Stumping for his wife in Kansas City Friday, former President Bill Clinton drew a laugh when he said it had been an interesting election for both parties – albeit for different reasons.
“I like our reasons better,” he said.
Bill Clinton praised Hillary Clinton and her challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for sticking to the issues. He said that while the Democratic contenders agree on many points, they differ on how to achieve those goals.
“You don’t get anywhere dismissing your opponents as being opposed to the revolution,” he said.
About 500 people attended the event, which was held at the Carpenters Training facility near the Truman Sports Complex. It was rescheduled from Tuesday after Clinton’s plane was unable to land due to inclement weather.
“If you look to the future, it looks better. Look at this crowd,” Clinton said. “We are a younger, more diverse workforce than anybody else. We do have the best system of education and training the world. We just have to make sure everyone can access it.”
He insisted his wife’s plan to hold down college costs, which includes a streamlined process for loan repayment and a work-study component, is more realistic than Sanders’ proposal to make college free.
He also said Hillary Clinton would reduce youth unemployment by extending tax credits to businesses that hire apprentices.
“Hillary favors a $12 minimum wage and letting states and localities that believe they can raise it more do it,” he said.
Among those stumping for Hillary Clinton Friday were Kansas City Councilwoman Jolie Justus and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
Justus said she was recently approached by someone who was surprised she was supporting Hillary Clinton.
“They said, ‘You used to be the senator on the floor in Jefferson City fighting for women, for the LGBT community, for working people, standing up for a living wage and standing up for the issues that are important to us here in Missouri. So why are you with Hillary?’ For every reason you just stated,” Justus said.
A Fort Hays State University poll out Friday put Hillary Clinton 7 points ahead of Sanders in the Missouri Democratic Primary, scheduled for Tuesday, with 13 percent of voters still undecided.
Hillary Clinton was not at Friday’s rally. She was in California to attend former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s funeral.
Elle Moxley is a reporter for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.
