Hillary Clinton Appeals To Hard Workers During Whitmer HS Visit

BY KAREN BERGER
MIRROR REPORTER
“Somebody’s got to do something,” said Carol, a 55-year-old Michigan woman.
As she left Hillary Clinton’s rally at Whitmer High School last week, the unemployed bookkeeper said she’s willing to give the New York senator a chance to prove she’s the one to turn the country around.
From the moment she took the stage, apologizing for a more than one-hour delay, it was obvious the former first lady knew her audience’s concerns.
She thanked police officers, nurses, teachers and electricians – those who she said work hard every day.
“People often say, ‘You get too worked up.’ Well, that’s right. I think the American middle class and working class is worth getting worked up about,” Clinton said.
For the 3,000 audience members who waited hours in the cold and hours in the packed gymnasium, Clinton targeted their concerns.
Johniece Smith, a Scott High School senior, questioned the future of Social Security and whether tax dollars were being used wisely.
Todd Kregulka wondered why so much money has been spent in Iraq and Afghanistan while the American middle class has dwindled.
“We need to invest the money in our country and our people,” Kregulka said.
Kregulka’s mother-in-law, Christina Butler, is concerned that her husband’s drywall business won’t survive because the economy is so bad.
“We’re just living day-to-day. I hope we can keep our house,” she said.
Clinton sprinkled her speech with stories of Americans suffering because of no health care, a weakened economy and loss of manufacturing jobs.
Six million children are now insured thanks to a program she started while she was first lady, she said.
“Nine million more need insurance, but I ran into a brick wall named George W. Bush. The good news is: that wall is coming down,” she said.
Clinton criticized the insurance industry for discriminating against the sick and called for universal health care.
Clinton listed accomplishments such as getting health care for 15,000 uninsured National Guard and Reserves members and starting the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which she said has doubled the number of adoptions in Ohio.
She plans to eliminate tax breaks for companies shipping jobs out of Ohio and to offer incentives for companies that create and keep jobs.
The automotive industry, she believes, can be revived and flourish, she said. Manufacturing should expand to focus on clean, renewable energy, investing in geothermal and wind turbines, she suggested.
Members of the Toledo Federation of Teachers and American Federation of Teachers held pro-Hillary Clinton signs during the rally, and cheered when the candidate said she would end the No Child Left Behind Act.
“It isn’t working. It’s undermining education. We can do so much better,” she said.
Clinton also wants to reform lending by student loan companies and work to make college more affordable so graduates aren’t saddled with $20,000 or more in debt.
Clinton’s arrival was delayed by the death of a Dallas police officer riding in her motorcade and icy weather that held up her plane. She asked the audience to keep the officer’s family in their prayers.
As the audience awaited her arrival, they did the wave and listened to the Whitmer High School band.
Like many in the crowd, Pat Watts, of Bryan, clutched Sen. Clinton’s book, Living History, hoping for an autograph. Others spoke of a candidate who is experienced.
“She actually knows what she’s doing and I like what she stands for,” Oregon resident Anna Delgado said.
Amanda Kandik talked the family into attending the rally. While she is set on voting for Clinton, her husband Tony, a self-described Democrat, hasn’t decided yet. The rally was the perfect opportunity for 11-year-old son Chris Boser, a fifth-grader at Trilby Elementary, to experience the political process, Mr. Kandik said.
“It’s a great way to get young people involved,” Mr. Kandik said. “We’ll take him with us when we vote too.”
Clinton needs a total of 2,025 delegates to earn the Democratic nomination. Right now she has 1,250 to Obama’s 1,319.