Clinton steps in for Obama in Florida as he spearheads drive for youth vote

Bill Clinton spearheaded the drive to get the crucial youth vote out for the Democrats in swing state Florida on Monday, stepping in for the president to fire up a student audience by deriding Mitt Romney over climate change, student loans and an inability to do arithmetic.

"I have very strong feelings about this election. I'm not mad at anybody. Shucks, I don't mind Governor Romney for wanting to be president. I did too. But this is not about the candidates. This about you and your future," Clinton told a receptive crowd at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. "It's about two very different approaches and which one is more likely to build a 21st century of the American dream."

Clinton led the speeches after the president called off an appearance, no doubt aware that knocking Mitt Romney beneath a sunny Florida sky would not sit well next to news footage of much of the rest of the east coast drowning under Hurricane Sandy.

Clinton told the students that the US has dropped over the past decade from second to 16th in world in the percentage of young adults with four year degrees.

"You know why, don't you? Because the cost of college went through roof and people got scared that if they borrowed the money they wouldn't be able to pay it back," he said.

The former president said that the student loan issue alone is reason enough to vote for Obama because he is making them more accessible and reducing the cost.

"That means nobody will ever have to drop out of college again because of the cost of a college education," he said.

It went down well with a crowd the Democrats need.

Obama's victory in Florida in 2008 was delivered by college towns but opinion polls show a sharp fall in enthusiasm among the young compared to four years ago.

Among younger voters, Obama crushed John McCain by 35 percentage points. The president still commands the bulk of the youth vote but a Harvard survey showed his advantage has fallen to 19 points.

"There really isn't the enthusiasm there was in 2008," said Dan Oldehol.

"There isn't as much change need. A lot of policies needed changing in 2008. There was sharper polarisation. He's had an OK four years but he hasn't had a brilliant four years."

Still, Clinton hit the right buttons in reminding students that while there may not be the inspiration and vision of four years ago there is still a lot at stake.

The former president sneered at Romney for saying he will scrap subsidies for solar companies and wind farms when coal and oil get subsidies that are proportionately just as large. He also took at shot at the Republican contender for questioning climate change.

"America is the only major country in the world where any major political party is denying climate change instead of arguing about what to do about it," he said.

Clinton also derided Romney for "failing the arithmetic test", saying his economic numbers don't add up and that there was an "unreal quality" to the presidential debates.

The former president emphasised solidarity.

"Countries that have polices that say we're all in this together work better than countries that say you're on your own," he said.

Among those cheering was Steve Johnson, who two years ago was president of the Republican club at the University of Central Florida. Now he is voting for Barack Obama.

"I switched because the Republicans are looking after the upper percentile of the nation. Republican politicians just don't allow you to move forward. They say America is the land of opportunity but not with the Republicans," he said.

Campus rallies are different. For a start, most others do not have thumping disco music at 8am. And free contraception is not generally a campaign theme hammered by the president's supporters at stops in Florida's retirement communities.

Clinton added his own twist, boasting that Arkansas, where he was once governor, has the largest mascara plant in the world. But he said he personally has no need of it he's not in a punk band.

Clinton ended with a pep talk on the president's healthcare reforms.

Obamacare now entitles young people to remain on their parents' health insurance until 26 years old. Clinton said that Romney's claim that people don't die for lack of health insurance is not true. Study after study, he said, shows those with insurance see doctors sooner and live longer.

Clinton said Romney wants to scrap the health reforms in order to enrich insurance companies.

That's one of the reasons one of the students in the audience, Jonathon Hope, is voting for Obama.

"In 2010, 49 million Americans didn't have healthcare. That's what decided it for me," he said.