Clinton: Braley is on Iowans’ side

CEDAR RAPIDS - Iowans should expect something more from their next U.S. senator than being from Iowa, Hillary Clinton told a Bruce Braley get-out-the-vote rally Wednesday afternoon.

It's not enough that Republican Joni Ernst is from Iowa, not enough that she grew up in the middle class, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state told about 400 people at a Cedar Rapids union hall.

'This race comes down to one questions above all others: Who's on your side?” she said. When someone shouted 'Bruce,” she said that was the right answer.

'Now you just have to get out there and convince everybody else that's the right answer,” Clinton said.

With most polls showing the Braley-Ernst race too close to call, Clinton was campaigning with the U.S. House 1st District Democratic representative Rapids 'to get everybody ginned up to go out to work, without sleep if necessary, for the next six days.”

She called on volunteers to give 'six days of work for six years of service.”

That's exactly what Linn County Democratic Vice Chairman Mike Robinson of Central City was banking on.

'This is a long process,” he said while waiting for Clinton at IBEW Local 405. 'Some of these people have been working on it for a year-and-a-half, so this is the kind of thing that lifts their spirits.”

In that way, it's a reward for their efforts. Clinton gave a shout-out to one volunteer, Helene Golden, who Clinton said 'has made more phone calls than she can count.”

The potential 2016 presidential candidate, who accepted Hawkeye footed pajamas from Braley for her granddaughter, Charlotte, and joined the crowd in singing 'Happy Birthday” to him, delivered a message tailored to one of Braley's key demographics: women.

'It's not enough to be a woman,” Clinton said about Ernst, who, if elected, would be the first Iowa woman elected to Congress.

'You have to be committed to expand rights and opportunities for all women,” she added, prompting the loudest, longest applause of her 24-minute speech.

'For any candidate for any job, it's not who you are that matters,” Clinton said, 'It's who you are for. It's not enough to be from Iowa. You have to be for Iowans”

Voters should ask the candidates whether they will make college more affordable, protect Social Security and raise the minimum wage.

'Or will you turn your back on the people of Iowa and take your marching orders from big money donors who don't know the first thing about Iowa or care about your families?” she said. 'You know where Bruce stands. He has been putting Iowa families first.”

Likewise, Iowans need a senator who will fight for the middle class by fighting to keep and create good-paying jobs in America 'or will you support continuing to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.”

'You know where Bruce stands,” she said.

And they know Braley is 'committed to expand the rights and opportunities for all women,” she added, prompting the loudest, longest applause of her 24-minute speech.

Although she was preaching to the choir, Clinton said Braley will be the 'kind of senator Iowa deserves” and encouraged Democrats to hit the streets to convince Iowans that 'a vote for Bruce Braley is a vote for themselves.”

Clinton was the front end of a two-for for Braley in the waning days of the campaign. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton will wrap up Braley's parade of surrogate with appearances Saturday in Des Moines and Waterloo.