Presidential campaign rallies usually try and cater to the voters in attendance. During yesterday's Hillary Clinton rally at the Athens Community Center, Deborah Williams thought she would return the favor.
Williams, of McArthur, stood in line with a bouquet of red, white and blue wooden roses for former President Clinton to pass along to his wife. The roses were her way of giving thanks to a family she thinks made the country a better and could do it again, she said.
(Seeing Bill Clinton) means a lot
she said while holding back tears. I really don't mean to get so tearful.
Williams was one of hundreds who stood in a line that wrapped around the community center parking lot and waited to see the former President campaign on his wife's behalf. All of those people couldn't fit in the building and some had to be turned away, said Capt. Kenny Galbraith of the Athens Fire Department.
The stage used by the campaign blocked several of the primary exits, limiting how many people could be allowed in, Galbraith added.
One of those lucky enough to get to the front of the crowd was Ohio University senior Mike Tomlinson. The first person in line, Tomlinson drew some playful jeers when he announced he was a Barack Obama supporter.
Hey I'm just trying to be honest he said. I couldn't turn down the chance to see Bill Clinton.
He wasn't the only one.
Carrie Fitzwater, a fifth-year forensic chemistry and biology major at OU, skipped class to attend.
My teacher yelled at me
she said. I told him I'd deal with it laterG?I'd rather tell my kids about meeting Bill Clinton than about learning about plants.
After a few hours of waiting, the crowd exploded in applause when Clinton took the stage with Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland. The rest of the rally focused on the former president's campaign speech, focusing on America's domestic and international problems.
Clinton stressed his wife's international affairs experience, which he said would improve America's standing in the world.
You're voting for a commander-in-chief and
hopefully
a diplomat-in-chief as well
Clinton said.
Clinton also talked about creating more jobs in Ohio's stumbling economy, a task he said could be solved while meeting environmental concerns. Restructuring the country to operate in an environmentally friendly manner would also create jobs that wouldn't require a college education, he said.
Healthcare was also a key issue in Clinton's speech, where he said his wife's plan would cut administrative costs, which account for 30 percent of all costs in privatized healthcare. Starting education reform by repealing the No Child Left Behind Act is also high on Sen. Clinton's list, he said to loud applause.
That's the only guaranteed applause line in politics
he said.
After his speech, Clinton shook hands with those near the front row, including Tomlinson, who admitted that the speech made him rethink his position.
I'm probably leaning a little closer to Clinton now
but I'm still very much an Obama supporter
he said.
Clinton even took the time to thank the McArthur woman ' who said she is one of his biggest supporters ' for her simple bouquet of wooden roses. Williams could hardly contain herself after the former president accepted her gift.
I'm just G? I'm just so excited
she said.
'Emily Grannis contributed to this report-
