By VICKI URBANIK

Greeted by cheering, jubilant supporters on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton touted her plans to revitalize the middle class, improve national security and revamp education as her presidential bid made a stop in Porter County.

Facing an over capacity crowd at Washington Township Elementary School, Clinton brought the crowd to their feet multiple times with a message that touched on the Iraq war and foreign policy with issues rooted in Midwestern middle-class values.

At times, she was serious and passionate, as she tore into the faltering economy and emphasized the seriousness of the Chinese government’s growing military might. At other times, she talked to the crowd in an intimate, friendly way, such as when she recalled how she spent a great deal of time in the Indiana Dunes as a Chicago youth and even had her post prom party there.

And she didn’t miss a beat. When a microphone burst caused an eruption that almost sounded like a gun shot -- ironically right after she spoke strongly in support of gun ownership rights – Clinton paused briefly but then smiled and said calmly, “Well, we have to have a little drama here in this conversation.”

It was just one of many comments that prompted a loud, adoring reaction from the packed school gymnasium.

Shortly before she appeared, the crown broke into a brief chant of “Hill – a – ry. Hill – a –ry.” The gym that officially held 1,200 was packed, with one platform reserved for the traveling media taken over by people who couldn’t find a seat.

The first presidential candidate to visit Porter County since 1968, Clinton took the stage 20 minutes after her scheduled start time and didn’t give her farewell until a good 70 minutes later. Even after that, she stayed on stage for 25 minutes signing books and posters from dozens of people crowding near her.

She was introduced by Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, who declared: “For too long, we haven’t had someone in the White House standing up for us.” Then to roaring applause, he said, “I hope you vote for this good woman.” Audience members shouted back: “Bring her on!” and “We love her!”

Much of Clinton’s speech focused on the middle class and reinvigorating the economy. “We know we all do better when we all move up together,” she declared.

Though she was repeatedly applauded, the first comment that seemed to bring everyone to their feet with a long sustained standing ovation was when she railed against President Bush and his economic “assault on the middle class.”

“Most Americans did much better during the Clinton years,” she declared, to roaring cheers.

But an even louder reaction from the crowd came later, when she pledged to end the No Child Left Behind Act. Even some people who had not been standing up cheering rallied in support at that comment.

Obama

Clinton touched on the brewing controversy that erupted this weekend over the comment by her rival, Barack Obama, about people in small towns who “cling” to religion and guns because they’re bitter about their plight. Clinton said she was “taken aback” by those comments, for which Obama has apologized.

Clinton said Obama’s comments “seem elitist” and “out of touch” with her experiences. She said people embrace faith because of its value, not because they’re frustrated. She also said that even though she is not a hunter, she has hunted and that people who hunt or collect guns do so because it’s part of who they are, “not because they are bitter.”

A short time later, she accused Obama of “falsely dividing America” as a nation between those who are enlightened and those who aren’t. She called for a more positive approach to “roll up our sleeves and get to work” advancing economic justice for all.

“We don’t need a president who looks down on people,” Clinton said, but one who “stands up and fights for the American people.”

“We’re not on different teams,” she continued, citing a list of common adversaries, such as Democrats and Republicans and labor and management. “We’re on America’s team.”

Bayh & Magnequech

In his introduction of Clinton, Bayh quickly prompted loud applause when he noted that it’s been 40 years since an Indiana presidential primary mattered. Responding to those who say that Clinton, who’s trailing Obama in the delegate count, should give up, Bayh declared: “They don’t know what they’re talking about, and we’re going to have our say.”

At one point, an audience member shouted “vice president” as Bayh was about to speak. Bayh, often mentioned as a likely Clinton running mate, responded: “First things first,” noting that Clinton first has to clinch the nomination.

Clinton and Bayh were joined on stage by Terry Luna and Stan Trout, two former employees of the now-closed Magnaquench plant in Valparaiso.

Bayh blasted federal policies that allowed the sale of the plant to the Chinese, saying that now the United States has to buy the magnets used in its smart bombs from China. The Pentagon bureaucrat who approved the sale ought to have lost his job, Bayh said, not the 225 people who worked at Magnaquench. “We ought to put a stop to it, and President Clinton will,” he said.

Trout said Indiana used to be the magnet capital of the United States, but that all magnet manufacturing plants have since been sold to foreign interests.

“If we had someone in the White House who was paying attention, maybe this wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Clinton said America is losing its military advantage. To allow the sale of a company that makes magnets for use in smart bombs to the Chinese is “anything but smart,” she said.

‘Real Men’

A light moment came when a young man yelled out to Clinton: “We love you.” He was with a few other young men, one of whom held a sign that said: “Real Men Vote Hillary.”

Clinton said that’s one of her favorite signs.

She said one of the highlights of her campaign came when, “out of the blue,” Jack Nicholson endorsed her. She lowered her voice and tried to impersonate Nicholson as she relayed how he announced: “I’m for the woman.”

Clinton on China

Clinton spoke several times about the Chinese government, saying that its goal is to be a military equal with the United States. As China is investing billions in its military, “we have no strategy” with respect to China’s growing domination. She added that she got no response when she called President Bush and demanded that he not go to the opening games of the Olympics until the Chinese government changes its stance on Darfur and Tibet.

She called for the creation of a task force to combat “intellectual espionage,” as she lamented how U.S. workers are the inventors and the innovators but then the U.S. sells its technology abroad, undercutting jobs and security at home.

Guns

Clinton took questions from the audience after her speech, and one of the early questions was posed by a woman whose son was severely injured by gunfire. The woman asked Clinton what she planned to do about gun control.

Clinton, who had already spoken in support of the Second Amendment, said crime went down during the 1990s but now is on the rise. She called for more police on the streets, saying that police are being overpowered by criminals.

But acknowledging that the issue of gun control is controversial, Clinton said she sees no contradiction between protecting the right to bear arms and “figuring out a way to keep assault weapons off the street.” She went to say that there’s no contradiction between supporting gun ownership and allowing police officers the ability to trace and cut off illegal guns before they’re sold to criminals.

She said she thinks we’re “smart enough” as a country to figure out how to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands. “It is not either or,” she said.

Education

One young boy asked a straightforward question: “What are you going to do for education?”

Beginning by saying that she could talk at length about education, Clinton prompted a roar of approval by responding: “I will end No Child Left Behind.” She said she doesn’t believe that forcing children to fit a pre-determined “cookie cutter mold” is the best way to advance education.

She called for expanded pre-kindergarten and early childhood education programs, more programs for the non-college bound, and partnerships with the labor and business community for job training programs.

She also asked who in the crowd still has college loans. After many hands went up, she tried to find the audience member who’s paying the highest interest. One woman responded that she’s paying 26 percent.

Clinton said she recalls the days when students could get government loans at a mere 2 interest rate, at a time when the country thought enough about investing in education. She called for increased education tax credits and Pell grants, reigning in student loan companies, and replacing the complicated student financial aid form it with a simple form based on sliding scale.

Practically every one of her education statements prompted a similar reaction from the crowd – loud cheers of approval.

Posted 4/14/2008