Former president Bill Clinton rallies Obama supporters in Waukesha
WAUKESHA -- Former President Bill Clinton spent more time in Wisconsin Thursday, November 1st. Clinton stumped for President Barack Obama at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha rallying supporters with just five days to go.
Praising President Obama's policies, Clinton urged the crowd Thursday to keep those policies going long-term, in the traditionally Republican stronghold of Waukesha.
Those who showed up for the rally Thursday morning said they came to support President Obama, and because they are fans of former president Bill Clinton.
"As President Obama said, he'd like to make Bill Clinton his 'Secretary of Explaining Stuff,'" Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.
Clinton told the crowd how President Obama's policies stopped the economy from slipping further into a recession.
"There is no other issue that clearly shows you the choice for America in this election. If you agree with Romney, you should vote for him. If you want America to rise to the top, you should vote for Barack Obama," Clinton said.
Clinton attacked Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's plans for student loans.
"Give the $60 billion of your money back to the banks, go back to the old system, raise the cost of student loans, make them harder to repay, let America continue to drop in the rankings of people with college degrees, not guarantee the funding of the Pell grants and tax credits," Clinton said.
Meanwhile, Clinton praised Obama's health care plan.
"We have held inflation to four percent for the first time in 50 years. 50 years. And beginning next year, more than 30 million people will finally be able to afford insurance," Clinton said.
Clinton says Romney's plans could provide tax cuts short-term, but Clinton says they would dig a deeper hole long-term.
One person in the crowd told FOX6 News the benefit of being in a battleground state like Wisconsin is getting a chance to see several visits from the candidates ahead of the election.
President Obama also returned to the campaign trail Thursday morning. He had been in Washington, D.C. as Hurricane Sandy made landfall on Monday, and then spent the early part of this week monitoring cleanup efforts.
President Obama is next expected in Wisconsin for a rally Saturday, November 3rd in downtown Milwaukee.
Republican Mitt Romney plans to campaign at State Fair Park in West Allis on Friday, November 2nd.
A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday, October 31st -- the last before Election Day showed Obama leading Romney 51% to 43% in Wisconsin. The poll of 1,243 likely voters was done between Oct. 25th and Sunday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.