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ROANOKE - Hundreds who gathered at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke were disappointed this afternoon when Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) failed to arrive to her campaign rally because of a forest fire.
The Roanoke Airport also closed because of the fire, which was caused by a fallen power line in Roanoke County. In addition, I-81 north and south experience severe traffic delays.
"She is sick with disappointment; she really wanted to be here right now," said a spokesperson for the Clinton campaign.
As a result, Clinton called in to be part of a live phone conference scheduled for 5 p.m. She apologized for her inability to show.
"I've been very distraught that I couldn't be there with you," Clinton said. "I only wish I could be there."
The senator spoke briefly of her campaign, mentioning her plan for health care and the environment. She also stated that this election is important for voters.
"This election isn't so much about me as it is for all of you," Clinton said. "Thank you all for coming out today and I am really sorry for the weather not permitting me to be there."
While the crowd waited for Clinton to arrive, Gwen Mason, a Roanoke City council member, began endorsing the campaign.
"We aren't electing a poet, we're electing a president, and there is no substitute for experience," Mason said.
The news led to mixed feelings throughout with some understanding and others frustrated.
"We didn't really learn anything new (about her)," said Deborah Spencer, a Blacksburg resident. "It was disappointing."
Ginny Gray, a local resident who named her daughter after Clinton, said the disappointment did not sway her support.
"I like what she stands for, she's a strong woman, she stands up for what she believes in," Gray said.
As consolation for the disappointed attendees, former President Bill Clinton will speak at the same location at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night. Those who were in attendance received tickets for the new event so that they would not have to stand in line again.
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Ummm...I was there. I stood in line. I didn't hear any announement, I didn't get any ticket, nobody in line in front of me or in back of me...and I was there for over 90 minutes...got a ticket or heard an announcement. The entire thing was horrifically unorganized, nobody thanked us for coming, apologized, or anything else. And yes, there was a forest fire, but planes were still landing at the airport, my wife picked someone up there who landed at 4:30. All the other papers are saying she was grounded at Dulles because of high winds. I am extremely confused by this report. But not as confused as I am by Hillary's campaign. If anyone thinks that at this point getting Bill Clinton is a consolation for not getting Hillary needs to give that a good hard think. None of us standing in line were there because we wanted Bill back in the White House, but rather, because we wanted to find out just how much change the former First Lady could bring if she were the principle occupant of the White House. I left the frigid, windy, smokey high school far more interested in using my ticket to Obama's event tomorrow morning than I was in what remains of Hillary's campaign...if the way in which this event was handled was any indication of how she might might manage the country if elected.
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I was volunteering for the event and stayed until the end after Hillary called in to apologize for not being there. The spokesperson who announced that she would not be able to make it stood up in front of the crowd again after she called in and thanked us all for being there and told us that they are very sorry that this happened and that they all appreciate us coming out. The tickets were handed out after this happened. You had to have stayed until the end to receive a ticket because it took them a bit to figure out what they were going to use as tickets. The guy who wrote the previous comment was probably one of the few who got up and left as soon as the announcement was made. If Obama's rally was scheduled for today and Clinton's tomorrow, Obama wouldn't have made it either. It was just hard luck. Every candidate is facing a tight schedule right now and it is understandable that she can't make it back to the area tomorrow.
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Wow - her campaign is really self-destructing isn't it?
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speaking of self destructing - im pretty sure Roanoke is self destructing as we speak. it's like a warzone out there.
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Obama FTW!
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...So Bill Clinton is coming in her place? I guess this just furthers her campaign message that her and her husband are interchangeable so if you supported her husband you should equally support her....Because he will happily be doing much of her work. Obama '08! Because he would never send his wife in his place.
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Hillary cries when the campaign gets difficult, and she sends her man to do her work for her. A real feminist pioneer, that one...
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Yes We Can!!!! Barack the Vote!!! Obama 08!!!
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