Former President Bill Clinton speaks during a campaign stop for his wife Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, Jan. 7, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Campaigning in Iowa for Hillary Clinton, former president Bill Clinton told a packed room of Iowa voters that the former secretary of state would protect the Obama administration’s economic gains while finding ways to advance them.
He promised progress on the economy — headlined by requiring paid family leave, enforcing equal pay for women, subsidizing childcare, and cracking down on Wall Street.
The event at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was the first of two events by Clinton in his first solo campaign jaunt to the state since 2008. He’s scheduled to make a second appearance in Dubuque this evening.
Former president Bill Clinton tells the story of the time he met his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Clinton, for his part, refused to take the bait when asked about Trump’s attacks before his speech in Cedar Rapids.
During his speech, he offered an extended retelling of how he first saw his wife at Yale Law School in the library and “just kept kind of ogling her,” afraid to say anything, until she walked up and introduced herself.
“[She] said ‘Look if you’re going to keep staring at me, and I’m going to keep staring back, we ought to at least know each other. I’m Hillary Rodham, what’s your name?’” Clinton recalled.
The direct approach was an example of her “early leadership,” Clinton said.
Clinton’s appearance came a day before his wife’s top rival Sen. Bernie Sanders is scheduled to tour the same part of the state, including multiple appearances in Cedar Rapids. Polls show Clinton holding a solid lead over Sanders in Iowa with three weeks to go until the caucus.
The former president made no mention of Sanders in his speech, but alluded to the importance of electability — a key part of Clinton’s closing argument — by stressing the dangers of losing the White House. Among the risks under a GOP president, he mentioned Supreme Court appointees, repealing the Affordable Care Act, reversing Obama’s climate change regulations, and pushback on gay rights.
“We cannot afford to allow the other party to be in control of the presidency,” Clinton said.