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Clinton rallies support for Crist in governor race

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL J. MISHAK
Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Bill Clinton is lending his political star power to Democrat Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who is locked in a tight race for his old job in the nation’s largest swing state.

The former president on Friday headlined a rally in Miami where he implored Democrats to defy historical trends and turn out and vote in November.

“We’re great at doing what’s right if there’s a presidential election on the ballot but we’re not nearly as good as our Republican opponents are at showing up in the midterm elections,” Clinton said. “The whole shebang is going to depend on who shows up.”

Speaking to several hundred supporters, Clinton painted Crist as a bipartisan conciliator who would rebuild the middle class by raising the minimum wage, ensuring equal pay for women and expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of Floridians. He cast incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott as a multimillionaire who has favored corporate interests.

“If you’re trying to raise a kid or two on the minimum wage, you need somebody with the facts to be on your side, and Charlie Crist will be on your side,” Clinton said.

The Clinton rally was the first in a series of high-profile events featuring Democratic heavyweights designed to boost party enthusiasm for Crist, a former Republican governor who has run four statewide races on the GOP ticket as well as one as an independent.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is set to appear with Crist in Florida on Monday, while Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is weighing a 2016 White House bid, will campaign with the Democratic nominee on Sept. 20.

While Crist easily secured his new party’s nomination last month, his campaign must still reassure some of the key Democratic activists who have opposed him throughout his political career. He also must work to overcome an unprecedented barrage of negative advertising, which has hurt his popularity and helped erase his lead in public polls. Scott has spent more than $25 million, much of it portraying Crist as a “slick politician” and “lousy governor.”

Speaking to a half-empty ballroom at the Friday evening rally, Clinton asked Democrats to spread the word that Crist’s political conversion is for real. He focused his comments on hot-button topics that resonate with some of the party’s most loyal voters, including women, Hispanics and African-Americans.

Standing next to Crist, the former president reminded supporters that when Crist was a Republican governor he extended early voting hours in the 2008 presidential election and enacted the automatic restoration of voting rights for former nonviolent felons — an effort, he noted, that Scott has since undone. He also recalled voting restrictions that Scott and the GOP-controlled Legislature enacted before the 2012 election, measures that resulted in long lines on Election Day.

Later, Clinton, a native Southerner, invoked the Jim Crow South and its history of poll taxes designed to prevent black voters from casting ballots. “For me, when somebody messes with the right to vote, I take it personally,” he said to roaring applause.

Clinton’s appearance is a clear sign of the gubernatorial race’s importance to national Democrats.

Retaking the governor’s office in the nation’s largest swing state would give the long-suffering state party a governing and political platform to try to reverse decades of conservative rule, build its candidate bench and help lay the groundwork for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.

During his trip to Miami, Clinton also visited with his former attorney general, Janet Reno, who has been ailing with Parkinson’s disease. The former president and Donna Shalala, the president of the University of Miami and a former Clinton Health & Human Services secretary, spent an hour with Reno and her family at the family’s house in the Kendall section of Miami.

“We had a wonderful visit with him and it was very kind of him to come,” said Reno’s sister, Maggy Hurchalla. “He told us stories — he was Bill Clinton at his best.”

____

Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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