Former White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton led 2,000 people in chants of "Jobs, baby, jobs!" during her second day stumping for Democrat Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania.

Her 30-minute speech to a modest crowd gathered in the pastoral setting of Graeme Park, the 18th-century residence of a Colonial-era governor, was loaded with populist rhetoric as Clinton attempted to paint Republican Sen. John McCain and President Bush as ignoring the middle class.

"I haven't been in the trenches for 35 years on behalf of children and women and families and health care and all of the other causes that I care passionately about to see another Republican administration squander our hopes and undermine our future," said the former first lady and current senator from New York.

The scene — Clinton stood in her trademark pantsuit and a turquoise blazer, which matched the trim of the stone farmhouse behind her, and spoke from a podium with Obama's "Change We Need" motto attached to the front — provided a sense of irony, as the two candidates engaged in an at-times bare-knuckle seven-week primary in April in Pennsylvania.

Clinton, who won Pennsylvania 55 percent to 45 percent but ultimately lost the party's nomination to Obama, assured everyone in the crowd, composed mostly of her supporters, the majority of whom wore Obama apparel, that she was "doing everything I can" to help Obama defeat McCain on Nov. 4.

"It took a Democratic president to clean up after the first Bush," Clinton said, referring to her husband, former President Bill Clinton. "And it's going to take a Democratic president to clean up after the second Bush. We've done it before. We'll do it again. America will once again rise from the Bush ashes."

McCain, meanwhile, spent Monday unveiling his new economic plan, which includes a $300 billion bailout plan for hundreds of thousands of troubled mortgages and a provision allowing seniors to keep money in their IRAs and 401(k)s past the required drawdown threshold of 70½ years old.

"What we need in this hour is a fighter, someone who puts all his cards on the table and trusts the judgment of the American people," McCain said, according to prepared remarks released before his speech in Virginia.

Graeme Park is located on the border of suburban Montgomery and Bucks counties, an area getting a lot of focus this year. McCain is scheduled to speak tonight at Montgomery County Community College.

Montgomery and Bucks counties, which make up Philadelphia's northern suburbs, may be the most crucial section of the state as far as the election is concerned. Democrats have only a slight edge over Republicans, and these two counties include 871,585 voters, or 10 percent of the entire Pennsylvania electorate.

During the primary, Clinton dominated Obama in Bucks County, winning an eye-popping 63 percent of the vote. The results were much closer in Montgomery County, with Clinton coming out on top by a 51-49 percent split.

Clinton supporters at the rally Monday were lining up to support Obama.

"This is not the time to be dreamers, and this is not the time to switch parties and stay on the sidelines," said Maria Lehr-Fortino, 27, an Abington native and former volunteer for Clinton's campaign, referring to Clinton supporters who refuse to back Obama. "This country is in trouble, and Hillary 100 percent is supporting Obama."

Patti Herbert, 52, of Chalfont said she hoped Obama would pluck Clinton from the Senate and invite her to serve in a Cabinet post.

"Compare Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton," Herbert said to her friend, 62-year-old Fran Gery of Perkasie. Palin is the GOP vice presidential nominee and looking to become the first woman elected in that post; many saw her selection as a play by McCain for disaffected Clinton supporters.

"Palin is very deceitful," Gery said. "I mean, come on. She lacks the depth of intelligence to be in the White House compared to Hillary."

Nonetheless, the Republican National Committee spotlighted Clinton's terse words from the April primary, pointing out questions she raised about Obama's thin résumé, ties to former Vietnam-era radical William Ayers and other issues.

"Sen. Clinton has highlighted some very serious concerns that resonate with Pennsylvania voters," said Blair Latoff, spokesman for the RNC.

Since her days in the White House, Clinton has advocated for universal health care, and sandwiched between talking points about Obama's proposed middle class tax cuts and criticisms of McCain policies, which favor the wealthy, were a few comments about her chief issue.

"I can't wait till I can stand on the back lawn of the White House and watch President Obama sign a bill that would give quality health care to every American," she said. Clinton and Obama clashed during the primary about whether Americans should be mandated to have coverage, with Clinton supporting a mandate.

McCain's health care plan includes taxing employer-provided health insurance but providing a $5,000 tax credit for individuals to find coverage in the private market. He's offering $10,000 for families, although the journal Health Affairs has said that would be about $2,000 short of the average annual premiums employers paid per family in 2008.

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com