Five women, including a senior campaign adviser and a congresswoman, traveled to Penn State Saturday to discuss Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y, as the race for the Democratic nomination continues to heat up in Pennsylvania.
The women stopped at Penn State's Business Building Saturday evening to speak to an audience of about 13 as a part of the "All Voices Count" Women's Tour across Pennsylvania.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., a member of the tour, said it is exciting to support Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination, a race in which Pennsylvania is expected to play a pivotal role.
"We're not used to that," Schwartz said.
The state's April 22 primary will be important for the first time since the 1970s, carrying 158 delegates and 29 superdelegates this year. According to a Gallup Poll taken from April 3 to 5, 49 percent of national Democratic voters said that they would support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and 46 percent said they would support Clinton.
Looking beyond the numbers, Schwartz said Clinton traveled to about 80 countries as the first lady and met with small groups in villages on a number of these trips.
"We do need to make our friends and our allies," Schwartz said.
Betsy Ebeling, Clinton's childhood friend, also offered the audience a chance to hear about Clinton's life experiences and political career. She even surprised the attendees with an anecdote about Clintion's drinking un-pasteurized yak milk in Mongolia.
"This is a woman who appreciates another culture," she said.
Ebeling said some of Clinton's friends and staff have been with her since Arkansas.
"We are electing someone who values people," she said, "We need that again."
An audience member then asked what could be done to grant Clinton more credit for her international experiences.
Heather Tom, an Emmy award-winning actress on the tour, said the media examines Clinton's accomplishments in a different light. She said voters should find the truth for themselves.
Tom said Clinton has a plan for everything and takes strong positions on controversial issues, including her support of abortion rights.
She said in this election voters are "not choosing between the lesser of two evils."
Tom said she wants a president with a plan, who can work in a bipartisan way, and that when Clinton sat down with her, she took the time to listen. Judith Lichtman, a Clinton campaign senior adviser, said voters should take responsibility and talk to others, including friends and relatives.
Lichtman also spoke about Clinton's qualifications. She said to judge what Clinton will do in office, one would have to look at what she has already done. "Hillary says she's ready to lead on day one," Lichtman said. Lichtman said Clinton took previous defeats in healthcare reform and devised a new plan for universal healthcare. Jehmu Greene, former president of Rock the Vote, which aims to keep youth informed about political processes, said Clinton is someone who feels pain and is "absolutely compassionate." Greene also addressed Clinton's experience and increased awareness about issues.
