Subject: MUST READ: Cleveland.com opinion: Rep. Tim Ryan: “Ohio has always been Clinton Country”
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2015 08:43:13 -0500
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

*Cleveland.com opinion: Rep. Tim Ryan: “Ohio has always been Clinton
Country”
<http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/02/ohio_has_always_been_clinton_c.html>*

By Rep. Tim Ryan

February 6, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

Secretary Clinton understands our working class values, and that Ohio is a
state that is deeply proud of its work ethic and history of innovation. We
vote for candidates who understand our principles and believe in our future.

In the next few years, we must continue to focus on creating good-paying
jobs and building economic opportunity for every citizen. To help make this
goal a reality, I'm joining millions of Democrats across Ohio in my
excitement for a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy and the values she
represents. She knows that when you support middle class workers and
families, you help strengthen the economy and give our citizens the chance
to succeed.

Secretary Clinton has the experience and leadership on the issues that
matter most to Ohioans. In Arkansas, she expanded childhood education
throughout the state. As First Lady, Hillary worked to increase access to
health care for every American. As a senator, she repeatedly fought to
increase the minimum wage and extend unemployment benefits and
job-retraining programs. As secretary of state, Hillary worked to
strengthen our country's global standing and gained valuable experience
that will help her eliminate unfair trade practices that could create
thousands of jobs in Ohio alone. Most recently, through the Clinton
Foundation, Hillary has developed initiatives to help children and
low-income families. Simply put, Hillary understands the importance of
investing in the fundamental building blocks that make America great.

After all, being a leader is about assuring the safety of our citizens and
creating an environment that enables our economy to grow and thrive. That
is what I have spent more than a decade fighting for on behalf of Ohioans
in Congress. I believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is by
doubling down on our already strong manufacturing base, including old-line
manufacturing and the newer field of advanced manufacturing.

We must re-establish the United States of America as the world's leading
innovator in manufacturing, and Ohio should lead the way. Youngstown is
home to America Makes, the national additive manufacturing center and the
number one ranked university incubator in the world. In Akron we have the
Bits and Atoms Innovation Center, which gives entrepreneurs a creative
space to build and develop new technologies. In Kent, a federal investment
of $20 million led to over $120 million in other investments that have
transformed their downtown.

These types of ideas and innovations are happening in places like
Youngstown, Kent and Akron largely thanks to the type of long-term vision
and public-private partnerships that Secretary Clinton has spent a lifetime
forging.

Hillary Clinton has consistently been on the frontline of the battles to
put more money in the pockets of middle-class workers, ensuring that all
Americans have the means to support their families. I believe that Hillary
would be the best person to continue the fight and to strongly and boldly
lead Ohio and our country forward.