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Hillary Clinton, attorney for the middle class

James Forsyth

Sunday, 3rd February 2008

Hillary was amongst her people this morning, the concerned middle class. Her address was full of concrete suggestions for dealing with the issues that are contributing to middle class insecurity, health-care, sub-prime and trade. She was presenting herself as the person who can guide them through the maze; taking on everyone from the mortgage companies to the HMOs to the Chinese on their behalf. She drew regular contrasts with Obama, who she called my opponent, on their health-care plans, their respective ability to stand up to the Republicans and her readiness to lead.

The contrast with the Obama crowd last night was stark. This was an overwhelmingly white middle aged audience. They responded to Hillary’s account of how she had come through tough times—her “baptism of fire” as she called it—and appreciated her mastery of detail: they wanted perspiration not inspiration.

The event came to an abrupt halt when two people collapsed in quick succession. Hillary dealt with the situation calmly as she had when a woman earlier had called President Bush ‘a bastard.’

The polls show Obama within a point of Hillary in this state that has become ground zero of the Super Tuesday campaign and is gaining in importance as Hillary’s lead in California shrinks. It says something about the contrast between the two campaigns that Hillary leaves the stage to the practical ‘Taking care of business’ while Obama does so to the upbeat ‘Signed, sealed, delivered I’m yours’; He has the energy and the enthusiasm while she has the determined voters who will turn up at the polls come hell or high water. In a contest, between energy and organisation my money would be on energy pretty much every time. We’ll know whether or not that is the right call on Tuesday.