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“I’m here to talk to you about my mom and tell you why I support her, and I urge you to support her, too.”

March 13, 2008

On behalf of her mother

Chelsea campaigns at Wilkes U.

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Bill O'Boyle on Facebook   |   @TLBillOboyle on Twitter

WILKES-BARRE – The crowd wasn’t as large or as loud as the one that greeted her mother. And the enthusiasm level was noticeably lower Wednesday morning.

Simply put, Chelsea Clinton wasn’t her mother, but she sure represented her well.

The former “first daughter” took questions from students and others in the Student Union on the campus of Wilkes University Wednesday. She answered them all. She never wavered or even dared to try to duck a question.

The 28-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stood before more than 200 people and did her job – she went about the business of trying to convince those in attendance to register to vote and to vote for her mother.

“I hope all of you will vote on April 22,” Clinton said with a “Hill-blazers” banner behind her. “If you haven’t registered yet, be sure you do. I’m here to talk to you about my mom and tell you why I support her, and I urge you to support her, too.”

The Stanford and Oxford graduate, now working in the world of high finance in Manhattan, fired off a few rounds that made some people in attendance think about what her political future might be.

“President Bush said that we could be fighting in Iraq for the next 10 years,” Clinton said. “He said he wants to bind the hands of his successor. Well, there is something called the Constitution that says he can’t bind the hands of his successor. But what we have learned from this president is that he is not talking about ending the war.”

And she addressed education and her mother’s plan to make college affordable and to release the stranglehold that student loan companies have on students.

“And my mom will correct the unfunded mandate called ‘No Child Left Behind,’ ” she said.

When Sen. Clinton spoke in Scranton Monday, she said she will see that “no child is left behind for real.”

Wearing dark blue jeans and a dark green jacket over a black shirt and shiny black shoes, Clinton talked extensively about the war in Iraq, universal health care, the economy, education and gun control.

She said her mother will fight for a “21st Century G.I. Bill of Rights” that will benefit all veterans. She said her mom favors stem cell research and sees the importance of finding cures for Alzheimer’s and cancer.

She said big oil companies should lose their tax breaks, and her mother recognizes the reality of global warming. And she said health care will be affordable for everyone.

And, Chelsea said, her mother has a plan to pay for all that she advocates.

“I found her to be an incredibly bright, capable young woman, said Wilkes President Tim Gilmour. “She represented her mother extraordinarily well.”

Patty Gilmour, Tim’s wife, said she was impressed with Chelsea’s candor and said, “She didn’t dodge the issues. Maybe she will be the third Clinton to run for president some day.”

Michelle Fine, a student at Luzerne County Community College, brought her mother, Joann, to hear Chelsea.

“I thought she was a lovely young lady,” Joann Fine, of Wyoming, said. “I have three daughters of my own, and I support Sen. Clinton. Chelsea’s mom is what this country needs.”

Michelle Fine asked Chelsea about education and the rising costs of college. Clinton took time to talk about her mother’s plan to help college graduates reduce their indebtedness, especially those who choose to work in areas such as teaching, nursing or law enforcement.

“We need to make college and graduate school more affordable,” Clinton said.

The event was organized by students and alumnus Rob Donahue. Student government president Matt Brown and political science club president Angela Wood introduced Clinton, who later signed autographs and posed for pictures with the audience.

“I support a strong Democratic president,” said Wood, a political science major. “In 2006, 21 percent of voters were young people. I think we’re going to see a historic turnout here in Pennsylvania and in the general election.”

Chelsea’s dad, former president Bill Clinton, was in the Pittsburgh area Wednesday where he told a packed senior citizen center that he, Hillary and Chelsea “expect to cover Pennsylvania like a wet blanket.”

Analysts say Pennsylvania is a must-win state for Sen. Clinton, who trails in delegates and hopes to persuade Democrats she is the candidate who can carry the big states in the fall against Republican Sen. John McCain.

Ashlie Daubert, a senior at Hanover Area High School, takes a few courses at Wilkes. She hopes to be a journalist, but she didn’t get a chance to ask Clinton any questions.

“I had a few questions prepared,” Daubert said. “I wanted to ask about the rising costs of college.”

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