Clinton visits IU

Sen. Hillary Clinton painted herself as the candidate who can move America forward and change the nation when she spoke Friday afternoon at Assembly Hall. The visit marked the first speech on campus by a Democratic presidential candidate in the 2008 primary season.\nThe New York senator told a crowd of some 5,000 community members and students that not only can she inspire change, she also has the knowledge and experience to get there.\n“It is not enough to say ‘Yes, we can,’” Clinton said, referring to her opponent Barack Obama’s slogan. “We have to say how we will.”\nClinton also acknowledged that many IU students support Obama because he is inspirational and has become popular, but she urged students to look past her opponent’s celebrity image.\n“I want you to approach this as a hiring decision,” she said. “Or like picking a surgeon for a very good friend. You want the most experience you can get.”\nIn nearly every primary contest, Clinton has lost college-age voters to Obama – sometimes by as many as 30 percentage points. \nDespite the time Clinton spent pitching herself to the younger crowd, students seemed to be well outnumbered by older community members Friday.\nHoosier Democrats go to the polls a week from Tuesday for the biggest presidential primary the state has seen in some 40 years.\nDebbie and Robert Corbin, two Spencer, Ind., residents, were the first in line to see the former first lady. Despite the fact that the Corbins said they supported George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, they represent Clinton’s traditional strength – working-class, blue-collar, older voters who are concerned about jobs being moved overseas and the declining affordability of health care.\nThe nation’s economic problems recently hit home for the couple in a very real way, and they’re looking to Clinton for solutions. \nRobert Corbin, 51, is one of the 900 local workers slated to lose his job when General Electric closes its Bloomington plant in 2009.\nDebbie Corbin, 50, said she’s especially concerned about whether the two of them will have health insurance once her husband loses his job.\nBoth said they believe Clinton has proven herself to be the most capable candidate when it comes to revitalizing the economy and pushing through a national health insurance system. \nMany of the students who showed up were either ambivalent about Clinton or supporters of her opponent. \nSeniors Dan Corson-Knowles, Alexis Siamas and Sally Kirtley are all on the fence, though they’re leaning toward Obama.\nCorson-Knowles, in particular, said he believes Clinton is too far inside Washington politics to make any real change.\nHowever, in keeping with her theme of catering largely to younger voters in the crowd, Clinton spent much of her time discussing college affordability. \nShe invited two preselected IU students, senior Ryne Shadday and Christina Stigger, to the podium to discuss the issues they believe the next president should address. \nShadday, a public policy major, talked about the extensive student loan and credit card debt he has taken on in order to pay his tuition and living expenses. \nClinton, who described herself as a “policy wonk,” outlined a plan to tackle the growing difficulty for students to obtain college loans. \nThe senator said she wants to make it easier for students to get loans directly from the federal government. Currently, IU is among the universities that offer these lower-interest loans.\nThe plan will also ensure that the parents of students who have had home foreclosures are still eligible to take out federal student loans for their children. \nFinally, the plan would also make U.S. Department of Education loans available to students who are unable to secure lending from private sources, making the government a so-called “lender of last resort.”\nClinton also addressed her plan to provide universal health care. This includes a mandatory policy for all Americans. Those who don’t already have insurance would be required to buy government-subsidized health insurance.\nShe plans to pay for the plan by raising taxes on people with incomes of more than $250,000 per year and by cutting inefficiencies in both the insurance and health care industries. \nShe also lashed out against Obama for what she called “deeply regrettable” attacks on her health care plan. Obama ran television ads during the critical Pennsylvania primary that criticized Clinton for her health insurance mandates. Clinton, however, said her system will ensure that Americans get the money they need to afford coverage. \nAfter Clinton’s 10-point win in Pennsylvania’s primary last week, Indiana has become the center of the Democratic primary universe. Both candidates have already hit the state hard with organization and campaign stops and close polls, and a mixed electorate will ensure they continue all the way up until Indiana’s May 6 primary. \nEarlier this month, Obama made surprise visits to the Women’s Little 500 and Nick’s English Hut. He did not, however, make a statement.\nRegistered Hoosiers can vote early any time during regular business hours at the Monroe County Clerk’s Office.