NEWS

Bill Clinton: Hillary best 'change-maker'

Jeremy Fugleberg
jfugleberg@enquirer.com

Bill Clinton hit up Cincinnati on Friday to rally the faithful in support of wife Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

The former president never directly referred to his wife's opponent in the Democratic primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, during a get-out-the-vote rally before a crowd of 500 at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Instead, he touted her government experience, calling her "the best change-maker I have ever known."

He maintained a theme of unity throughout his speech. The nation's economy is recovering, he said, but he expressed sympathy for those who aren't happy with the direction of the country. Clinton diagnosed the Great Recession as a “great wound” that caused some Americans to get angry because of the lack of pay raises or lost employment, and desperate because the stabilizing economy didn’t include them.

He touted Hillary Clinton’s initiatives as the best solutions to deal with the scourge of opiate addiction, the burden of eternal student loan payments and the lack of access to renewable energy and fast, affordable broadband. Her experience and policies would unite and lift all Americans, he said.

"This country only works when we can all go forward together," he said.

In a pre-rally statement, the Ohio Republican Party criticized Bill Clinton's value as a campaigner in support of his wife.

"Sending her husband to stump for her, who was president nearly two decades ago, is not going to help her gain the support of young voters in Ohio," said Brittany Warner, spokeswoman for the Ohio Republican Party.

But at least a few members of the Millennial Generation in the crowd were there specifically to be in the room with a former president, although they could both end up voting for a Republican instead.

University of Cincinnati students Kristen Welker, 27, and Jaime Dziesinski, 25, said they're both undecided on who and even which party they will support in November and describe themselves as “moderate.”

“I am really still just collecting information,” Dziesinski said.

Welker said she could vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, if he emerges as the Republican candidate.

Bill Clinton attended a private fundraising event at the Contemporary Arts Center in Downtown at about noon on Friday. He had previously criticized his wife's campaign for its failure to develop an early presence in key March primaries.

Ohio's primary is on March 15.

Enquirer reporter Carrie Blackmore Smith contributed to this report.