HRC: WV a 'crucial turning point'
Posted: Monday, May 12, 2008 5:53 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli
LOGAN, W.V. -- With the clock ticking, Hillary Clinton told an enthusiastic crowd here that tomorrow’s primary could be a “crucial turning point” in the presidential election, as she continued to play up the state’s significance for Democrats’ chances in the fall.
“West Virginia is a real indicator of which way the political winds are going to blow come the November election,” Clinton said. “This election we’ve had, this primary contest has been close and exciting -- the closest one anybody can remember. But the goal is to nominate someone who can beat John McCain in November. That’s what we’ve got to do.”
As proof of her claim, she repeated the statistic that no Democrat has won the White House without West Virginia since 1916.
“If West Virginia had voted for our Democratic nominee in 2000 and 2004, we wouldn't have had to put up with George Bush for the last seven and a half years,” she said. “I am going to work as hard as I can between now and the time the polls close tomorrow, because I want to earn your support.”
In emphasizing the role of a state where she’s heavily favored, Clinton is sending the message that her rival is not as sure of a bet in November. But her comments otherwise offered little in the way of contrasts with Obama beyond two areas -- her plan for a gas tax holiday, and her readiness on “Day one.”
“I don’t need a guided tour of the White House,” she said. “I know my way around, and I know we gotta get to work immediately, because we’re not gonna have a lot of time.”
Clinton also emphasized the economy in an area “where people understand what hard work means,” she said. She claimed President Bush’s policy was simply “trickle-down economics,” and that most people “feel like they’ve been trickled on for seven years and didn’t get much of it.”
And as her campaign has disclosed significant debt, she worked into her remarks some stories about how even people of limited means have been scraping together money to support her campaign.
“As I was coming here … shaking hands, a man handed me a check and said. ‘You keep fighting, this will help,’” she said. “And I know that if I have your help tomorrow, we will send a very clear message.”
