Supporters urge Hillary to stay the course

By Mannix Porterfield

FAYETTEVILLE — Eight-year-old twins Brett and Ryan Wilson had one big reason for chiming in Thursday with hundreds of Hillary Clinton loyalists inside a stuffed high school gym.

“She’s a Democrat,” Brett replied when asked about his colorful button depicting the New York senator.

Ryan matched his twin brother word for word, but when pressed to another reason, he answered rapidly, “My mom likes Hillary.”

“Mom” is Melissa Wilson, whose only birthday wish at turning 18 a few years ago was that her parents provide a ride to the courthouse so she could become a registered voter.

“I’m a big Clinton fan,” she said as hundreds of backers waited nearly an hour for former President Bill Clinton to take the stage.

“I voted for Bill the first time and the second time. I’ve been wanting a Democrat back in office ever since.”

Wilson, who holds down two jobs in the Beckley area, says she likes the way the Clintons handled the White House in the 1990s.

“Fortunately, it’s a 2-for-1 deal, you know,” she said.

“They worked together then. I feel very comfortable they’re going to work together again. I like what she has to say about the gas prices and health care.”

Like many Clinton backers, she was adamant the senator shouldn’t throw in the towel and concede the nomination to Barack Obama.

“You never know what’s going to happen,” Wilson said. “There are a lot of votes left with the superdelegates. I thought (John) Kerry was a shoo-in the last time, and look what happened.”

Bob Reynolds, retired from both the military and the state, was sporting a button with a picture of George Bush. Underneath was a caption, “Good Riddance.”

“I can’t think of anything I do like about him,” the Fayetteville resident said.

“I don’t like him getting us in an unpopular war. The debt is out of sight. We’ve got to get somebody that can get the money under control.”

Reynolds prefers Clinton over Obama because of the Illinois senator’s lack of experience.

“I like her ending the war as soon as possible,” he said.

“I don’t know whether 30 days is good or not. She’s talking about national health insurance. I think we’ve needed that for years. I don’t know how it works, but we need something.”

As for soaring gas prices, Reynolds sees no hope any politician can bring them down.

“I don’t think anybody can do anything about the gas prices, unless they break up OPEC,” he said.

Ronald Sheehan of Fayetteville was a rare undecided voter in the long line waiting to get inside the school. He came to hear what the candidate’s husband had to say.

Drema Pike of Mount Hope clearly was in Clinton’s camp, and much of the reason she gave was the negative aura around Obama.

“His background, what he represents,” she said.

“And his pastor. All that together is kind of scary. Hillary sounds like she’s for the people and wants to do things to help the American people. If she keeps her promises, she’ll be OK.”

Pike drew a sharp contrast between the gas prices in Clinton’s two terms and the last four years under the Bush administration as another reason for backing Hillary.

“You almost can’t afford to drive,” she said.

Two men with battlefield experiences think Clinton can handle the job of commander-in-chief.

One of them, Charles Shumaker of Whipple, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean Conflict, said he “absolutely” can trust a woman to handle the nation’s defense.

And he admires Clinton for her recent warning that she would scorch Iran if the nation ever posed a nuclear threat to America.

“I would agree that is what should happen,” he said.

“She’s been in the White House for eight years. She knows a lot of what’s going on and she has a tough character. She is tough.”

Another Korean veteran, Jack Buchanan of Ansted, put it succinctly when asked why he favors Clinton.

“I don’t like the other guy,” he said. “That’s the main reason. Enough said. I hope the Democratic Party doesn’t make a Republican out of me this fall.”

Buchanan also favors the New Yorker because of her husband’s track record in handling the nation’s economy.

“He did a good job in my opinion in the two years I was in the auto industry,” he said.

“Things were quite well during the Clinton administration. Now they’ve went to pot. My co-workers are seeking employment elsewhere. There’s no such thing as free trade. Not today. I’m voting for Hillary. I like the Clinton name. In my opinion, Bill will be running the country. He did a magnificent job.”

Tammy Osborne, a part-time postal worker in Summersville, wanted to see Hillary in person in Charleston, but the gas prices shut off that option.

As 4-year-old daughter Victoria Lucy looked on and held a reporter’s arm, Osborne said she believes Clinton will do “a wonderful job.”

“I’m anxious to see a woman president,” she said. “I like what she has to say.”

One issue that resonates with her and others quizzed in the waiting line is Clinton’s pledge to bring universal health care.

Stephanie Danz runs her own stained glass windows business in Fayetteville and her main reason for backing Hillary is gender, but she has other ones.

“She supports the unions, the schools and teachers,” she said.

“Hopefully, we’ll get universal health care. That’s something I can use because I have no insurance as an artist.”

Danz couldn’t put her finger on just why she can’t go with Obama, acknowledging he was “fabulous” at the last national convention.

“I’m just more comfortable with her,” she said.

Two other observers — Howard Woolwine and Jeff Pittman, both of Fayetteville — agreed Clinton should keep plugging away and not concede anything to Obama.

“She takes a strong stand on everything,” Pittman said. “In everything I’ve heard, she makes the most sense.”

Judicial ethics prevent him from endorsing any candidacy other than his own, so Circuit Judge John Hatcher had a personal reason for waiting it out to see Bill Clinton.

“This is a historic moment for me,” said Hatcher, who is running unopposed.

“I’ve never seen a former president of the United States.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com