Posted on 11/01/2002 4:41:59 PM PST by Glutton
He was a popular preacher in front of a boisterous choir, but former President Bill Clinton showed he can still bring the Democratic faithful to their feet as he stumped for party candidates Thursday at McArthur Court.
An estimated 4,000 people poured into the University of Oregon basketball arena to hear Clinton boost the Democratic candidates for governor and Congress. The cheering, placard-waving crowd of mostly party loyalists ate up Clinton's 20-minute campaign speech.
Clinton urged them not to lash out at Republicans, but to fight them on the issues.
"I don't ever want you to be personally mean to the Republicans," said the ex-president, who was at the center of some fierce party rhetoric during his two terms. "I don't ever want any Democrat to treat them they way they treated me for eight years."
Clinton recalled a conversation with then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich - Gingrich apparently acknowledged that Republicans hadn't treated Clinton fairly and said, "But heck, if we fought you fair, you'd beat us every time."
"That's what I want you to do," Clinton said. "If we fight fair and respond on the issues and let people know the consequences of their vote, we will win most of the time, and we will win these races" in Oregon.
The noon event started about 20 minutes late as a long line of people moved through security and listened to the warm-up group The Boomer Band and saxophonist Paul Biondi play 1950s rock 'n' roll tunes. The crowd was a split between college students and middle-aged and older fans who bused in from as far away as Ashland and Coos Bay.
Tickets cost $25 apiece for adults and $15 for students, but 1,500 free student tickets were distributed.
Speakers included U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, gubernatorial candidate Ted Kulongoski and U.S. Senate candidate Bill Bradbury. Art Alexakis, lead singer for the group Everclear, also shared the stage, but it was clear that the crowd was there for Clinton.
The former president took his own advice and wasn't mean - but he was generous in his criticism of the Republican agenda. He panned the GOP plan for a prescription drug benefit for seniors, their handling of the economy since he left office, action on corporate reform and their education plan.
No one in the audience challenged Clinton, but Oregon GOP Executive Director Darryl Howard later said the appearance smacked of typical Democratic rhetoric.
"It's the same Democratic mantra scare tactic," Howard said. Clinton and the Democrats are selling higher taxes and bigger government when the Republicans are offering the opposite, he said.
"The fact of the matter is, we've got a plan in this state and we can do it without raising taxes," Howard said. "And no matter how many times Bill Clinton comes into the state and no matter what he says, one thing stays true. Ted Kulongoski supports a tax increase and (Republican gubernatorial candidate) Kevin Mannix doesn't. Bill Clinton can't change that."
Mannix held his own rally on campus later in the afternoon.
But Thursday was all Democrat at Mac Court. Clinton chided the Republicans as a party "driven not by evidence and argument, but by division and attack." He accused them of hiding behind aliases to run attack ads and said the fact that it was Halloween wasn't any excuse.
"Today is the only day that's acceptable. This is Halloween," he said. "But you just remember, if you see an ad attacking Bill Bradbury tonight, the chances are it was paid for by someone wearing a mask."
Clinton, who said he has attended more than 100 events to aid Democratic candidates, was interrupted frequently by applause. The crowd was on its feet as he took the stage and again when he pulled off his blue suit coat and waded into the crowd in front of the stage to shake hands.
His get-out-the-vote appearance probably had as much to do with demographics as politics. Political analyst Jim Moore said the visit in a traditional Democratic stronghold is an effort to shore up voter turnout and to lay a foundation for the 2004 presidential campaign.
Oregon's most Democratic counties - Lane and the Portland metro counties of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas - also have some of the party's lowest turnout, Moore said. Clinton's appearance in Eugene is part of the effort "to make sure that Democrats are organized and get those ballots in," he said.
Also, Oregon could be a crucial state in the next presidential election. Although Al Gore took Oregon in 2000, it was by a narrow 7,000-vote margin, and Moore said party officials want to remind Oregon Democrats that their votes count.
"The message is, `We're going to be depending on you in 2004 to stem the Republican tide,' " Moore said. "It's very much an investment in the future."
And Clinton's star continues to brighten many Democrats. Despite his impeachment by Congress over the Monica Lewinsky affair, some people said they still think Clinton was one of the country's best presidents.
"Clinton hits the nail on the head when he talks," said Dick Van Galder of Florence. "He's so much sharper than what we have in the office now."
And if the purpose of the rally was to energize voters, particularly young voters, it appeared to be a success.
"It was awesome," said UO student Joe Doyle. "I learned a lot. These guys are really empowering."
People waited in line for more than an hour in the chilly morning to file into Mac Court. Most said it was Bill Clinton's name on the marquee that brought them in, and some were jazzed up even before he took the stage.
Minneapolis resident Robin Breth, who said she cast an absentee vote for the late Paul Wellstone before the plane crash that killed him last week, said she expects a "Wellstone effect" to sweep the nation and put Democrats in office. She said the senator's untimely death has made people think about what's important in their lives.
"I'm here to see Bill Clinton, and I'm here to get active," she said. "We've realized life is short and we better get off our duffs and do something."
Related:
Ex-president eludes photo with dino bone
What a dung heap!
Words fail me. When is he going to buy some land in South America and take his followers to establish his temple??
It's Eugene...
They will always fall for that crap!
Typical Clinton MO. Reflecting his behavior back on the Pubbies. What a liar.
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