Senator Hillary Clinton, former 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, returned to New Hampshire on Tuesday to rally last-minute support for the Democratic ticket. At a rally in Manchester, Clinton called on New Hampshire voters, who gave her a primary victory in January, to continue to work hard to elect presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and former N.H. Governor Jeanne Shaheen, candidate for U.S. Senate. Shaheen introduced Clinton at the event, held at Southern New Hampshire University.
Clinton urged supporters to give Obama and his running-mate Senator Joe Biden the same effort they invested in her primary campaign.
"If you made phone calls for me, do it for them. If you walked streets for me, walk the streets for them. If you did anything to try to convince your friends to vote for me, make the same arguments for them," Clinton said. "Anyone who voted for me has much more in common with the agenda that Obama will bring to the White House than with the agenda [Republican presidential nominee Senator John] McCain will bring to the White House."
Americans who vote for the Obama ticket will enter into a partnership with the federal government, she added.
"Everywhere I go I see people -- not just Democrats, but Independents and Republicans -- deciding to vote not for Barack Obama so much as for themselves," she said. "The right question in this election is not 'who are you voting for' but 'who is for you?'"
Clinton also addressed the current financial crisis and growing fears about the economy among New Hampshire voters. She attributed the state of the economy to failed Republican financial policies, and blamed Republicans for ignoring the home mortgage industry collapse. She added that the same Republicans "snapped to attention" to bail out major banks and insurance companies.
"What about the millions of Americans losing their homes and their jobs, who's going to take care of them?" she asked. "On Tuesday we can help Americans who are losing their houses by making sure the Republicans lose the White House."
McCain's economic and energy policies, Clinton said, are the same as those practiced by President George W. Bush's administration
"It took a Democratic president to clean up after the last President Bush and it will take a Democratic president to clean up after this President Bush," Clinton said. "America will rise from the ashes of the Bushes if we have Democratic leadership."
If the Democrats win the election, Clinton said she will adopt the slogan "Jobs, baby, jobs," a parody of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's motto "Drill, baby, drill" and a reference to the economic progress promised by a Democratic administration.
Obama is currently leading McCain by 11.2 percent in New Hampshire, according to Real Clear Politics. But Clinton warned voters not to "look at polls and feel complacent."
In her speech Clinton also emphasized the high caliber of New Hampshire's Democratic elected officials, including Governor John Lynch and U.S. Representatives Paul Hodes and Carol Shea Porter. Elected officials should inspire the best qualities in their constituents, Clinton added.
"This state is blessed by having people who stay close to the grassroots, reflect New Hampshire values and work hard for a better tomorrow," Clinton said. "You need in Washington what you have here in New Hampshire."
Clinton also addressed student voter concerns, and cited student loans and retirement security as examples of how the Democratic platform differs from Republican policies.
Bensoan Jiang, a student at SNHU who attended the event, said he believes Democratic policies will benefit students.
"[Obama] will give a new direction with economic projects which will help us find a job when we graduate," Jiang said. "He will give a new chance to the middle class."
Karrissa Bettencourt, a senior at SNHU, said she was disappointed by SNHU's student turnout but was pleased that the gym was still full. She only recognized about 20 audience members as SNHU students, she said.
The audience, made up of about 250 people, included students who traveled from other area colleges and universities. Erin Sullivan, who attended with a group of political communications students from St. Anselm College in Manchester, said she enjoyed the rally despite a previously negative opinion of Clinton.
"I didn't know much about her before," Sullivan said. "I don't necessarily like Hillary Clinton, but I think she's better in person than she was on TV."
