Hillary Clinton Makes Her Stand in Bethlehem Pa.

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Mon Apr-21-08 10:47 AM
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Hillary Clinton Makes Her Stand in Bethlehem Pa.

Edited on Mon Apr-21-08 11:40 AM by bigtree

Hillary Clinton fired up a rocking house Sunday at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa.. The Democrat contender for president touched on a spectrum of subjects: universal health care, ending the nation's dependence on foreign oil and carbon-based energy, the war in Iraq, job creation and the economy, taxes, her experience and her family's roots in Pennsylvania. (http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/04/hillary_makes_valley_debut_two.html)

The crowd of more than 1,000 on Sunday in Liberty High School's Memorial Gym did the wave. They roared, chanted and cheered. And it wasn't for a wrestling meet. It was for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Clinton made her first appearance in the Lehigh Valley just two days before the state's primary. Supporters, fans and those on the fence from across the region -- and bordering states -- crowded into the gym to see and hear Clinton's pitch.

She touched on a spectrum of subjects: universal health care, ending the nation's dependence on foreign oil and carbon-based energy, the war in Iraq, job creation and the economy, taxes, her experience and her family's roots in Pennsylvania.

"I'm offering leadership you can count on," Clinton says. "You know what I have done and what I will do. I want to bring our people together."

But nothing she said prompted an eruption of cheers like her plans for revitalizing America's education system.

"I will end No Child Left Behind," Clinton said, pausing to allow the applause to subside. "I can see a few of you agree with me on that."

�We�re getting to the decision day. Tuesday is the day that each and every one of you gets to decide who you want to be your next president,� added Clinton, �You know where I stand, you know what I�ve done and you know what I�m gonna do.�

Sen. Hillary Clinton compared picking the next president to making a job hiring decision and urged voters who turned out to hear her in University Park's Rec Hall Sunday night to ask themselves, "Who would I hire to do the toughest job in the world?"

Clinton used her speech to outline ideas on �green collar� jobs, health care, making college education affordable and ending the war in Iraq.

Clinton ended about a half-hour speech to an enthusiastic audience, saying she would bring affordable education, energy independence and an end to the war in Iraq if elected.

�I will be honored to accept that job,� Clinton said, �and go to work for you every single day, working my heart out to turn our country around, take it back and give you a future you so richly deserve.�

Sen. Clinton said she did not see "any contradiction" between arguing to superdelegates that Sen. Barack Obama is unelectable and then saying "yes" when asked during last week's debate whether her rival could win in November.

"He can be elected; I will be elected," Clinton said in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday at the Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant in Abington.

"I have carried the states that a Democrat must carry in order to win in November," she said. "If you look at the electoral map, anything is possible but it is more likely that the coalition I have put together is the winning coalition."

Also in that interview, Clinton said she would ask Americans to sacrifice for the good of the country in some areas, saying that failure to do so was "one of the greatest failings" of the Bush administration. "I'm going to ask a lot of Americans and set big goals again," she said.

On energy, for instance, "it isn't enough to pass a plan through Congress," she said. "We have to ask people to be more mindful of their use of energy."

She also brushed off comments by Obama and others who said she carried the woman-of-the-people effort too far when she downed a shot of whiskey and a frosty mug of beer at an Indiana bar a few weeks ago. She has been known to take a drink when cameras aren't around. Blue Moon Belgian-style beer (with an orange slice) is a favorite.

"Let's say I didn't mind it," Clinton said of the taste of the whiskey. "I have met so many older people who swear that a shot of whiskey, a glass of wine, or a bottle of beer a day has kept them healthy and happy, but I don't make it a regular habit."