"I will work my heart out for you." With that promise, Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton began a campaign appearance at the Hotel Winneshiek in Decorah on Tuesday afternoon.
Standing in the middle of the audience on the floor of the Steyer Opera House, Clinton told the full house that the economy "is the core" of what the 2016 election should turn on. She gave credit to President Obama for improving the economy from when he first took office, when 800,000 jobs a month were being lost. "I don't think President Obama gets the credit he deserves," she said.
Clinton said if she's elected president, she will concentrate on the creation of high-paying jobs, including jobs in the renewable energy industry. She praised Iowa for being a national leader in wind power and promised to deploy 500 million solar panels in her first term in office.
Clinton and Sanders have differed on the Affordable Care Act, with Sanders pushing for universal coverage and Clinton saying the country should fix the problems in the ACA first. She wants to take steps to lower the co-pays on prescription drugs and to end predatory pricing actions. She says she agrees with Sanders that universal care is the "eventual" goal, but thinks it's unrealistic to push for that at this time.
Throughout her speech, Clinton mentioned her past experiences in fighting on issues she cares about. She asked for the audience's support at the Iowa Caucus on February 1st and reminded them, "I've been there (for you)."