Edwards and Clinton visit St. Louis
They visited the same night Clinton won in Nevada.
Published Jan. 20, 2008
St. Louis played host to two Democratic presidential contenders on Saturday, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
The candidates' displays were like night and day, and not just because Edwards spoke at 9 a.m. at the Carpenters Union Hall in St. Louis whereas Clinton addressed supporters at 10 p.m. at McCluer North High School in Florissant, Mo.
Edwards, dressed down in jeans and a jacket, spoke to the crowd of about 900 attendees, including members from the United Mine Workers Association and the Carpenters Union.
He stressed that if elected president, he will stand up for the working people and be a champion for the middle class.
Edwards also spoke in regard to his major opponents, Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
"One is more of a manager, an administrator, a paper shuffler and the other one seems to be better at giving a speech," Edwards said. "My opinion is neither of those things will change America. We need a fighter."
Edwards said he plans to fight for many causes, including enacting universal healthcare, putting a national cap on carbon emissions, raising minimum wage to $9.50 per hour, making sure anyone who wants to can attend college and creating a prosperous middle class.
The former senator also wants to better America's image on the world scale by uniting the country into one cooperative team.
"America should be the country that the rest of the world says, 'That's who we want to be like,'" Edwards said.
Fast forward to Saturday evening, when Clinton addressed a crowd of more than 6,000.
In a packed crowd, attendees attempted to elbow their ways into the school's gymnasium for a spot to see Clinton live. Those who did not make it into the gymnasium watched the speech in the school's cafeteria on large projection screens.
Former president Bill Clinton introduced his wife.
"She is the best candidate for president I've ever had the privilege to support," he said.
Clinton, like Edwards, expressed the desire to rebuild a strong and prosperous middle class. She claimed it is the working class citizens who make America great, not the wealthy.
Clinton outlined her plans to change America, including making the country energy independent, providing a higher quality healthcare system to all Americans and creating a better education system.
She also said she intends to bring American troops home from Iraq, beginning within 60 days of the start of her term in office.
Clinton ended her speech by reminding voters to remember her previous record of creating change.
"We're going to be picking a president on Feb. 5, and we have to pick someone who can be ready to lead on day one," she said.
Feb. 5, also known as "Super Tuesday," is when more than 20 states, including Missouri, hold primaries or caucuses.