Thomas Fitzgerald reports from West Philadelphia
Clinton: I'll cut murder rate in big cities by half.
11:30 a.m.
Clinton is done. She closed with the thought, "there is nothing more important than keeping our children alive."
11:19 a.m.
Clinton says non violent offenders should get into diversion programs instead of the criminal justice system - "Give them a job to go to, a school to attend, a group to belong to" - as long as they stay clean. And the feds will fund more drug treatment. "We don't want you to go to jail; we actually want to help you stay out of jail," she said.
11:15 a.m.
Clinton wants to reenact the expired assault weapons ban, removing "weapons of war" from city streets, to trace illegal guns better, and to put 100,000 new officers on the street - with 21st century training.
11:08 am
"We have to find out what works and execute" in fighting crime, Clinton said. "Enough with the speeches, enough with the talking."
10:58 a.m.
Mayor Nutter said Philadelphia and other cities need some "domestic security" and help from the White House to fight crime. "Here in West Philadelphia, we're more worried about al ganster than al Qaeda," he said. "Osama bin Laden and some of those other folks wouldn't last five minutes in West Philadelphia."
10:46 am
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is joined on stage by Mayor Nutter at the Westside YMCA on Chestnut Street near 52nd Street.
It is in the 46th Ward, led by Councilwoman Janie Blackwell, who formally endorsed Barack Obama Wednesday. (She had been a Hillary supporter earlier on but not formally.) Obama is expected to do well April 22 in this heavily African American neighborhood.
Nutter trying, however, she has shown that she is exactly what the republicans said she and bill were when they were when in the white house. Again bill makes another racial snipe at Obama, "vote for me cause I don't still cars". Well clinton supporters say what you want, but, blacks will NOT turn out for her if she should steal this nomination. Waiting for Friday before election to see her LIE like Ohio NAFTA LIE. Now to hear her talking about helping African Americans regarding safe streets... PLEASE, then she will leave the Black Community and she and rendell will repeat the "black man can't get elected in PA" speech. No first lady rambo (her bosnia lie) just GO AWAY!— Actionmac
Comment removed.- excuse, that is STEAL cars...— Actionmac
Ya'know JFnik, you come from out of state and pollute with the race card, causing lasting damage in the name of the Democrat party: Are you a Democrat?- oops bill clinton lies about bosnia again,collects 800000 to send our jobs to columbia.hillary laughs about it go to cnnpolitics and educate your self.— johngirl
- jfniki, the hillary story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elFHtGugXN0 and she is proving this republican movie TRUE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-66i6gwVoWA&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BfNqhV5hg4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgboYZgt-ag— Actionmac
- About ten years back, or more, a jogger was killed. A White guy all but admitted to doing it. The story went that she saw him breaking into a car and scolded him for it. He then killed her. I always thought that she wouldn't of said anything to a "dangerous" Black guy. Society led her to believe that White guys were "safe". Now EVERYONE uses crime as a synonym for Black. They're currently making another movie about Jesse James..Interesting.
- All of these out-of-state people come here with no concern of the damage they leave behind. Most likely they are Republicans from the John McCain "Black Love Child" days (google it). To the true Democrats let's do better than Texas and vote for Unity...Send a message.
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- i'm disappointed in sen. clinton bringing out the assault weapons in her domestic crime speech. this is mixing oranges and tangerines....last year philly averaged a murder a day and how many of those murders were with 'weapons of war' (assault weapons)? this is sen. clinton trying to have it both ways....she doesn't 'offend' central PAs gun-loving-off-for-dear-huntin' ways while placating to minorities in the cities about how she'll be 'tough' on crime. sen. clinton wants to stop all of the 'speeches' ... then she should put the dusty 90s (clinton-style) 'tough on crime' policy book back on the shelf and convince central/western PA to stop selling guns to inner-city PA. now that would could be a novel idea and one worth listening too.— title.9.baby
- Hillary has proven time and time again that she gets it. This speech was intelligent but more importantly showed the depth of thought and process she takes in searching out the causes and forming a solution. I was very impressed with her proposals. I think you would all do yourselves some good listening to what she has to say instead of continually trying to trash her. Oh and title 9 baby for you to suggest it was a good thing that bush eliminating the cops program is as ignorant as the rest of the garbage you spewed. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/opinion/01muscatine.html?ref=opinion— sjl
- sjl... i'm not saying bush's elimination of the program was a good thing...i'm saying that sen. clinton has checked sen. obama on rhetoric as versus actions through out the elongated campaign season and i was disappointed that she went to an old policy (and arguably 'safe' policy) as versus as truly giving me a vision of what sen. clinton can do. i know sen. clinton is smart and passionate...she spoke early and loudly on the health issues of the rescue workers at ground zero (and the surrounding neighborhoods) her first attempt at universal healthcare while it failed to pass the policy in and of itself was strident and spoke to someone with a vision... she has not been nearly as creative and ardent on policies during this campaign season. this is not a knock to her as so much as those who make up her campaign. it is disappointing as a someone who respects her, and her candidacy, to see/hear press conferences that do not present policies that are worthy of her intellect but instead treads the same old grown we've all seen....— title.9.baby
- 1st, i was in Oh. at the time and Obama`s the one who LIED about NAFTA!...an Obama top aid told Can. officials, in the conservative wing of the party, to ignore his comments about NAFTA in the debates! 2nd, some still need to be reminded that Bill is NOT running for Pres...and, in fact, Hillary has major policy disagreements with him, especially over NAFTA... 3rd, Obama`s an arrogant snob who just a few hrs. ago talked about the Penn. working class and their, (our), reactions to losing our jobs by saying, "...And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." - Sen. Barack Obama... what an arrogant, snob...so, he thinks the Penn. working-class gets bitter...and when things get tough with jobs being lost, etc., workers in Penn. turn to guns, (read...violence and crime), to religion, to antipathy towards people not like them, (read...racism), or anti-immigrant sentiment, (read...more racism), anti-trade sentiments, (read...excuses), to explain their frustrations. so, properly translated from Obama-Speak, when things get tough in Penn. with workers losing their jobs, they get bitter and over-emotional, turn to violence and crime, to religion, to racism, and to excuses to explain their frustrations. sounds to me like Obama doesn`t know the Penn. working-class people very well...and doesn`t understand at all what it`s like to lose a job... the remarks speak for themselves...that`s what he really thinks of Penn. workers...sometimes, the real Obama slips thru showing us all what he`s really like!— justme819
- Stop talking about Bill. It's sexist to turn Hillary into an appendage of her husband. New York didn't think they were getting a two headed Senator named Billary. And considering the utter devastation of the Bush presidency, posters who trash the only 2 term democratic president since FDR, who brought us 8 years of peace and prosperity, are most likely imported freepers and trolls, and not democrats at all.— john b
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The Inauguration: Jan. 20 blog brings you coverage of President-elect Barack Obama's transition into office.
It's written by political journalists from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Send us your comments -- and news tips -- at this address.
Thomas Fitzgerald joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2000, and has covered Harrisburg as well as city, state and national politics for the newspaper. He was a “boy on the bus” in the 2004 presidential campaign and during primary contests in 2000 and 1996.
Nathan Gorenstein has covered politics and government in the city, state and nation for the Inquirer. He's worked in the city hall bureau, had a stint on the business desk, and once covered the suburbs. After serving as assistant regional editor, he was named editor of the "Politics" web site.
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