Chelsea Clinton brings in crowds at union Coffee House

Hundreds packed the Nebraska Union's square Thursday - turning a place meant for quiet study into a bustling campaign zone.

Chelsea Clinton visited the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on behalf of her mother, Hillary Clinton, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Supporters with Hillary 2008 signs watched alongside curious onlookers.

"Miss Clinton is a familiar figure who factors distinctly into my recollection of politics in the 1990s, a time when many of us here at UNL were just beginning to engage and understand politics at the national level," said David Solheim, president of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, when introducing Clinton. "So it is with a bit of nostalgia that we are able to welcome her here today."

This brought a laugh from the crowd and Clinton as she described her vision of the '90s as more of a "period of awkwardness" in her life.

Clinton then started taking questions.

"I am here to answer any questions you might have about my mom and her campaign, her policies, her plans," Clinton said, "and why I think, as a young woman, as a Democrat, that you should support her this Saturday at your caucus."

Clinton took questions from the crowd for nearly an hour. She spoke on topics such as her mother's health care plan and international relations with China.

One thing Clinton elaborated on was her mother's plans for the No Child Left Behind program.

Clinton said her mother "will end the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind," which was met with applause, whistles and cheers.

Molly Shreve, a freshman marketing major who watched the speech, said she thought Clinton knew what she was talking about but seemed tired and lacked enthusiasm.

"She just seemed really worn out from everything," Shreve said, "kinda just blah."

After a round of signing autographs and taking photographs with fans, Clinton moved on to The Coffee House, 1324 P St., in downtown Lincoln.

More than 300 people crammed into the building, and tables had to be moved into a hallway to make standing room.

The set up was much the same at the shop, and Clinton answered some similar questions on her mother's policy.

Carson Vaughan, a sophomore news-editorial major, said he was on the fence as far as who to vote for in the caucus and came to the speech in the union to see if anything Clinton said would help him decide.

"Maybe it'll help humanize Hillary for me. She comes off pretty rough sometimes," he said.

After Clinton spoke, Vaughan said he had not heard anything that swayed him one way or the other.

Mark Shriner and Krista Robbins, owners of The Coffee House, said the turnout was about as expected, with maybe a few more people than they originally thought.

"We're really excited to be part of political awareness here in Nebraska," Robbins said.

Hillary's campaign people were also pleasantly surprised with the results, she said.

"They kept on saying, 'This is Nebraska! This is Nebraska!'," she said. "I think they were really excited."

Chelsea Clinton will speak at Creighton University on Friday.

jennagibson@dailynebraskan.com