Election 2008: Last-Minute Push

Clinton speaks at UA

TUCSON—As Super Tuesday approaches, Sen. Hillary Clinton made a quick sweep into Southern Arizona on Saturday, stopping at the University of Arizona for a rally.

Arriving more than an hour late, she greeted the crowd with, “I’m absolutely thrilled to be here and to have my daughter, Chelsea, with me.”

The patient crowd roared and cheered.

Clinton’s speech, “Solutions for America,” is one she delivered four times in 24 hours earlier in the week as she hopes to win a majority of Super Tuesday’s 1,681 delegates. The winner needs to garner 2,025 delegates for the Democratic nomination.

“We’ve been waiting for change for seven years; we will get to say good-bye George Bush,” Clinton said. “The economy isn’t working for the majority of Americans; we need a president who will repair the damage of the past seven years.

“Our next president has to be a problem solver so we can have a government that will work,” Clinton told the cheering audience, which let out an extra boisterous cheer when she spoke about global warming, a hot topic with university students.

“How many of you saw the debate the other night? You know, I think there’s something to that statement—it takes a Clinton to clean up after a Bush.”

If elected, she said her immediate goals would be to turn the economy around and to end the war in Iraq. She said she would begin troop withdrawals within 60 days of becoming president.

“I want the economy to be strong again so we can build a strong middle class. It’s not the rich that made this a great country; it’s the hard working people who did.”

As the crowd continued cheering, applauding and whistling Clinton became even more passionate in her delivery, her ability to lead America was apparent.

Speaking about the current deficit and debt she said, “George Bush inherited a balanced budget and a surplus.”

Regarding universal health care, Clinton admitted it was pretty lonely when first introduced in the 1990s but things are different now.

She spoke about the need for health coverage for the uninsured and underinsured and said, “We have new choices. Those who have insurance and are pleased with it could keep it; for everyone else I want to open a congressional health plan with over 250 choices—one where no one will be denied health coverage because of a pre-existing condition.”

With that comment, the audience’s reactions were at its peak, and Clinton was clearly enjoying the feedback.

In closing, she said, “I pledge I will do everything I can so that our veterans get the care they deserve and to create a true GI Bill of Rights.

“There’s a lot to be done. I’m convinced I can do it.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.