January 9, 2008
Clinton Vows to Stand Up to Student Lenders in N.H. Victory Speech
In her victory speech in New Hampshire last night, Hillary Rodham Clinton told her supporters that she intended to stand up against “predatory student-loan companies” and fight for “young people who can’t afford to go to college to pursue their dreams.”
Both lines received rousing applause from her audience, which appeared to include many young supporters. Ms. Clinton made a concerted effort to appeal to college students in New Hampshire after losing in Iowa to Barack Obama, whose support among youth was seen as a key to his win in the caucus there.
In her speech, Ms. Clinton lumped the student-loan companies in with oil companies, drug companies, and health-insurance companies, arguing that they all have “had seven years of a president who stands up for them.”
“It’s time we had a president who stands up for all of you,” she continued. “I intend to be that president.”
Ms. Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York, has focused many of her higher-education efforts in Congress on trying to advance her twin passions of expanding college access to nontraditional students and of making student loans more borrower-friendly.
Her interests in social issues grew during her undergraduate years at Wellesley College in the 1960’s, during which she transformed from Goldwater Girl to antiwar Democrat.
Sara Hebel | Posted on Wednesday January 9, 2008 | PermalinkComments
Previous: N.H.'s Republican Winner and Higher Education
Next: Richardson Dropping His Presidential Bid
To add my two cents to this article, it’s interesting to see the break-down of those who supported each of the Democratic front-runners. Obama seems to be preferred by independents, and it’s interesting to see how women will continue to choose between him and Hillary. He enjoyed their support in Iowa, but they switched back to Hillary in New Hampshire. Check http://www.projectweightloss.com/ for an interesting and somewhat unusual survey of the characteristics of each of the Democratic candidates’ supporters.
— Andrea Pelin Jan 9, 01:36 PM #
That sounds great Hilldog. But what about those who already graduated and now have huge loans they cant repay. Your husband Bill signed the law in 1998 which basically eliminated student loans from bankruptcy protection. Student loans are even more predatory post-graduation than during school. With interest, late fees and no way out of them these loans can destroy anyone’s future. What is Hillary’s plan to fix this problem? My idea is to reinstate the old law which allows bankruptcy on student loans after 7 years. If you cant get a good job within 7 years after graduating then it is never going to happen. Dont punish the student for poor and overpriced schools punish the school instead by taking away their eligibility for loans if their default rate exceeds a certain percentage.
— Mike Jan 16, 05:58 AM #