Melissa is a volunteer from Kenova, West Virginia.
On Wednesday, over a thousand supporters braved the rain to stand in line outside the gymnasium at Capital High School in Charleston, West Virginia. Inside the gym the capacity crowd was eagerly and enthusiastically chanting “Hill-a-ry” while waiting for the Senator to take the stage. Governor Joe Manchin III and first lady Gayle Manchin came onto the stage with Hillary, and Governor Manchin gave a wonderful introduction before turning the stage over to Hillary. The supporters gave her a standing ovation and cheered so loudly that Hillary had to ask the crowd to settle down. Hillary discussed bringing our troops home from Iraq, correcting President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act, and making college education more affordable for everyone. The crowd erupted with cheers.
Later in the event, Hillary paused and told the crowd that she wanted to know what was on the minds of West Virginia voters. She answered questions about high gas prices and her universal health care plan. An older gentleman asked Hillary what she was going to do about the outsourcing of our jobs and added that he wanted to have his picture taken with her. Hillary said that the picture request was “her best offer all day” and went on to answer the question. Hillary also answered a series of questions about clean energy, rebuilding our infrastructure, the establishment of saving accounts for older Americans, Social Security, and Alzheimer’s care and research.
A gentleman afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease spoke and praised the care that he was receiving from his caregiver. He asked Hillary what she could do to help his caregiver receive the support that she needs to care for him. Hillary commended the gentleman for being able to attend the event and for his concern for the welfare of his caregiver. Hillary shared her plans to assist caregivers, family or not, of physically and mentally disabled persons. The final question came from a woman who asked Hillary what her plan was going to be for narrowing the wage gap between men and women. Hillary addressed these concerns with her plans for an aggressive economic policy. Hillary gave thoughtful and detailed answers to all of the questions and the crowd broke into thunderous cheers at the conclusion of the rally.
Personally, my favorite moment was still to come. After the rally Hillary was signing autographs and taking pictures with supporters. I thought that she wasn’t going to come over to where I was standing, but to my surprise she came over to me and shook my hand and said that she liked my Hillary t-shirt. She also thanked me for wearing my “I’m for Hillary…Ask Me Why?” button. I told her that I would be fighting for her in West Virginia and she replied, “No, I’ll be fighting for you!” That was so powerful to me. A person like Hillary that I have seen on television and in the newspapers, standing in front of you and saying that she was fighting for you, meant more than words can say.
Later, I boarded the shuttle bus to go home, and a woman sat next to me who had also obtained Hillary’s autograph. She told me that in the back of the crowd there was an elderly man in a wheelchair holding his sign patiently waiting for his turn to meet Hillary. Hillary saw him and asked the crowd to part so that he could get an autograph. Hillary’s compassion and genuine concern for every single person is why Hillary speaks for me! Hillary understands who we are as people and understands our concerns. Hillary has the experience and the solutions to help West Virginians and this great nation as our 44th President!
Take a look at some pictures from the event: