“I spent a lot of time in Wisconsin,” she reminisced. “We used to go to Lake Geneva. We used to go to church retreats. My Scout troop went all the way to Green Bay.”
In high school, Hillary Clinton was the girl who always did her homework. And in this election, she’s the candidate who has a plan for everything. Briefing books read her. Clinton didn’t just talk about creating jobs with clean renewable energy. She talked about how Germany -- “and I know there are a lot of people of German descent in Wisconsin” -- created hundreds of thousands of jobs by investing in solar energy.
When she promised to make college more affordable, she recalled that in the 1960s, she paid 2 percent on her student loans. Now, it’s 25 to 30 percent. Clinton declared she would “end the subsidized student loan industry” and give students a chance to earn $10,000 for college through national service.
Clinton is a number-cruncher on the stump, but one on one, she’s capable of great personal empathy. The most moving moment of the afternoon didn’t come in her speech. It came afterward, in the question-and-answer session.
Towards the end, 11-year-old Jade Bailey stepped forward to ask a question. Jade's mother would tell me later that neither Jade's question nor what followed was preplanned.
“What about people who don’t have food or housing?” she asked.
“I’m glad to hear that you care about the less fortunate,” Clinton said.
“We’re going to lose our house,” the girl replied.
Clinton invited the girl and her mother onstage. As Clinton put an arm around the girl’s shoulder, Jade’s mother, Donna, told the family’s story. Donna is a hairdresser, and a single mom. A few years ago, hoping to get a better rate, she refinanced her home with an adjustable-rate mortgage. The payments have crept from $600 a month to $1,000 -- more than she can afford. Business is suffering, because her customers’ husbands are losing their jobs.
“The economy’s down, and we have all of these hard working people losing their mortgages,” Clinton fretted, tightening her grip on Jade’s shoulder. “We should be freezing the interest rates on these adjustable-rate mortgages.”
Obama has the young, McCain has the rich, and Clinton has the people who aren’t lucky enough to be either. This was explained to me by the woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty. I’d figured the Statue as a Clinton supporter -- she’s a woman, she’s from New York, and she’s 122 years old.
“I did it because she’s a New York senator,” said Donna Dewitz, who was standing in the bar. She set a cigarette between her silver lips, sucked out the smoke, then explained why folks like her would vote for Clinton.
“Obama goes for the higher-echelon,” said Dewitz, a receptionist whose boss is an “Obamacan” -- an Obama Republican. “Hillary’s for the down-to-Earth people. She’s from us. She’s from the Midwest. I don’t think I’d fit in with Obama’s circle.”
As mentioned earlier, Mike Huckabee went bowling, at Olympic Lanes in Milwaukee. I wasn’t able to be there, but I understand he rolled an 86. That’s okay for an Arkie. But it’s probably not good enough to win Wisconsin.
About the writer
Edward McClelland is the author of "The Third Coast," a Great Lakes travelogue, and "Horseplayers: Life at the Track." His writing has also appeared in Stop Smiling, Utne , and Lost.
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