By Keith Gushard
MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP, Erie County — Bob and Sylvia Garton of Meadville were willing to wait in line for more than an hour in order to get energized for today.
“We certainly don’t need four more years of going in the wrong direction,” Bob Garton, a Democrat, said of why he wanted to hear former President Bill Clinton speak Monday afternoon on behalf of Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Clinton drew an estimated crowd of 2,000 to Millcreek Intermediate School in suburban Erie.
Though they’re voting for Obama, the Gartons said there are still some voters who are undecided.
“We want to know what to say to them,” said Sylvia Garton, who along with her husband has been making phone calls on behalf of Obama.
Presidential elections are determined by three things — culture, conditions and by the candidates themselves, Clinton said.
America is a much more diverse country today that it was in 1976 when Democrat Jimmy Carter was elected president or in 1992 when he was elected to his first term, Clinton said.
Today’s economic conditions are reminiscent of when Carter and he both took office, Clinton said.
“We’re in a serious, serious condition,” Clinton said. “The economy is in a mess.”
Obama has the presence and the vision to unify the country into one community and get it back on track.
“We’ve had enough of “you’re on your own’,” Clinton said of Republican policies. “We’re going forward together.”
There are four reasons to vote for Obama for president, according to Clinton.
One is Obama has the right philosophy.
“He knows America grows from the ground up — not the top down,” Clinton said.
The second is Obama’s policies for the nation are better than Republican Party presidential nominee John McCain’s policies, according to Clinton.
The Obama policies for the economy and taxes are better for America’s middle class and Obama’s energy and education policies also will help the country grow, he said.
“He understands and can explain the complex challenges we face — and you’ll support him,” Clinton said of the third reason to vote for Obama.
The fourth reason is Obama understands what it means to be chief executive of the United States, Clinton said.
Obama knows what it will take to convert campaign promises to put real change into people’s lives, he said.
Clinton urged the crowd to contact friends, neighbors and others they know to get out the vote today.
“We have to change,” Clinton said “We can’t keep on doing what we’re doing.”
This was the former president’s fourth visit to the region this year. He was in Erie in March and April as well as in Meadville in April during the primary campaign season stumping on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton was vying for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
The Erie area also saw former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, in town Monday campaigning on behalf of Republican candidates.
Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
