Former President Bill Clinton spoke to a crowd of UW-Madison students and community members Thursday, campaigning for his wife, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
At the rally in the UW-Madison Stock Pavilion, titled “Solutions for America,” Clinton spoke for about an hour on many of Sen. Clinton’s plans.
Event organizers estimated the attendance was around 2,000 people.
He said he had confidence in her to succeed and that Sen. Clinton has solutions to empower the American people.
“You have to decide whether you want your president to be in the solution business. Because if you do, she has better solutions and a better record of making change,” former President Clinton said.
Bill Clinton’s speech included specific issues like health care, education, the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clinton said Sen. Clinton is committed to increasing opportunity for higher education in the country. College costs are going up faster than inflation, according to Clinton.
Bill Clinton asked for support before the Wisconsin primary Tuesday. He also said Sen. Clinton’s plans for health care were more comprehensive than her opponents’.
“The next president has a responsibility to the United States, a moral responsibility and an economic one,” Clinton said, “to finally stop making excuses for why America can’t find a universal, affordable, quality health-care system and give us one.”
Clinton also said millions could be saved in health-care costs if electronic medical records were used.
UW-Madison law student Millicend Bond said Bill Clinton’s willingness to talk specifics resonated with her.
“The major difference [between Clinton’s speech and rival U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.] was he talked about issues and he talked specifically about ways Sen. Clinton hopes to implement changes,” she said.
UW-Madison sophomore Sarah Jones said the attention Wisconsin has received from the national candidates is empowering for students.
Jones said she also liked how the specifics of Sen. Clinton’s agenda were outlined in the speech.
“When I went to Obama I felt like I was at a giant pep rally. Barack Obama stresses change so much, but Hillary Clinton has already changed the world,” Jones said.
