Atlanta: Veering from the comic to the tragic, all life is present on the campaign trail as Hillary Clinton woos the hearts and minds of blue-collar Democrats in her White House battle against Barack Obama. The former first lady may never spark the kinds of oratorical electricity that jolts captivated audiences at Obama rallies, but she believes that her more prosaic message of hard-won experience resonates with voters.

Working-class audiences, like the one that filled a cavernous hangar at a convention of African-American Baptists in Atlanta Wednesday, seem to appreciate Clinton s promise of economic revival in troubled times. And while both campaigns have toned down some of the heated arguments that exploded into the open before last Saturday s South Carolina primary, Clinton is not averse to dropping coded attacks on her charismatic black rival.

"Scripture tells us we must be not just hearers of the Word, we must be doers," she told the Baptists, reprising her argument that she would be a hands-on president who is deeply attentive to voters fears and dreams. Obama was on typically high-flown form when he addressed the convention earlier by video. But for several of the older Baptists present, all survivors of hard knocks, their fellow African-American failed to strike a chord.

"He was a bit shallow. Her speech was more substantial, talking about education, housing, the issues we want to hear about," said Joan Martin, a 68-year-old retiree down from New York for the day.

"I love Barack like a brother," she said. "But this isn t about who you love, this is about electing a president." While Obama is wildly popular among younger voters, an older generation struggling to pay the bills appears to see Clinton as a better guardian of its interests.

Source : PTI