Clinton comes to Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former President Bill Clinton spoke at a fund-raiser here for 9th District Democratic hopeful Baron Hill Wednesday.\nClinton lauded the work Hill did while serving two terms in the House before losing his seat to incumbent Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th in 2004, calling Hill a "political marathon man."\n"After the last election, he didn't give up or give in," he said. "We need more people like that on our side ... Baron Hill is model in my view of what a public servant ought to be at the dawn of the 21st century."\nPlates for the luncheon at the downtown Marriott ballroom cost between $250 and $2,100 and were expected to bring in about $250,000 for Hill's campaign.\nThe former president spent much of his 40-minute speech criticizing the policy changes Republicans and the Bush administration have enacted since he left office.\n"A narrow slice of the Republican Party has controlled our government since 2000 and they're gaining control of the courts now," Clinton told the crowd of more than 400. "They believe in concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a right wing elite, they believe the key to economic growth lies in the wealthiest, well-connected Americans, they believe in a government that is secretive, unaccountable and increasingly unlimited in its power."\nClinton said that he thought Hill would be a good foil to Republicans promoting this agenda.\n"He's a small business owner and his wife is a school teacher," Clinton said. "The life he and his wife lives is a very different way of life than is lived by Republicans in Washington today."\nIU College Democrats President Emma Cullen had her picture taken with Clinton before the event and left impressed with the former president.\n"He's always been an amazing public speaker," she said. "He was very personable and seemed genuinely happy to see everyone."\nFollowing the luncheon Clinton unexpectedly met with several dozen well-wishers on the street outside of the Marriott.\nHe told the assembled crowd that he planned on writing a book in the near future about the initiatives he has worked on since leaving office, and also offered an analysis of November's midterm elections.\n"I think people are tired of ideological politics and not being able to have an honest debate without being accused of being a traitor," Clinton said. "You can only squeeze a tactic like that through so many elections."\nSodrel laughed at the prospect of Clinton stumping for Hill Tuesday considering the former Democratic representative hosted a "Working Hoosier" rally at the Monroe County Courthouse March 24 when President Bush visited Indianapolis for Sodrel. At that rally Hill contrasted the $1,000 to $10,000 per plate cost Hoosiers forked over for face time with Bush versus his plight to local social service agencies that he was working in Bloomington to help feed the hungry and improve poverty conditions for the working class.\n"All I can say is 'karma,'" Sodrel said before walking the Bloomington/Monroe County Fourth of July parade route with about a dozen of his followers. "Criticizing me is a little hypocritical if you throw rocks and then have a similar event yourself."\n-Staff writer David A. Nosko contributed to this report.