Primarily Speaking

Welp, Hillary Clinton made it official over the weekend, and here is the video she released to launch her presidential campaign:

Montage of various people doing things, who will all appear later in the video.

A young, thin woman, who appears to be Latina, appears onscreen and says: "I'm getting ready for a lot of things. A lot of things."

A middle-aged, thin, white woman prepares her garden. She says: "It's spring, so we're starting to get the gardens ready. And my tomatoes are legendary here in my own neighborhood." She laughs.

The Latina mother holds her daughter, and they flex their arms, smiling. "My daughter is about to start kindergarten next year, and so we're moving, just so she can belong to a better school."

Two Latino men work in a restaurant, getting it ready to open. In subtitled Spanish, one of the men says: "My brother and I are starting our first business."

A young, thin woman, who appears to be white, appears onscreen with her young son. "After five years of raising my children, I am now going back to work." She makes a nervous and excited gesture.

A young, thin, black different-sex couple unpacks baby supplies. The woman says, "Every day, we're trying to get more ready and more prepared." They stand side-by-side, and he puts his hand on her belly and smiles and says, "A baby boy, coming your way." They laugh happily.

A young, thin, Asian woman walks down the street. "Right now, I'm applying for jobs. It's a look into what the real world will look like after college."

Two young, thin, white men walk down the street and clasp hands. "I'm getting married this summer to someone I really care about."

A young black boy shows off a drawing of a fish and says, "I'm gonna be in the play. I'm gonna be in a fish costume." He sings, "Little tiny fishes!"

An older, fat, white woman smiles broadly and says, "I'm getting ready to retire soon." She laughs. "Retirement means reinventing yourself, in many ways."

A young, different-sex, interracial couple, appear onscreen. The woman, who is thin and appears to be Asian, says, "Well, we've been doing a lot of home renovations." Their labrador runs excitedly down the hallways. The man, who is fat and appears to be white, says, "But most importantly, we really just to teach our dog to quit eating the trash." The woman laughs. They sit beside each other on a couch, and she has a cat in her lap. "And so we have high hopes, for twenty-fifteen, that that's gonna happen." Laughter.

A young, thin, bald-headed white man appears in a warehouse work environment. "I've started a new career recently. This is a fifth-generation company, which means a lot to me. This country was founded on hard work, and it really feels good to be a part of that."

Scenes of Hillary Clinton talking to various people, then speaking directly to the camera. "I'm getting ready to do something, too: I'm running for president." Over a montage of scenes of the people previously shown, and others: "Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Every day, Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion, so you can do more than just get by—you can get ahead, and stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong." Scenes of families, including a lesbian couple. Then back to Hillary speaking to camera: "So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote. Because it's your time, and I hope you'll join me on this journey."

Pictures of people form an H, which turns into Clinton's logo, an H with an arrow pointing to the right, with text reading "Hillary for America."

Overall, that's a pretty damn good video. I don't guess we're going to see a lot of presidential announcement videos with same-sex couples being affectionate with one another and talking about getting married, nor with fat people.

I'm not loving the logo, with an arrow pointing rightward, even though I understand it's gotta go that way because of how English is read. Still, it's not my favorite.

I'll also note that Clinton is, again, branding herself as "Hillary," which is both a humanizing thing and an implicit response to criticism that she rides on her husband's name and coattails. And, note to the media: Just because she calls herself Hillary doesn't mean you can do it in a way that's clearly intended to marginalize her and then claim it's because she calls herself Hillary. You can—and should—still refer to her as Clinton.

In other Clinton news, President Barack Obama gave her a really lovely endorsement: "She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent president."

Meanwhile, not-president Mitt Romney called her "a creature of Washington." A creature. Of course.

On the Republican side, official candidate Rand Paul continues his terrific relationship with the press, as CNN's Dana Bash calls him out on his homophobic hypocrisy, and he gives an answer that essentially boils down to, "Yeah, I'm a massive hypocrite. What of it?" Cool candidate!

And the other official candidate Ted Cruz is, in typical GOP fashion, being bankrolled by a billionaire: "Hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer...is the 'main donor' bankrolling the super PACs supporting Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) presidential campaign, The New York Times reported Friday. According to The Times, Mercer, 'a reclusive Long Islander who started I.B.M. and made his fortune using computer patterns to outsmart the stock market, emerged this week as a key bankroller' of Cruz's 'surprisingly fast campaign start.'"

Citizens United is just the gift that keeps on giving!

And Marco Rubio will reportedly make his candidacy official at Miami's Freedom Tower this evening. Make sure he's hydrated, Team Rubio!

Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.