Hillary Clinton would be good for middle class, says former President Clinton

Hillary Clinton would be good for middle class, says former President Clinton: "Hillary Clinton would be good for middle class, says former President Clinton" By ANGELA DELLI SANTI , Associated Press Last update: January 29, 2008 - 11:47 AM BLACKWOOD, N.J. - Former President Clinton said his wife would strengthen the nation's middle class as he did, and that she would be his favorite candidate for president even if they weren't married. "These are tough times. We can bring America back. We've done it before," Clinton told a boisterous crowd Tuesday at Camden County College, a week before New Jersey and more than 20 other states hold nomination contests. "She will do it." The event comes three days after Barack Obama won an easy victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton in South Carolina. There, the former president was outspokenly critical of Obama, a tactic that some say cost his wife votes. Tuesday, Clinton hit issues ranging health care to energy independence to the federal budget to college loans in his half-hour talk. On student loans, he talked about how his wife's policies would echo those he implemented. And he addressed how as a senator representing New York, Hillary Clinton was among the first politicians to realize that 9/11 rescue workers could be at risk because of toxins in the air after the attacks. "That's the person I would be here for if we never had been married," he said. He briefly mentioned race, promising that if his wife were president, no one would be excluded from opportunities because of their race. Also Tuesday, Sen. Clinton won the backing of California Rep. Maxine Waters, an influential member of the Congressional Black Caucus whose support could help blunt charges of racial polarization against the Clinton campaign in the South Carolina primary. Clinton and Waters were expected to announce the endorsement via conference call. In a statement, Waters praised the former first lady's readiness to tackle the nation's economic woes. "At a time when the economy continues to worsen and so many of my constituents are losing their homes and their jobs, we need someone with the leadership and experience who can step in on day one to tackle the economic challenges our country is facing," Waters said. "Hillary understands the daily challenges that people are facing and she will fight for them everyday she is in the White House." Issues of race and gender have come to the forefront of the campaign, pitting Clinton, who hopes to be the first female president, against Obama, seeking to become the first black to hold the job.