Former presidential candidate pushes Obama and Shaheen
Wednesday October 29, 2008
By: Kevin Landrigan
From: Nashua Telegraph
Wednesday October 29, 2008
By: Kevin Landrigan
From: Nashua Telegraph
DOVER – New York Sen. Hillary Clinton said Democratic Senate hopeful Jeanne Shaheen is deserving of a "second chance" but urged New Hampshire voters not to give one to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.
Clinton crisscrossed the southern half of the state Tuesday for Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Shaheen atstops in Dover, Manchester and Pelham.
"The voters of New Hampshire gave me a second look in the primary and I think voters here are going to give Jeanne Shaheen a second chance to serve the people of this state," Clinton said during a telephone interview after a rally before more than 300 at the McConnell Center.
Shaheen lost her first shot at the Senate by 20,000 votes to Republican John Sununu in 2002, but Clinton said President Bush's mishandling of the economy will help reverse that outcome for Shaheen on Tuesday.
"For six years, you have had a senator bring Republican ideas to New Hampshire. Now you are going to have a senator bring New Hampshire ideas to Washington," Clinton declared.
McCain is seeking the presidency for the second time after winning New Hampshire's primary in 2000 but losing the nomination to George W. Bush.
As for Obama, Clinton told about 1,000 supporters at the Southern New Hampshire University field house in Manchester that Obama will deliver to the middle class nothing short of "jobs, baby, jobs."
"The right question is not who are you for, but who is for you," Clinton said. "Make no mistake about it. We are in a financial crisis born and bred by failed Republican policies."
"George Bush has actually practiced what John McCain has preached, cut regulations, cut taxes for billionaires, ignore the energy crisis, ignore the mortgage crisis, ignore the budget crisis," she said.
Clinton said it was only when the economic collapse hurt big finance and insurance giants that Bush and McCain noticed a sub-prime lending debacle that threw more than a million into foreclosure.
But Clinton said Americans are resilient and the economy will recover quicker if Obama is elected.
"Yes, times are tough but we are tougher than the times," Clinton said.
Clinton got a rousing reception at the senior center in the heart of Shaheen's old state Senate district.
"It's great to be back here because I have so many fond memories and great friends," Clinton said from Dover.
In January, Clinton won the first-in-the-nation primary beating Barack Obama on the heels of his win in the Iowa caucus and overcoming polls that showed she could lose in New Hampshire by double digits.
She gleefully recalled it Tuesday to be one of the "greatest comebacks in political history."
Clinton was less optimistic that Senate Democratic candidates in key races would run the table and capture a 60-vote, supermajority needed to overcome any Republican filibuster for the next two years.
"That's a long shot, it's not likely to happen," Clinton said.
The Democrats will make enough gains to make progress on the economy, health care and energy independence, she continued.
"I do think there will be an opportunity for us to make the change that we need," Clinton said.
In recent weeks, Shaheen, 61, has growing reasons for optimism as recent polls have given her a double-digit lead.
Shaheen lead Republican Sununu, 52 percent to 38 percent in the most recent, University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll done for WMUR-TV.
Among the pivotal, independent voting block, however, Shaheen's lead over Sununu was much smaller, 38 percent to 35 percent.
"Today we are just one week from election day, just one week from turning the page on failed economic policies that have hurt New Hampshire families and small businesses," Shaheen said.
Clinton said Shaheen's executive experience as a popular, three-term governor would be an asset in the Senate, and that unlike President Bush she's been fiscally responsible and did not allow deficits to grow.
"She's balanced budgets and understood unlike they do in Washington that you can only spend money that you have," Clinton said.
New Hampshire by its Constitution requires a two-year balanced budget.
But Republican State Chairman Fergus Cullen said Shaheen can't hide from a record of supporting a broad-based sales tax.
"Senator Clinton's visit is designed to distract attention from Jeanne Shaheen's record of failed leadership and tax increases, and is a reminder that a Senator Shaheen would be just another vote for the Democratic leadership and not an independent voice for New Hampshire," Cullen said.
During the interview, Clinton denied Shaheen would vote lockstep with the wishes of Democratic leaders.
"She will be an independent senator, she will not be any guaranteed vote, but she'll make a big difference," Clinton said.
Clinton urged her supporters to work as hard for Obama and Shaheen as they did for her and predicted they would.
"I feel very certain the vast majority of my supporters will be behind Barack Obama because so many of the policies he's promoting are those I championed in my campaign," Clinton added during the interview.
Clinton crisscrossed the southern half of the state Tuesday for Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Shaheen atstops in Dover, Manchester and Pelham.
"The voters of New Hampshire gave me a second look in the primary and I think voters here are going to give Jeanne Shaheen a second chance to serve the people of this state," Clinton said during a telephone interview after a rally before more than 300 at the McConnell Center.
Shaheen lost her first shot at the Senate by 20,000 votes to Republican John Sununu in 2002, but Clinton said President Bush's mishandling of the economy will help reverse that outcome for Shaheen on Tuesday.
"For six years, you have had a senator bring Republican ideas to New Hampshire. Now you are going to have a senator bring New Hampshire ideas to Washington," Clinton declared.
McCain is seeking the presidency for the second time after winning New Hampshire's primary in 2000 but losing the nomination to George W. Bush.
As for Obama, Clinton told about 1,000 supporters at the Southern New Hampshire University field house in Manchester that Obama will deliver to the middle class nothing short of "jobs, baby, jobs."
"The right question is not who are you for, but who is for you," Clinton said. "Make no mistake about it. We are in a financial crisis born and bred by failed Republican policies."
"George Bush has actually practiced what John McCain has preached, cut regulations, cut taxes for billionaires, ignore the energy crisis, ignore the mortgage crisis, ignore the budget crisis," she said.
Clinton said it was only when the economic collapse hurt big finance and insurance giants that Bush and McCain noticed a sub-prime lending debacle that threw more than a million into foreclosure.
But Clinton said Americans are resilient and the economy will recover quicker if Obama is elected.
"Yes, times are tough but we are tougher than the times," Clinton said.
Clinton got a rousing reception at the senior center in the heart of Shaheen's old state Senate district.
"It's great to be back here because I have so many fond memories and great friends," Clinton said from Dover.
In January, Clinton won the first-in-the-nation primary beating Barack Obama on the heels of his win in the Iowa caucus and overcoming polls that showed she could lose in New Hampshire by double digits.
She gleefully recalled it Tuesday to be one of the "greatest comebacks in political history."
Clinton was less optimistic that Senate Democratic candidates in key races would run the table and capture a 60-vote, supermajority needed to overcome any Republican filibuster for the next two years.
"That's a long shot, it's not likely to happen," Clinton said.
The Democrats will make enough gains to make progress on the economy, health care and energy independence, she continued.
"I do think there will be an opportunity for us to make the change that we need," Clinton said.
In recent weeks, Shaheen, 61, has growing reasons for optimism as recent polls have given her a double-digit lead.
Shaheen lead Republican Sununu, 52 percent to 38 percent in the most recent, University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll done for WMUR-TV.
Among the pivotal, independent voting block, however, Shaheen's lead over Sununu was much smaller, 38 percent to 35 percent.
"Today we are just one week from election day, just one week from turning the page on failed economic policies that have hurt New Hampshire families and small businesses," Shaheen said.
Clinton said Shaheen's executive experience as a popular, three-term governor would be an asset in the Senate, and that unlike President Bush she's been fiscally responsible and did not allow deficits to grow.
"She's balanced budgets and understood unlike they do in Washington that you can only spend money that you have," Clinton said.
New Hampshire by its Constitution requires a two-year balanced budget.
But Republican State Chairman Fergus Cullen said Shaheen can't hide from a record of supporting a broad-based sales tax.
"Senator Clinton's visit is designed to distract attention from Jeanne Shaheen's record of failed leadership and tax increases, and is a reminder that a Senator Shaheen would be just another vote for the Democratic leadership and not an independent voice for New Hampshire," Cullen said.
During the interview, Clinton denied Shaheen would vote lockstep with the wishes of Democratic leaders.
"She will be an independent senator, she will not be any guaranteed vote, but she'll make a big difference," Clinton said.
Clinton urged her supporters to work as hard for Obama and Shaheen as they did for her and predicted they would.
"I feel very certain the vast majority of my supporters will be behind Barack Obama because so many of the policies he's promoting are those I championed in my campaign," Clinton added during the interview.
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