by Rick Pearson
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—Sen. Hillary Clinton, her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on the ropes after losing Wisconsin, looked to industrial Ohio to try to make a last stand March 4 with the help of organized labor.
“Tonight I want to talk to you about the choice you have in this election and why that choice matters. It is about picking a president who relies not just on words but on work—hard work,” she told an audience in an industrial town high school as she sought to intensify her direct criticism of Democratic frontrunner, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
“I am proud to be a pro-labor candidate,” she said, making no mention of the potentially crippling loss she suffered in Wisconsin, which continued Obama’s undefeated string since Super Tuesday on Feb. 5.
Trailing in the national convention delegate count. Clinton finds herself with a lot of ground to make up and little time to do it. While she has already retooled her stump speech into a more populist, middle-class oriented message, her address reflected an urgency in trying to connect to working families as she continued to bash Obama's oratory skills.
Members of the crowd at Chaney High School held restyled Clinton signs that proclaimed "we've got your back."
“When I think about what we’re really comparing in this election, we can’t just have speeches. We have to have solutions,” Clinton said, again criticizing Obama as a candidate of lofty rhetoric but few results. “While words matter, the best words in the world aren’t enough unless you match them with action.”
Clinton noted “one of us has faced serious Republican opposition in the past and one of us is ready again.” Obama won the 2004 Senate seat in Illinois with only token Republican opposition from conservative firebrand Alan Keyes.
“Only one of us has spent 35 years being a doer, a fighter and a champion for those who needed a voice,” she said. “That’s what I would bring to the White House again.”
Also in need of a March 4 victory in Texas, where she heads tomorrow, Clinton focused headlong into vowing to rebuild the industrial Midwest.
“Some people may call this the Rust Belt, but that’s not what I see. I see some of the hardest working people in the world,” she said as she vowed new tougher standards in a rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement that was implemented under her husband’s tenure in the White House.
Obama has hit Clinton hard over NAFTA, a particularly hot-button issue in devastated union manufacturing towns, contending that she did not listen to union complaints about job shifting across the border until late in the campaign.
“I’m not going to just talk about what’s wrong with NAFTA, I’m going to fix it,” she vowed. “My opponent has taken to attacking me on NAFTA. The fact is, neither of us were in the Senate at the time (it passed) and I’ve long been a critic of the shortcomings of NAFTA.”
Before her appearance, Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists, and Gerald Macatee, the head of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees tossed some red meat to warm up the audience in this industrial town, but bordered on the controversial.
Buffenbarger’s unleashed a long rant against Obama, contending he was “not just a trained thespian but a terrific shadow boxer.”
“He pretends he floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Great moves. Great motivation,” Buffenbarger said. “Brothers and sisters, I’ve seen (Muhammad) Ali in action.”
He contended Obama was someone who, “as he delivers his best lines…cocks his head back” to hear “his adoring crowd.” But Buffenbarger’s attack when on so long that the audience tried to boo him off the stage so that Clinton could make her address.
Buffenbarger’s union represented the former Maytag workers in Galesburg, Ill., a refrigerator manufacturing plant that was closed by the firm and its job shifted to Mexico. He said Obama, as a Senate candidate, provided no help to keep the plant open. Buffenbarger said Obama came to Galesburg to talk to workers on a day in 2004.
“Sixteen hundred workers and their families could have used a fighter that day. They could have used someone who was willing to stand up to Maytag. They could have used more than just a good speech and they barely got that,” Buffenbarger said.
“Barack Obama stepped onto that stage knowing full well that his was simply a well rehearsed act. He sang his song. He smiled and he waved. And he left those people floating on air until it closed,” he said.
Buffenbarger recounted how a major Maytag investor, the wealthy Crown family of Chicago, was also a major donor to Obama’s campaigns.
“For Barack so loved his own performance that he made Galesburg part of his presidential stump speech. That’s right, he’s damn proud of his performance. Well I’m not. All he proved as in like Janus, the two-headed Roman god of ancient times, he can act like a friend of the working man even as he danced to the tune dedicated by millionaires,” Buffenbarger said.
Macatee spoke for only a brief time and implored the audience to consider their choices on March 4.
“You hold the fate of the Democratic Party in your hands. In fact you hold the fate of this country in your hands,” Macatee said. Macatee described Obama’s campaign as: “First it was hope, then it was change and now his latest is words. Words do matter and then he does him imitation of Deval Patrick of two years ago. Sisters and brothers, they’re starting to find out about Barack Obama and more and more will come out.”
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Comments
This is funny. Obama supporter from Texas is getting interviewed by Chris Matthews. Matthews stops his leg from tingling over Obama long enough to ask the supporter "could you list some of Barack Obama's legislative accomplishments?"
Supporter swallows hard, *crickets*, stutters, stammers, admits he can't.
Stephanie Tubbs-Jones steps in and tries to score some Hillary points and then Matthews gives Kirk Watson, the Obama supporter, not one BUT TWO more chances to name any accomplishment Obama's made in the US Senate. He mumbles something about how Obama inspires something and then Matthews and Olbermann talk about how can anyone name any accomplishment made in the Senate over the last few years.
Don't take it as an Obama attack. It's not. It's an attack on Kirk Watson for not knowing anything the guy he supports has accomplished. On national TV, none the less.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZTo0iGc_Dw&eurl=http://cgi.fark.com/cgi/fark/youtube.pl?IDLink=3412083
Posted by: Jeff | February 20, 2008 8:17 AM
Hillary & Company desperation is sinking in.
!GOBAMA!
Posted by: Doug Zook | February 20, 2008 8:18 AM
Dear Clinton Supporters:
How long will it take for you to see the writing on the wall? Hillary repeatedly demonstrates that she is only concerned about winning. She is not truly concerned about the voters as she did not have the decency to thank the hundreds of thousands of voters who braved the arctic temperatures to vote for her. She did not show basic courtesy in refusing to congratulate Obama until after her speech, and probably only because her staff did a poll and the results told them she had better do it. Is this who you want to lead our country? Let go of your hate and join the good side of the force!
Posted by: Ted | February 20, 2008 8:25 AM
The thought did cross my mind, too, that Watson may be a plant from the Clinton camp to stir things up over Obama's record in Texas. I have to say that would be a trick straight out of the Clinton playbook.
Posted by: Jeff | February 20, 2008 8:26 AM
Pro-Labor Indeed!! She and Bill helped to gut U.S. labor with NAFTA, which saw plants close and move to Mexico and Asia. Go to any Dollar store and look at where all the goods sold there come from. Pretty soon the Teamsters Union is going to be in the news because suddenly all the long haul truck drivers are going to be from Mexico. Just wait.
Posted by: GW | February 20, 2008 8:38 AM
The Queen of Special interests--
The party of division - The pander party
Posted by: Joe | February 20, 2008 9:03 AM
Well, let's be honest. How many Hillary Clinton supporters can list two things she successfully pushed through in the Senate? Well, besides voting to allow the Shrub to wage war on Iraq. 90% of voters don't know anything about their candidate of choice. I don't care if said candidate is Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or John McCain.
Posted by: Tangent | February 20, 2008 9:17 AM
Jeff,
When are you going to talk about what specifically John McCain is going to do if he's President? All I see from you are attacks. Do you have any ideas to offer that aren't negative?
Posted by: jethro | February 20, 2008 9:26 AM
I see all kinds of comments about voters not knowing what Obama has accomplished, but not one of you stated his accomplishments either. Do you know of any? Tangent, Jeff? Ted, why should she congratulate OBAM, he's is too busy patting himself on his back. Smug, ego, struts just like someone else, let's see could it be Bush. Besides her speech was abruptly cut off the let OBAM clog up the airways for 44 minutes bragging about "big nothing" as usual. I had to turn to QVC just to get his boring speech out of my head.
Posted by: RFB | February 20, 2008 9:31 AM
And Hillary Clinton's legislative accomplishments are?
Posted by: Curious | February 20, 2008 9:36 AM
The President of AFSCME is Gerald W. McEntee. Not sure who you are referring to..... a little research please? Who is this Gerald Macatee, the "head" of AFSCME?
Posted by: janine brown | February 20, 2008 9:38 AM
Posted by: Jeff | February 20, 2008 8:17 AM
How about the Lugar-Obama Non-proliferation bill?
http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/
Posted by: Luke | February 20, 2008 9:41 AM
This is what finally happens to a person who has achieved a lifetime of success by practicing the art of calculation and manipulation. Senator Clinton is finished. This time her calculative and manipulative tactics backfired. One cannot fool people for ever. The time has come for Senator Clinton to pack her bags and head out of Dodge.
Adios, Senora!
Posted by: Michael | February 20, 2008 10:00 AM
Billery is loosing. Not because of Obama. Reason is Bill. Can you see him as White house husband. He will be the President, Hillery will do the talking. King and Queen Clinton. You will know the truth if elected. We don't have much choice in either party. The Foreign leaders will eat us up.
Posted by: John Finnegan | February 20, 2008 10:16 AM
John Finnegan,
C'mon, "The Foreign leaders will eat us up."
A little over the top don't you think?
Elaborate?
Posted by: Doug Zook | February 20, 2008 10:24 AM
Let us not forget Hillary had a chance to sell universal health insurance during the Bill and Hill show. SHE FAILED to deliver. What makes anyone think she would do any better now?
Posted by: Malsol kraskes | February 20, 2008 10:25 AM
RBF, if you took half as much time on a little research as you do running your mouth, you would find over 100 bills sponsored buy Sen. Obama in the time he's been in Washington. If you would like to review the bills ranging on things from education to healthcare to the economy. Look at this site from the Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery
Posted by: Rory M | February 20, 2008 10:26 AM
I beleive you have made a mistake by searching for more Latino vote while forgetting the union vote that once was yours. I am a union member and now consider myself a former supporter because of this.
Posted by: Donald Wright | February 20, 2008 11:09 AM
Jethro, I think McCain does an excellent job of articulating his vision of a strong America that will bring Osama Bin Laden to justice, cut ridiculous government spending and defend our constitutional rights from judicial legislation.
However, as I said before, this is not an attack on Obama. I've even gone so far as to say Watson may be a Clinton campaign plant. I just thought the exchange was funny and judging by the youtube traffic I'm not alone.
p.s. Jethro, let's move this conversation to the Watson Swamp item. Silva and company are making my posts into full Swamp items again.
Posted by: Jeff | February 20, 2008 11:14 AM
Dear Clinton Supporters:
How long will it take for you to see the writing on the wall? Hillary repeatedly demonstrates that she is only concerned about winning. She is not truly concerned about the voters as she did not have the decency to thank the hundreds of thousands of voters who braved the arctic temperatures to vote for her. She did not show basic courtesy by refusing to congratulate Obama until after her speech, and probably only because her staff did a poll and the results told them she had better do it. Is this who you want to lead our country? Let go of your hate and join the good side of the force!
Posted by: Ted | February 20, 2008 11:22 AM
A few days ago she was making her stand on a huge win in Texas. I call on pundits everywhere to hold her to that.
Posted by: Deborah | February 20, 2008 11:58 AM
Most people with unions at work do not vote based on who union bosses tell them to vote for. Hillary has always been pro-union. That never made her the choice of American voters. If Barack lines up with the union bosses against American businesses, John McCain will be the next President.
Posted by: FreeElections@Work | February 20, 2008 4:05 PM
Candidate Alan Keyes is our best choice for president. He is not in it for money or power, but rather to maintain our founding principles. You can speak with him yourselves on his conference call twice a week, Tuesdays & Thursdays 10 pm EST at: 231-962-8000, Access Code 340794#.
Posted by: Maureen | February 28, 2008 3:45 PM