‘Clinton Country’ Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day
By Mike Wereschagin; Salena Zito
A warm — and loud — reception awaited Sen. Hillary Clinton along the St. Patrick’s Day parade route Downtown.
Flanked by Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Clinton walked the mile-long route Saturday morning as Pittsburghers showered her with affection. Clinton is heavily favored to win Western Pennsylvania in the April 22 Democratic primary, in which she will square off with rival Sen. Barack Obama.
It was Clinton’s second day campaigning in the city, after making her first appearance Friday at a Bloomfield gas station. She followed that with a rally in Oakland, where Onorato and Ravenstahl announced their endorsement of her.
Clinton made several stops yesterday to work the parade crowd, signing autographs, chatting with voters and occasionally dodging horse droppings left by the police mounts that went before her. More than 260,000 people turned out for the parade, according to Pittsburgh police estimates. Organizers have said Pittsburgh’s is the country’s second-largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, behind New York’s.
“Thank you, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. This is a great parade, may the luck of the Irish be with us all, God bless you,” Clinton said during an unscheduled stop at the reviewing stand.
Parade attendee Bob McKay, a supporter of President Bill Clinton, said he’s backing Sen. Clinton in part because he wants them both back in the White House.
“It’s two for the price of one,” said McKay, 54, of Monaca. He used to support former Sen. John Edwards, who dropped out of the race in February, and he’d still like to see Edwards on the presidential ticket, but he doesn’t think that’s likely. In lieu of Edwards, “I hope she picks (Obama) as her running mate.”
Kathy Morgan, 33, of Versailles disagreed with the idea that electing one Clinton amounted to electing both.
“She’s not her husband,” Morgan said.
“We need a woman in office,” said her partner, Rachael Busch, 32. “We need somebody with better ideas.”
Both said universal health care tops their list of concerns.
City controller Michael Lamb, a supporter of Barack Obama, said he thinks that either Obama or Clinton could win Pennsylvania in the general election.
“They are both excellent candidates, I just think that Obama has the edge in delivering change for the future,” Lamb said.
Jessica Powell, 23, clutched her Obama sign as Clinton approached. A native of St. Louis and student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Powell said she plans to vote for Obama in Pennsylvania’s primary.
“I think he has what it takes to lead our country. I listened to him in the debates and he made a lot of good points,” Powell said. “I trust him more.”
Scores of Clinton supporters marched behind her in the parade carrying green-and-white “Clinton Country” signs, but Obama supporters were clearly visible on the sidewalks carrying 10-foot- tall poles tipped with green-and-white “O’bama” placards.
Two teams of Obama supporters, one from Chicago and another from Dayton, Ohio, worked the sidewalks, attempting to register voters.
“I don’t think this is going to be Clinton Country for long,” said Dan Wendlan, a Carnegie Mellon University student, carrying an Obama placard.
Rendell said he was bracing for the Obama campaign to outspend the Clinton campaign two-to-one in the closing weeks. He said he has been stunned by the show of support for Clinton in Pennsylvania.
“I am not sure I even expected it to be this good,” Rendell said.
Parade Chairman Jim Green said Irish Americans have a soft spot for Clinton and her husband for their work on the Good Friday Peace Accords for peace in Northern Ireland during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
The attention generated by Sen. Clinton’s appearance is good for the city, Onorato and Ravenstahl said.
“As the mayor of Pittsburgh, it is exciting to have the opportunity for voters to hear and meet the candidates first hand,” Ravenstahl said.
“People will really get to know them and will get to see them elaborate on their policies,” Onorato said.
Rita Gaines, 68, of Wilkinsburg said that as a black woman, she’s caught between two monumental possibilities
“I’d be happy to see a black man elected president, but I’d also be happy to see a woman win,” Gaines said, as she sat along the parade route holding two signs. The one on the left said “Obama.” On the right: “Clinton Country.”
“It’s history for me,” Gaines said. “I’m excited.”
Where are the candidates?
Barack Obama will conduct a town hall meeting Monday at the Community College of Beaver County in Center. The event is being held in The Dome, 1 Campus Drive. Doors will open at 10 a.m. and the program begins at 11:30 a.m.
Free tickets are available today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Dome.
Tickets to the cancelled March 13 Town Hall at Penn State Beaver will be honored at the CCBC event on Monday.
On Monday, Hillary Clinton will be in Washington, D.C., to deliver what is being described as a major policy address on the war in Iraq. The event is 9 a.m. at the Marvin Center ballroom at George Washington University.
(c) 2008 Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.