US President Bill Clinton was to lead a final rally to bring out Democratic voters in his home state of Arkansas Sunday, with just two days to go before national elections to determine his successor in the White House.
In what has become something of a farewell tour, Clinton is capping off several days of rallies stumping for his vice president, Democratic nominee Al Gore, who has found himself in a surprising battle for the traditionally Democratic state where Republicans have made recent inroads.
Clinton blitzed through northern California on Friday, where he was greeted with cheers of "Four more years!" and "Thank you, Bill."
On Saturday he campaigned in New York for Gore, as well as for first lady and New York Senate candidate Hillary Clinton, drawing some 14,000 supporters at rallies in the New York City boroughs of the Bronx and Brooklyn, and the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem.
Hillary Clinton is locked in a heated race with Republican Congressman Rick Lazio for the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
In last minute campaigning over the past few days, the US president showed he hadn’t lost his homespun touch or matter-of-fact delivery tinged with its Arkansas drawl, as he whipped the crowds into frenzied cheers.
In what was likely to be his last appearance in New York as the nation's chief executive, he thanked the region "for supporting Hillary, me and Chelsea" during his eight-year presidency and asked for one more favor: Elect Gore on Tuesday.
"If you want to build on the prosperity, if you want to build on the progress, if you want to keep building one America, there's only one choice," an applause line that brought a resounding answer of "Al Gore" from the amassed audience.
Most polls show that Clinton's name has a negative impact on undecided voters, a crucial segment of the electorate in this excruciatingly tight race.
The too-close-to-call battle for the White House culminates in Tuesday's election. While Bush slightly leads most national surveys of the popular vote, Gore appears competitive in vote-rich states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida which could help him piece together the majority of electoral votes he needs to become president.
Clinton's popularity with racial minority voters -- especially among black voters, who comprise 12 percent of the electorate -- is stronger than ever, with audiences chanting "four more years" every time Clinton approaches a podium.
At a campaign stop in the Bronx on Saturday, Puerto Rican activist Kenneth Agosto summed up the reason for the high esteem the US president enjoys among minorities.
"Clinton has made me feel, as a minority, more American than any other president," said Agosto, 31.
Despite such ringing endorsements, Gore remains conspicuously absent from the two-term president's side, and Clinton remains a controversial figure following impeachment and scandals that have overshadowed his political accomplishments -- WASHINGTON (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
