Bill Clinton Stumps in North Carolina at a Furious Pace

After answering my telephone Thursday morning, I was greeted by a recorded voice, which was identified as a "friend of Hillary Clinton." The friendly voice invited me to attend a scheduled speech by former President Bill Clinton on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

I was uncertain as to whether these calls were directed to undecided voters, of which I am one, or was simply an attempt to ensure that the speech in Greensboro was well-attended.

Regardless of the motivation for the call, I decided to attend. How often does one get to see a former president, live and in person? I made plans to be at the Kathleen Price Bryant YMCA at 7:30 a.m. this morning. The former president was scheduled to speak at 8:30 a.m.

To the surprise of most of us in attendance, the president arrived on time (he is notorious for being late) and walked to the podium at exactly 8:30 at which time he jokingly explained his punctuality, telling us that this speech in Greensboro was only the first of seven speeches he would make in North Carolina today and that his schedule was very, very tight taking him to seven cities, roughly 30 to 40 miles apart, as he traveled westward across the state.

"The benefit for you," the president explained, "is that you won't have to listen to a very long speech."

The audience loved it.

The former president looked up to the task at hand. If there is one thing that is obvious as one attends a Bill Clinton stump speech it is that there is absolutely nothing Bill Clinton would rather do than make a political speech in front of a supportive crowd of well-wishers.

In his opening comments, President Clinton reminded those in the audience how important the voters of North Carolina would be in deciding who the Democratic nominee would be, noting that Hillary was leading polls in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia. North Carolina would be vitally important in helping her draw equal in the delegate count. He noted that this would be a historic election no matter who eventually gets elected.

North Carolina's primary is May 6.

To the cheers of front-row college students in attendance, President Clinton expressed his pride in his wife saying no matter how many times she got knocked down (and many thought out) Hillary always got back up and continued the fight.

The president said there are three things the voters of North Carolina should look for in choosing the next president:

* Someone who can address the ailing economy

* Someone who repair America's standing in the eyes of the world

* Someone who has a proven record as a change maker

Clinton stated that Hillary was the only one qualified to address all of those issues.

Reviewing the state of the economy, he cited all of the current problems, including $1 million in mortgage foreclosures, spiraling, out-of-control costs of healthcare, gasoline and food, all while personal incomes remained flat, except for the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans.

He noted that Hillary's plan for the economy would provide more jobs and drive down the cost education, healthcare and energy.

Under Hillary's economic plan wealth and prosperity would be shared among all Americans.

The above statement resulted in some rumbles in the audience as some in attendance considered it a slant towards socialism or even communism.

The president presented a rosy summary of Hillary's economic plan, which included developing clean and abundant energy sources, improved fuel economy in automobiles, and creating jobs in "green Industries."

One example cited by the former president was his concept of closing landfills and generating energy from landfill contents. This, the president said, would provide a cleaner environment; create millions of jobs at no cost, as these would be paid for by the energy produced.

While the above was greeted with applause by some in the audience many found this to be "pie in the sky" or wishful thinking.

Hillary's plan also calls for the development of a car that will obtain 100 miles per gallon in fuel economy. Clinton says the technology is available and that the only reason we do not now have these cars in production is that there is not a sufficient supply of rare materials to build the batteries required. He stated that the government should supply these materials. "That is what governments do," he said.

"And if you elect ME President that's what I will do," Bill Clinton said, briefly forgetting who is running for the office.

Some fellow attendees with whom I spoke did not agree with the former president's comment that proving parts for building more efficient batteries is "what governments do."

Other initiatives cited were government-supported educational costs, universal healthcare and improved trade laws, which would include tough environmental and labor requirements. (He didn't elaborate on these points.)

Commenting on the huge and growing American trade deficits, the former president stated that "America would be out of debt today if it had maintained the budget policies I left this country." This caused some to wonder if Clinton considered the ongoing war costs in this egocentric statement.

To restore America's image in the world, he said, Hillary would restore confidence in America by resorting to diplomacy first and military action last. She would commit to bringing home a brigade or two a month from Iraq, leaving behind security force (of undefined size) to protect American interests in Iraq.

Clinton said that 34 retired generals and admirals support Hillary for Commander-in-Chief, and that she has more military support than anyone, including John McCain.

Discussing Hillary as a "change-maker," the former president says he knows no one better at this than his wife.

As an example, he spoke of how at the completion of law school, most graduates were anxious to get a job and begin their law career, while Hillary decided to stay out of the work force for another year to do volunteer work for child welfare. Clinton stated that his wife could have worked for any law firm in the country, but chose to work for the Child Welfare Fund.

Personal Observation: While I am not sure that I am correct here I seem to recall that when she first graduated from Law school Hillary had difficulty and could not pass the bar exam on more than one occasion, and only passed the bar after moving to Arkansas. In the interim she worked for the Child Welfare Fund.

As a change-maker, Hillary would always keep the interests of the people first, Clinton said. And suggesting that is not easy, as the office of the president can easily swell your head, Clinton laughed. He said it took him months to get over not having "Hail to the Chief" played whenever he entered a room.

In summary, Clinton listed Hillary's measurements for knowing whether she had been a good president:

1. Are people better off than before my administration?

2. Will our children and grandchildren have a better future?

3. Have the world and the U.S. come together?

The speech was well-received by an enthusiastic audience, which included Clinton supporters solicited via e-mail to be in attendance. Students carried "Hillary for President" red, white and blue signs.

The audience consisted of a relatively even distribution of seniors, men and women and students.

Most left feeling very good about the speech and admiring Bill Clinton.