The rare appearance by her mother, Dorothy Rodham, 88, and daughter Chelsea seemed aimed at humanizing Clinton, who has struggled during the campaign to overcome impressions that she is cool and unapproachable. In some polls, about half of the respondents have said they dislike Clinton.
Chelsea Clinton, 27, spoke to voters in Winterset about that issue. Toward the end of the campaign stop, she chatted briefly with a man and a woman in the crowd who said that conservatives have "programmed" voters to dislike her mother. The duo said her mother needs to devote time to dispelling those preconceptions.
"That's why we're here," Chelsea Clinton said.
In Winterset, Clinton laid out a plan to help families overcome the cost of long-term elder care. She mentioned that her mother is living with her, a choice that some families can't make for various reasons.
She offered a proposal to give a $3,000 tax credit to help offset the costs of caring for elderly family members.
Some in the audience said they liked what they heard. Two women in Winterset who had come out to see Clinton's speech said they were on their way next to see the Obama-Winfrey appearance.
One, Susan Churchill, 40, of Norwalk, Iowa, said Obama would be hard-pressed to match the substance they heard from Clinton.
"I'll be interested to see if he'll have such an in-depth conversation, or will it be more for show to gather momentum for the campaign," Churchill said.
peter.nicholas@latimes.com
