INDIANAPOLIS— President Bill Clinton’s enigmatic charm seemed to sedate a sweaty room in a strip mall today as he delivered a campaign speech for his wife, Hillary Clinton.
“If you want to make America great again,” Bill said, “Vote for Hillary.”
Tuesday marked the first major Indiana stop for Hillary’s presidential campaign.
The campaign is becoming a family affair: Today, Bill spoke in Hillary’s campaign office in Indianapolis while Hillary toured a steel mill in Munster, Indiana. This Friday, Hillary’s daughter Chelsea Clinton will be in Indianapolis.
Hillary’s chances of snagging the Democratic nomination depend heavily on the next few primaries, including Indiana’s, which is next Tuesday.
Outside, two protesters held signs, including:
“CLINTONS ARE CRIMINALS”
But inside, Bill's deep southern drawl and touting of Indiana as America’s “poster-child” were met with cheers.
He went down the policy laundry list:
Healthcare.
Immigration.
Wall Street.
College tuition.
Without saying Sen. Bernie Sanders' name, Bill criticized Hillary's opponent's proposal for free college tuition.
Though free college "sounds great," he said, it’s just not practical when states have to pay a third of the cost.
“What are the chances a state like Indiana would do that?” Bill said.
Bill explained his wife's plan to give college graduates who pursue public service jobs a tax-free $20,000. He also shared Hillary’s plan to provide graduates with 20-year mortgages. He said kids battling 9 percent interest rates are “whipsaws” between work and school.
As for the job market itself, Bill made an example of an Indiana company.
Bill name-dropped Carrier, a former Anderson, Indiana-based company that grossed almost $3 million last year. Carrier employed 1,400 Hoosiers before it announced its move to Mexico.
“Too many companies are sending 80 to 90 percent of their profits to executives,” Bill said.
In Hillary’s America, companies that fairly distribute profit will receive tax benefits, he said.
“So,” Bill said after about 45 minutes of speaking. “That’s my pitch.”
Fishers, Indiana, resident Emily Kelly rushed her daughters, Lucy, 5, and Sammy, 1, to the stage to shake Bill's hand while Katy Perry’s “Roar” blared through the speakers.
After Bill walked through the blue and red curtains, campaign staffers met fans who had copies of the former president's biography, walked the books backstage and returned with signed copies.
“The President has left the building,” a staffer said to MSNBC’s Kelly O’Donnell.
“OK,” O’Donnell said, turning to her team. “Let’s try out back.”
Outside, protester Kenneth Keener, 26, held the sign calling the Clintons “criminals.”
Hillary supporter Tim Owens approached him with anger.
“Are you serious?” Owens said. “Criminals? What, are you Trump supporters?”
“No, absolutely not,” Keener said.
“You guys are nuts, you really are,” Owens said.
“We’re for Bernie,” protester Indigo Buckley, 23, said. She told the man about a petition for the White House to investigate Hillary’s campaign for primary election fraud in New York.
“You’re just blowing hot air,” Owens said.
“Would you vote for Bernie if Hillary doesn’t get the nomination?” Buckley asked Owens as he turned to walk away.
The man sighed.
“I guess so.”
