Article Library

[Beginning of article is missing]

“I am so glad to be back in the Republic of Boulder,” she [Hillary Clinton] said, before urging those listening to register and vote on Nov. 3.

“This election has more to do with your future than ours,” she said. “Around the world democracy has been breaking out. People have literally been dying for the right to vote. … And yet for us it’s too much trouble to go to the student union to register, to go to the local courthouse to write for an absentee ballot, to get up off the couch.”

The rally was star-studded. Mrs. Clinton’s speech was preceded by a performance from singer Michelle Shocked and a speech by actress Dana Delany of the television show, China Beach.

Shocked sang about a 21-year-old mother widowed after her husband was sent to Vietnam as the students – many attired in tie-dye clothes and Teva sandals – listened.

To the right of the stage, a campaign poster read “Re-Legalize Hemp.” To the left was a campaign banner for Rep. David Skaggs, a Boulder Democrat who is seeking re-election to the House.

The rally topped a week of political events in Colorado. President Bush spoke in Arapahoe County on Tuesday and Clinton was in Denver on Thursday.

Hillary Clinton repeated many of the themes her husband had sounded in his Denver speech, emphasizing the need for environmental protection, health care reform and better use of money previously spent on defense.

She also spoke of Clinton’s plans for education, including a proposal to eliminate the current student loan system in favor of a program that would allow students to repay their college tuition with community service after graduation.

That message appealed to Karen Logee, a senior political science major who said her parents are paying for her undergraduate work but may not finance her graduate studies.

“I really like the education program,” she said.

“What Bill offers is hope,” Mrs. Clinton told the crowd. “What I hope each of you will do is register, if you’re not registered to vote.”