Here's One Place Hillary Clinton Will Speak for Free
Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote remarks at the United Methodist Women Conference in Louisville, Ky., this morning, where she spoke about the significant role that the Methodist church has had in her life, while calling on women to follow the gospel of the church and challenge themselves and others to "get things done" in their communities.
The event was of personal importance to Clinton, a longtime Methodist, who told the nearly 7,000 attendees that being at the conference felt like a sort of "homecoming."
The former secretary of state who usually charges a high price these days for speaking engagements, did this one on her own dime. According to the United Methodist Women President Yvette Richards, who introduced Clinton as a "daughter of the Methodist Church," Clinton waived her speaking fee for the organization and paid all her own travel expenses.
Throughout her remarks, Clinton described how her experiences growing up in a Methodist household, and the church's "call to service" message, shaped her understanding of the injustices in the world and inspired her to pursue community work. She specifically cited her efforts in the State Department in which she helped disadvantaged women and children from around the world.
The potential 2016 presidential frontrunner also called on the women of the church to get their own "hands dirty," urging them to participate in their communities and to defy glass ceilings, saying there are "no limits on how far we can go."
During one of the most rousing moments in her remarks, Clinton told the audience that as women, "we cannot wait for someone to solve our problems," adding that "even when we are tired and all we want to do is go away to a secluded place and rest a while," it is important to "roll up our sleeves" and "make it happen."
These sort of empowering remarks for women have been a reoccurring theme for Clinton lately, and as some have noted, sound almost like a personal pep talk - perhaps for 2016.
On Wednesday, Clinton made comments at a women's conference in Boston where she hinted that advanced age was a reason to embrace older women in positions of authority. While she wasn't speaking about herself, per se, it raises the question that if she's preaching this, will she practice this?
Clinton has said repeatedly she won't make a decision about whether she'll run for president until much later this year. Even so, a number of groups have already formed to show their support and raise money for her potential campaign, including from her religious supporters.
On Friday, a group called Faith for Hillary, launched its website, Faith Voters for Hillary, and according to TIME has recently begun the process of filing as an official SuperPAC. The group has a considerable number of supporters: @Faith4Hillary has more than 34,000 Twitter followers and 40,000 likes on Facebook - and growing.