Photo Credit: Annabelle Ombac
Senator Hillary Clinton was greeted with applause, cheers and even some tears at a Sunday afternoon rally at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., a key battleground in the race for the White House.
Two long lines zigzagged in every direction outside the Johnson Center of GMU. Devoted Hillary Clinton supporters spent the brisk, autumn afternoon waiting in line with signs that read “Hillary for President.” Campaign staff exchanged them for signs that read “Change.” This was after all…a rally for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
For the first time in 44 years, polls show a close race for Virginia’s 13 electoral votes, votes that usually favor the Republican ticket. Senator Clinton, Senator Obama’s onetime opponent, had agreed to campaign for the Obama-Biden ticket after her failed attempt for the Democratic nomination. Obama will hold the final rally of his campaign in Manassas, Va., tomorrow night.
Gerry Connolly, a candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 11th district, took the stage as the crowd began to push toward the front. “Virginia, hold on, change is a-coming,” Connolly said, firing off a list of what he considered blunders of the Bush administration. “Enough is enough.”
Connolly’s passionate words had a strong effect on the audience as Suzanne Schaefer of Alexandria, Va., began to cry. Schaefer, a self-proclaimed Clinton fanatic, wore a large button that read “another middle aged white woman for Obama.” “Bush messed up the entire country,” Schaefer said sobbing. “I love [Hillary] and Bill.”
At 6:15 p.m., Clinton took her place on the stage with a group of young George Mason students behind her. “Virginia will make the difference this election,” said Clinton upon reaching the microphone. She urged Virginia voters to the polls, saying they can’t afford another Republican administration.
Maria Daski of Burke shouted and cheered in agreement with Clinton’s words. Daski, who has lived in Virginia for over half a century, initially supported Clinton’s bid for the presidency.
“She’s so knowledgeable and so incredibly intelligent,” Daski said. “She’s about as close to perfection as you can get.”
When Clinton dropped out of the race, Daski threw her support behind Obama. She cited John McCain’s attacks and Obama’s composure as key reasons she would vote for the Illinois senator.
Clinton used the platform at the rally to address some of the McCain campaign’s recent remarks. The campaign had been making “robo calls” into swing states that doubted Clinton’s support for Obama. “My name is Hillary Clinton and I do not approve that message,” Clinton said as fans erupted in applause.
Clinton geared her speech towards Virginia’s middle class voters and young people. Days earlier, it was announced that the National Debt Clock had run out of numbers. “That will fall most heavily on the young people here tonight,” Clinton said. Upon this statement, Schaefer began to tear up again as she rested her head on her teenage daughter’s shoulders.
Senator Hillary Clinton closed the rally by stressing the implications of this “critical” election. “I am ready for a ‘Yes we can’ America,” Clinton concluded.
Photo Credits: Annabelle Ombac
