Bill Clinton: Hillary will ‘get things done’

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Former President Bill Clinton made a wide-ranging appeal to Democratic voters ahead of New York’s presidential primary, telling a crowd here Saturday that Hillary Clinton would “get things done.”

In a brisk speech of about 45 minutes, the former president repeatedly urged attendees at the Binghamton University rally — which the campaign put at 1,800 — to turn out Tuesday.

“For goodness' sake, show up and be counted, because a lot’s on the line for America,” he said. “If you want to get anything done, you’d better make Hillary the president.”

Clinton touched on themes ranging from foreign policy to the economy to the local heroin crisis. Rebuilding the economy in places like New York’s Southern Tier, which has seen a decades-long decline in manufacturing jobs, isn’t a quick fix, he said. But the former first lady, senator and secretary of state has a plan that can be summed up simply, according to Bill Clinton: Make things here, and pay people well to do it.

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“Hillary believes if companies want to move overseas for cheap labor, make them pay it back through taxes and put that money back in the American economy,” he said.

He called for higher wages, affordable child care, paid family leave and pay equity to address what he called a slip in the nation’s status as a leader for women in the workforce — to rising cheers from the crowd.

Hillary Clinton, he said, sees the heroin epidemic as “a public health crisis,” to be addressed through better mental health care, economic opportunity and education, including for those who are incarcerated.

Clinton also touched on a topic that his wife’s opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, spoke of at length during his campaign stop in Binghamton on Monday: income inequality.

A big driver of that, Clinton said, is corporations holding onto profits and paying dividends instead of improving worker pay. Hillary Clinton wants to see tax credits for companies that share profits with employees, he said.

“I get the young people who are supporting her opponent,” he said. “Everybody wants to be idealistic. But I don’t like when somebody says she’s a member of the establishment.”

Clinton then ticked off a list of what he called “establishment” groups, many of which have supported his wife’s candidacy. The Congressional Black Caucus, Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters

“That’s a pretty crowded boat, I’d like to be with them,” he said. “They’re the change-makers.”

He also took a swipe at rhetoric from Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who has called for tougher immigration standards and increased deportations.

“If you sent all the immigrants home, it would crater the economy,” Clinton said.

Clinton was heckled briefly by at least one person from the crowd about fossil fuels. Environmental policy and campaign funding from the oil industry has been a flashpoint in the Democratic primary campaign, most recently at the last debate. Clinton interrupted his speech to address the person.

“At every other rally where I’ve been protested by Republicans or protested by Democrats, I’ve given them all a chance to talk,” he said. “I’ll let you talk if you’ll let me answer.”

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He then lauded Hillary Clinton’s efforts as a U.S. senator to support renewable energy, which included securing grant funds for research at Binghamton University and for green energy buses for Broome County.

“She did a lot of work to make sure the Southern Tier would be a leader in renewable energy,” Clinton said. “If she did all this as a U.S. senator, with a Republican Congress, just think what she could do as president.”

Hillary Clinton's campaign is pushing to maintain her lead in delegate-rich New York over Sanders.

Clinton leads Sanders by about 700 delegates, 1,758 to 1,069, according to USA TODAY's delegate tracker. That includes Democratic Party "superdelegates" who, while unpledged until the convention, have publicly announced the candidate they back. A total of 2,383 delegates would secure the party's nomination.

Follow John R. Roby on Twitter: @PSBJRoby