Hillary Clinton Turning the Bluegrass State Blue

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Sun Mar-30-08 08:31 PM
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Hillary Clinton Turning the Bluegrass State Blue

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton brought her Democratic presidential campaign to Kentucky and Southern Indiana yesterday, telling cheering crowds that she knows how to turn the economy around and offering proposals to tackle housing, health care and energy problems.

In a round-table discussion at the South Side Inn in New Albany, and later during a rally at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, she promised to stand up to oil and insurance companies, crack down on unscrupulous lenders and put a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures

At the Manual rally, a hoarse Clinton looked at the crowd of about 2,500 and told them she was glad that she came.

Clinton spoke without notes for 38 minutes and got some of her biggest applause when she promised to help students -- many of them arrayed behind her -- afford college tuition.

She promised to increase Pell Grants, put more money into need-based aid and resume offering low-interest government loans for students. She noted that she paid just 2 percent interest on her college loan, while some students today pay more than 20 percent.

"I didn't feel like an indentured servant like a lot of kids do today," she said.

Sen. Clinton saved her harshest criticism for President Bush, saying it's time to move away from "government of the few, by the few, for the few."

“It’s exciting because Kentucky’s going to be helping to pick a president . . .,” Clinton told a noisy crowd of about 2,500 at DuPont Manual High School. “I’m happy that Kentucky’s going to be voting.”

Clinton was joined on stage by five Democratic women state lawmakers: Rep. Joni Jenkins of Shively, Rep. Leslie Combs of Pikeville, Rep. Dottie Sims of Horse Cave, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville and Rep. Sannie Overly of Paris. Jenkins explicitly endorsed Clinton.

In her 40-minute speech Clinton stuck to key campaign issues such as ending American involvement in the Iraq war, moving toward universal health-care coverage and jump-starting the economy.

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On the economy, for instance, she said there should be no tax benefit for any business that exports jobs from Kentucky, which drew cheers in a city with a large manufacturing base.

Clinton also reminded the crowd of the successes of her husband, President Bill Clinton, saying that the economy did well in the 1990s and the country had a balanced budget and a budget surplus.

“President Bush inherited that balanced budget and that surplus, and now it’s gone. It’s been squandered,” she said.

Before talk of the economy, health care and education came word that Senator Clinton has no plans for calling her campaign quits.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton wasted no time assuring supporters at Manual High School that she is in it for the long haul.

"I look around here and I bet there are stories of overcoming some tough times, of going and going when it seemed like there was every reason to stop and giving up and just pulling back," Clinton told the crowd of supporters Saturday at DuPont Manual High School in Louisville. "But that is not who we are and that is not who I am. I'm going to keep fighting in these primaries and keep asking for your votes!"

"I think together we are once again going to turn the Bluegrass state blue," she said.

"It's exciting because Kentucky's going to be helping to pick a president ...," Clinton told a noisy crowd of about 2,500 at duPont Manual High School. "I'm happy that Kentucky's going to be voting."

Putting her spin on the message of hope often used by Obama, Clinton said that stumbles -- on the campaign trail or on Wall Street -- can be overcome.

"I've never stayed down, and America's not going to stay down," she told the nearly 3,500 Western Kentucky Democrats attending the Ruby Laffoon Dinner, a party fund-raiser that became a Clinton rally. "But I need your help."