MATT DRISCOLL: IS A REALIST >>>

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and her signature female power pantsuit, made a campaign stop today at the University of Puget Sound Memorial Field House. In a mad rush by both Obama and Clinton on the eve on Washington’s Democratic Caucus, the former first lady was in Tacoma to talk health care, experience, action, and her vision for our country. Obama, on the other hand, shunned Tacoma’s blue collar constituency for rally in Seattle this afternoon.

A large crowd gathered at UPS this morning, heavy with nurses and medical professionals thanks to an endorsement for Clinton by the American Nurses Association, and listened with excitement as their candidate proved once again she may not be the most inspirational speaker in this year’s fight, but she does have the most well thought out and realistic plan for getting America back on track.

Introduced by a trifecta of well known Washington State politicians, Gary Locke, Maria Cantwell and Jay Inslee, Hillary wasted no time hitting on the cornerstones of her campaign.

“Health care is a basic human right. Universal health care,” Clinton said to applause.

“Health care is one of the great purposes of my life. I’m not running to put a band-aid on our problems. I’m running to fix our problems. If Democrats don’t stand for universal health care I don’t think we stand for anything.”

While I didn’t see anyone faint from excitement at Clinton’s rally, as was apparently the case with the Obama rally in Seattle, the fact that Clinton was in Tacoma this morning partaking in a what her campaign called a “Health Care Town Hall” and laying out her exact plans for our country, while Obama was in Seattle wooing a much louder and younger crowd with idealistic promises about a wide array of hot-button topics, only seemed to reaffirm the differences between this year’s Democratic candidates. While it’s hard to deny the excitement and buzz Obama has created with his message of change, he rarely offers firm plans about how this change is to happen. He’s wet behind the ears, after all. Clinton, on the other hand, while far less inspiring, is obviously the candidate with a solid vision and proposed plan of action.

The choice then, is simple. For idealist, Obama is superior. For realist, Hillary is the choice.

Idealism or realism? This Saturday in Washington Democrats get the chance to decide.

LINK: Photography by Tacomamama.com.