At YSU, Chelsea takes questions

Hillary Clinton’s daughter answered questions for about 55 minutes.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — It wasn’t a typical stump speech.

Actually, Chelsea Clinton’s appearance at Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center in front of about 150 people wasn’t a stump speech at all.

Speaking on behalf of her mother, Hillary, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, the younger Clinton gave very brief opening remarks and proceeded to answer questions from the audience for about 55 minutes.

“I’m really proud to be here supporting my mom,” Clinton said Tuesday.

The topics ranged on her mother’s positions on the war in Iraq, the economy, trade policies and health care.

Clinton, who turns 28 today, answered each of them even though her voice was hoarse.

The younger Clinton has campaigned at colleges and universities throughout the state in support of her mother.

Clinton said if her mother is elected president, she will return the United States to prominence on the world stage taking on major issues such as global warming and obtaining peace in the Middle East.

“There is such an opportunity for America to be able to reassert its leadership,” she said. “She is ready to lead on day one.”

When asked about the war in Iraq, Clinton said her mother wants to “end the war yesterday.” As president, Clinton said her mother plans to start withdrawing troops the minute she is sworn into office.

Clinton said her mother plans to push clean energy as well as infrastructure improvements in urban areas, which will create “millions and millions and millions” of jobs.

If elected president, the older Clinton would place a temporary moratorium on trade policies — including the North American Free Trade Agreement created and strongly supported by her husband, Bill, when he served as president, her daughter said.

The younger Clinton said that would allow her mother the time needed to evaluate each agreement and determine if they are fair and being properly enforced.

While Clinton failed to get universal health care enacted as first lady, she’s continued to fight to provide health care to the most needy and would push to get it implemented if elected president, her daughter said.

“It’s important not only how people react to success, but react to failure,” her daughter said.

It doesn’t appear that Clinton’s mother will return to the Mahoning Valley before Tuesday’s primary.

Her campaign released a schedule for Clinton on Wednesday that doesn’t include any stops in the area. The schedule includes a Sunday caravan across Ohio with supporters of the candidate. The locations of the stops aren’t on the list.

Clinton was in the area twice — Feb. 14 at the Lordstown General Motors complex and Thursday at Chaney High School in Youngstown.

The campaign of Barack Obama, who had a Feb. 18 rally at YSU, hasn’t released his schedule for the final days leading to Tuesday’s primary.

Obama’s wife, Michelle, is to meet with voters at 2:50 p.m. today at the W.D. Packard Music Hall on Mahoning Avenue Northwest in Warren. The doors open at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

skolnick@vindy.com