Students braved snow and icy roads to attend rally at DU
Former President Bill Clinton made his case for why students should support New York senator Hillary Clinton in her bid for the presidency at a Denver rally Wednesday night.
“The issue is not experience versus change, it’s about who can make change in your lifetime,” Clinton said.
The rally, held at DU’s Magness Arena, was largely an effort to encourage supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to attend the Democratic caucuses Tuesday Feb. 5.
Former President Clinton, state Sen. Paula Sandoval of Denver, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper all spoke at length on the importance of bringing young voters to caucuses.
“Your vote is going to be critical in this campaign,” Sandoval said. “I beg, please be on time that night [Feb. 5]. We are placing our hopes and dreams in Hillary Clinton.and we feel good about it.”
President Clinton took the stage to applause and shouts from a crowd of over 2,000 after an introduction from former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
Upon taking the stage, Clinton immediately proceeded to lay out what he dubbed his case for the presidency of the New York senator.
“She is the best change-maker I’ve ever known,” Clinton said. “She’s got the right vision.vote for her if you think every American should go to college.”
President Clinton focused his time on appealing to students at the rally by elaborating on Clinton’s methods for making college more affordable for minority groups and lower income students.
Clinton reiterated the senator’s plan of making college more affordable for students pursuing careers in public services such as doctors, nurses and teachers by having the work they do directly pay for their student loan costs.
“If you get out of college and go into public service.your service itself will repay the loan,” he said.
President Clinton also talked about the senator’s previous experience with education reform.
After she was placed in charge of education reform in Arkansas while he was governor, the state was one of two states to have improved the quality of its education by the time he took office as president in 1992, he said.
Clinton said the senator was instrumental in the creation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975, which helped guarantee a free, appropriate education for students with special needs.
Clinton also touched on several other hot topics such as the war in Iraq, global warming and the economy, which he outlined out Sen. Clinton’s proposals for dealing with each topic.
President Clinton maintained that the Bush tax cuts were largely responsible for the current economic crisis.
“Stop using middle class tax cuts to give money to special interests,” Clinton said. “Give [the government] the money, we’ll build the future.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu.
