did the same thing.
“I’m just being honest,” he said, as women in the audience yelled in approval. “I want you to think about it because she is so much better qualified than the other guy.”
Obama made his remarks during a campaign rally in Ohio for Hillary Clinton. He added that his wife Michelle Obama was better than he was.
“I know that my wife is not just my equal but my superior,” he said.
Obama pleaded with Ohio voters who were thinking about voting for Donald Trump, ridiculing them for even considering it.
“C’mon. This guy?” Obama asked in disbelief.
He accused Trump of never wearing a baseball hat or a “seed hat” until he started selling them to fund his campaign.
“Don’t be bamboozled,” Obama said. “Don’t run for that okie-doke. C’mon … take that off.”
Obama admitted that Hillary Clinton had been in the political spotlight for so long — he understood why some voters were weary of her.
“I just want to be honest with you, because she’s been out there for so long, sometimes in this culture you know we always want to see the new shiny object,” he said.
Obama explained that the political environment was so toxic, Americans were starting to believe the attacks launched by Clinton’s opponents.
He did not specifically refer to the FBI’s decision to revisit the investigation into her use of a private email server as Secretary of State, but he urged voters to ignore “the noise and distractions” and “tune all that out.”
“No. No. No. Do not believe that stuff. Has she made mistakes?” Obama asked. “Of course. So have I.”
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