More likely, the "Moms and Daughters making History" event, as it was billed, was the latest in a series of attempts by Clinton's campaign to soften her image and make her appear more human to an electorate that hasn't quite warmed up to her.
Indeed, Clinton's holiday visit to Keene was far different from her previous forays to the Monadnock region. Rather than assuring mega-audiences of her foreign policy credentials, as she did last spring and summer at Keene High School and Alumni Field, Clinton addressed a pre-selected group of 60 undecided women at the Blue Trout Grill Saturday, and she focused her comments almost entirely on health care.
Clinton was introduced by two New Hampshire women who spoke of their personal struggles with a failing health care system and their belief that Clinton could fix it. Newbury resident Barbara Marzelli said her son had gone through several open-heart surgeries and relied on the state Children's Health Insurance Program, which Clinton has championed.
Candia resident AnnMarie Morse spoke about her daughter, Michelle, who was diagnosed with colon cancer while attending Plymouth State and had to choose between taking time off from school and keeping
"My motto has always been, 'Never mess with a mom who's passionate about a cause,'" AnnMarie Morse said, as she introduced Clinton. "I'm proud and honored to be here today to support Sen. Clinton, another mom who is passionate about her cause."
After praising the two women who introduced her, Clinton spent much of her time outlining elements of her health care plan and emphasizing the need to expand coverage to children and the elderly. Clinton said she was lucky that her own mother lived with her in her Washington home, but she said most members of the "sandwich generation" -- those who take care of both young children and aging parents -- have a far more difficult time.
"I don't think we should be making it as hard as possible to take care of families," she said.
Throughout her speech, Clinton's not-terribly-subtle message was that, as a woman, she was uniquely suited to solve the country's problems.
"As the first mom who would be president, I want to set an example that being a mom and being a daughter and taking care of your family is one of the most important obligations any of us have," she said. "We shouldn't have these really false choices presented to people: you can either be a good worker or you can be a good parent. You can be both -- if we make it just a little bit easier to do that."
The subject of gender was inescapable throughout the event. When an audience member asked a question about the environment -- specifically, what the candidate would do to help "Mother Earth" -- Clinton responded in kind.
"I think we've been pretty hard on Mother Earth. I think we owe Mother Earth an apology," Clinton said, before presenting her plan to fight global warming.
Donna Dubuc of Keene brought the issue straight to the forefront. She said she had been leaning toward Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, but as a feminist, she wondered whether she ought to vote for the female candidate.
"I want to know if you think it's okay for a woman to vote along gender lines," she asked Clinton.
"Well, of course I do," Clinton responded, drawing a burst of laughter and applause. "Seriously."
"I am proud to be running as a woman. I am so excited about breaking that hard glass ceiling for everybody," she said.
Clinton spoke about taking a four-year-old Chelsea to see Geraldine Ferraro speak as she was running for vice president in 1984. Now that Clinton herself was running for president, she said had been inspired by two types of women: mothers who brought their own daughters to see her speak and elderly women who were thrilled to finally see a woman so close to the presidency.
"I'm not asking you to vote for me because I'm a woman. I believe I'm the best qualified and experience person to deal with this array of problems we're going to face in January 2009," Clinton said. "But the fact that I'm a woman, I think gives this election extra significance. It's a historical opportunity for us as a country."
Clinton's answer, it appeared, was enough to sway Dubuc, who after the event said she would be voting for Clinton -- not Obama.
"The tipping point for me is gender because I finally want to see a woman as president," Dubuc said. "My identification and my gender should be a part of my vote."
Paul Heintz can be reached at pheintz@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 275.
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