Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Ann Arbor Friday morning to campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at a Woman to Woman event.
About 40 women and a handful of men crowded into the home of Ann Arbor resident Martha Darling to hear Albright speak about her experiences working with Clinton and the importance of women in politics.
Albright said Clinton was great to work with because of her ability to hear the issues of the people she spoke with.
“I loved being Secretary of State, and it was wonderful having Hillary as a partner in that,” she said. “She really was an amazing American ambassador even in that stage in terms of going out and talking and doing something that has been so evident of the way she operates, which is listening to people.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D–Mich.), who spoke prior to Albright, encouraged the audience to vote, saying Democrats could regain control of the state House. Currently, Republicans have a majority in the state House, 62-44.
“Not only are we going to elect Hillary Clinton as president, but the greater 12 can take the state House of Representatives,” she said. “If you’re unhappy about the fact that the Flint water was poisoned or all the others things that have happened, we need to take those seats back.”
Albright also stressed the importance of not becoming overconfident in Clinton’s ability to win, despite her recent advantage in the polls. Nationally, the most recent RealClearPolitics polling average showed Clinton 6.7 points ahead of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“I worry about the following thing,” Albright said. “I worry that her numbers are really up and people might think it’s over. It’s not over. … We really need to get out there and door knock and do things that get people out to vote.”
Trump has been under scrutiny in the past two weeks following the release of a tape in which he made comments about touching women without their consent. Since the uncovering of the tape, several women have come forward to allege that Trump sexually assaulted them in the past. Trump has denied these allegations, and called the tape “locker room talk.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Albright said these revelations show he is unfit to serve as president.
“I think the things that have been revealed about Donald Trump make it absolutely dispositive that he does not have the character, the moral values or any aspect of his temperament that makes it possible for him to be president of the United States — much less, frankly, to be a member of the public life,” she said. “What he has done is completely disgusting.”
Ann Arbor resident Barb Fuller, who attended the event, noted that Albright led a succesful career as a diplomat during a time which that type of behavior Trump has been accused of was commonplace, making her message especially resonant.
“Secretary Albright predates any disclosure of the activities of Donald Trump being criticized,” she said. “She remembers an era when that was totally acceptable. You didn’t say anything. You had to endure that, and she went toe-to-toe with male leaders around the world and never blinked.”
Albright told the crowd that if women turn out to vote, Clinton will win in November. A recent FiveThirtyEight map showed Clinton would win by a landslide if only women voted, and Trump would win if only men voted.
“We do know that women can make the difference,” she said. “In fact, if women vote it will bring her over the top. Plus, she is incredible on women’s issues across the board, and also it will be historic.”