Rivals bash GOP, each other
PENNSYLVANIA | Obama, Hillary rally backers around state as crucial primary nears
LANCASTER, Pa. -- White House hopeful Barack Obama trained his sights on President Bush, Republican John McCain and rival Democrat Hillary Clinton as he took an old-fashioned back-of-the-train tour on the "Main Line" leading from Philadelphia's wealthy suburbs to the state capital.
Clinton hopscotched around the bottom of the state from the Philadelphia suburbs -- where Tuesday's all-important Democratic primary could be decided -- to the suburbs of Pittsburgh, attacking Bush and Obama. Clinton's husband likewise kept up a busy schedule of appearances around the state.
Hillary Clinton had Gov. Ed Rendell at her side as she rallied supporters outdoors in York, Pa., where the trees were in bloom and some of the storefronts were shuttered. She complained that Obama was criticizing her proposed health plan, which would make health insurance mandatory for everyone.
"I just heard that my opponent has put up an ad attacking my health care plan, which is kind of curious because my plan covers everybody and his leaves out 15 million people -- just leaves them out in the cold," she said. "Now, instead of attacking the problem, he chooses to attack my solution."
Said supporter Sharon Nichols, 62, after Clinton's rally in York: "She's been doing this. She needs no on-the-job training."
Another supporter said hearing Clinton speak made a difference.
"This may have changed my mind," funeral director Kim Butcher said after Clinton's York rally. Referring to her pledge to have the government issue low-interest college loans directly, Butcher said: "I like what she said about reforming college loans. We've got two kids in college with 18 percent interest loans."
Both Clinton and Obama offer to have government do more to help students and parents fund college educations. Clinton also emphasized new training programs for the 60 percent of students who do not go to college.
At his own rally here, Obama responded to Clinton's criticism of his health plan, saying his plan aims to make health insurance cheaper so more people can afford it.
Obama had Sen. Bob Casey at his elbow as he addressed 6,000 fans at the train stop in upscale Wynnewood. His laugh lines got laughs, and his applause lines -- especially those promising to end the war in Iraq -- got applause.
But his line attacking McCain for being "out of touch" because McCain thinks the economy is going well despite the 8,300 Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs this year got only a smattering of polite applause.
"I don't think we've lost a single manufacturing job here. We've never had a lot of manufacturing jobs here," conceded Obama supporter and electronics company owner John Fisher, 44.
It was the kind of audience in which you'd find two Temple University political science professors with their families.
Professors Michael Hagen and Diana Mutz agreed that after the furor over Obama's comments on small-town Pennsylvanians being "bitter" about economic losses and his former pastor's incendiary comments die down, he'll end up pulling the same amount of votes the polls have predicted for the last few weeks -- just a few percentage points less than Clinton.
Saturday morning, Obama knocked on doors in blue-collar, northeast Philadelphia with Rep. Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war vet who won a stunning Democratic victory in a Republican district here.
"I do believe it would be a victory for us to keep her in the single digits, but absolutely, I'm fighting for a win," Murphy said.