Hillary Clinton at Keystone Industrial Port Complex

Jonathan Yu/The SPOKE

By Alice Zhang

Editor-in-Chief

FAIRLESS HILLS—As “Eye of the Tiger” pumped through the Keystone Industrial Port Complex, Hillary Clinton strode onto the cement ground, surrounded by American flags, oversized load trucks, and labor union members. Clinton visited Fairless Hills on March 31 as part of her three-day “Solutions for Pennsylvania Economy” tour.

Clinton stressed her plan for economic reform, such as giving tax breaks to the middle class and taking away subsidies from special interest groups. Citing the industrial plant around her, she emphasized expanding factories to cause a ripple effect in the economy. The Keystone Industrial Plant was originally the economic center of Fairless Hill and an old U.S. Steel plant that had went out of business. Currently it is a wind-turbine manufacturing facility.

“Pennsylvania has gone through rough times,” Clinton said. “I believe we can turn this economy around.”

Many labor unions attended the event, from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades to National Association of Letter Carriers. Mark Musho, a member of a manufacturing labor union from Fallsington, Pa., attended the event to see what Clinton had to say about manufacturing, trade and job loss.

“Right now I’m undecided. I want to see what [Clinton] has to say about manufacturing, trade, and job loss,” Musho said.

Clinton’s visit to Fairless Hills also attracted Hillary supporters, young and old, from around the area. More than 1,000 supporters gathered in the industrial complex.

“Clinton does generate a lot of excitement,” said Dot McDonald of Willow Grove, Pa. “Last time there was a lot of excitement was in 1960 with John Kennedy. Since then, I have not seen so much excitement.”

While the main focus of the event was on the Pennsylvania Economy, Clinton also addressed other aspects, such as health care, college tuition and energy.

“I [expected] the event to mostly gather votes,” said Sohini, a student from Bensalem, Pa. “I believe that Pennsylvania could be a major role and could actually decide the election.”