Tuesday in Winston-Salem and Hickory, the Obama press enclosures were A-list packed. Familiar faces were eager to see how Senator Obama would address his renewed pastor problem--which he did in a formal, i.e. flag-draped, press conference between the two Tuesday town halls. With the exception of the long-suffering and redoubtable Lee Cowan, whose fate may be to live, die and be buried on the Obama campaign trail, the Familiar Faces are the campaign grasshoppers. They jumped into North Carolina for a few hours and then quickly moved on. The "real" race, Carolinians hear, is in Indiana.
By Hickory, the third big event (four if you count morning hoops at UNC) of the Obama NC day, national interest was waning. True to form, the press read email, checked out competitors' stories online and otherwise multi-tasked while Senator Obama spoke. Nobody was much interested in what he had to say to Hickory. The press has heard the latest version of any candidate's stump speech many times--the jokes, too many times. Just for the record, Senator Obama's Hickory performance was much better than his Wilmington one. His speech was more grounded and detailed, in little things--adding "the price of a gallon of milk" to "the price of gas"--and in big--entwining his wife's life story with his own in pleading his case for love of country. In short, Obama was more forceful and passionate. Confronting his displeasure with the Reverend Wright seems to have lit a fire under the Barack ass.
Did Senator Obama know to whom he was speaking? Likely not. That's been his problem lately on the campaign trail--not knowing exactly where he was. He even made a joke about it in Hickory when he tried to recall where he had just met someone whose story he wanted to tell. "We were down in--where were we?" Quickly he came up with Winston-Salem, and everybody laughed. Monday in Wilmington, however, not only did he seem not to know Wilmington but the date and time, saying that it was "March" and "nine months to November." The fact that his audiences are largely composed of die-hard fervent loyalists usually masks this underlying dis-connection. But it's worth noting that Senator Clinton always knows exactly where she is and to whom she is speaking. On Sunday in Wilmington, for example, her opening remarks touched in quick succession on several important things about the town: the glorious setting on the Cape Fear River, its connection to the military, the upcoming commissioning of the new submarine North Carolina there next weekend, and the fact that "this country has been very good to me and to many of you," for people who are lucky enough to live in Wilmington are lucky indeed.
Hickory itself got short shrift. Indeed many of the people at the Obama town hall meeting weren't from Hickory at all. Non-Carolinians from retirement communities around Asheville had driven over. As for the Tar Heelers themselves, they came, despite gas prices, from "three counties away." It was a good audience in that it wasn't just college kids, African-Americans and upper middle class white folks. There were more than a few of those working class white people Senator Obama has been seeking, and they had interesting things to say. Howard, a house painter who has lived in Catawba County all his life, said that he supported Obama because "the American century is over, radical changes are coming and most Americans aren't prepared for the future in any way." But Senator Obama "has his finger on the pulse" of this change. Howard, like all the working class people I talked to in Hickory, is well-educated. The issue in Hickory, like elsewhere in North Carolina, is not lack of access to higher education but the quality of jobs that should ensue from such an education. As Kenneth and Gwenn ("be sure to mention our chihuahua Petey") told me, "people are finding that the college educations they gave their kids aren't worth much, and both generations here in Hickory are working at Wal-Mart." Realistically, that's the problem with a degree from a third-tier school in a part of the country where good jobs are scarce . . .
HuffPo
Obama
spoke before a crowd at Hickory High School yesterday at a campaign “town hall” event.
He had some High Country backup. Major George Shade, one of the last surviving members of the black pilots from the Tuskegee Airmen and a Lenoir native led the pledge of allegiance, a designation he dubbed a true “honor.” Obama has his support.
“We as people must forget about racism and think about progress and I think he’s well qualified to be the next president of the United States.”
Shade isn’t the only one who thinks that- Nancy Benson brought a group of women from Watauga County to volunteer at the event.
“We wanted to come prove that all of the older women in the country are not for Clinton, that some of us are for Obama. A lot of us are for Obama.”
Obama told the crowd he’s the candidate who stands for change. He rejected, however, fears that the Democratic party will divide after the primary.
“I just want everybody to know, no matter what differences that Senator Clinton and I might have, one thing’s for sure. When we go to the polling place in November, the name George W. Bush won’t be on the ballot.”
Chants of “
Yes, We Can!” followed by “O-ba-ma!” echoed from Hickory High School’s Craft Gymnasium Tuesday as supporters greeted Barack Obama.
The first presidential candidate to visit Hickory in more than a decade addressed an overflow and diverse crowd of more than 2,000. Making his second campaign stop of the day in North Carolina, Obama talked up his universal health care plan, tax cuts for the middle class and ideas to fix the struggling economy.
The Illinois senator took the stage at 4:42 p.m. to a prolonged standing ovation, one of at least 15 he received during the next hour. After thanking Hickory High Principal Kim Maddox and other school officials for their hospitality, Obama asked for a raise of hands of those who remained undecided voters. After a few hands rose, Obama said he would attempt to persuade them.
Obama explained why he sought the presidency and mentioned the economic problems facing the nation, including recent layoffs in the Hickory region such as at Henredon Furniture, Joan Fabrics and Delta Apparel.
“People feel they are working harder and harder just to get by,” he said.
Obama also reiterated his them of unity, saying Americans are tired of politics of “tearing people down instead of bringing them up.”
Obama spoke of the campaign spats with his opponent, Hillary Clinton, but urged a return to a positive tone. He referenced change, another constant campaign theme, then gained possibly his biggest ovation.
Lula "Mama Tab" Smith
lived a dream Tuesday and met Barack Obama during a campaign stop at Hickory High School.
The 89-year-old lifelong Gastonia resident and active election volunteer met the Democratic presidential candidate and he personally thanked her for her service.
"I never thought, at my age, I would live to see a black man running for president," Smith said. "What a wonderful man. He shook my hand and thanked me and I told him I was working for him in Gastonia."
Even approached the age of 90, Smith still works the polls at the Erwin Center. This year she will be driving senior citizens to the center so they can vote. Smith is a fixture in Gastonia politics and has helped many Gastonia City Council members get elected.
But meeting Obama was a thrill, the supporter said.
"He gave my family his love, oh I just enjoyed it so much," Smith said. "This whole school was filled."
INDIANAPOLIS -- At a discussion with Indiana families in an
invitation-only appearance at Garfield Park Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama addressed the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama said it was a difficult situation.
"It's true that part of the job when you're running for president is that anybody who is tangenitally or even remotely associated with you is fair game," he said. Obama said he wanted to shift the focus to family values. "What Michelle and I stand for is the values that helped raise us and the values that we're now passing on to our kids...that doesn't get talked about enough."
Obama stressed that he and his wife come from modest backgrounds and that they both saw their parents struggle.
"Unfortunately I think over last couple of months instead of focusing on how do we make everybody's lives better and how do we make sure they can help their kids achieve the American dream, there's been a lot of distractions and negative attacks."
Michelle Obama said her husband was the only candidate who could bring about the chance to not just change the players in the political arena, but who could change the game. She said he was doing that with how he raises money for his campaign, in his organization and by his behavior. She asked voters to look at the choices Obama has made in his life to understand his values.
Another voter asked Obama about what he wanted Americans to do in the event that he becomes president. Obama said he wanted Americans to get involved in their communities, adding, "I think we built a structure that can sustain itself after the campaign." He said he would want the White House website to be redesigned to provide the latest information on key initiatives, and who was taking action on them.
BEECH GROVE -- Before their town hall at Greenfield Park, Barack and Michelle had
lunch in the home of Mike and Cheryl Fischer in Beech Grove, IN.
Mike, 53, is a machinist at Amtrak's Beech Grove shop. Cheryl, 52, is a technician at a local hospital. Their children and grandchildren also came for a lunch of Subway and potato chips.
During the lunch, Barack and Mike talked about Amtrak and a possible layoff that Mike is facing. Barack said:
The irony is with the gas prices what they are, we should be expanding rail service. One of the things I have been talking bout for awhile is high speed rail connecting all of these Midwest cities – Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis. They are not that far away from each other. Because of how big of a hassle airlines are now. It takes you just about as much time if you had high speed rail to go the airport, park, take your shoes off.
This is something that we should be talking about a lot more. We are going to be having a lot of conversations this summer about gas prices. And it is a perfect time to start talk about why we don’t have better rail service. We are the only advanced country in the world that doesn’t have high speed rail. We just don’t have it. And it works on the Northeast corridor. They would rather go from New York to Washington by train than they would by plane. It is a lot more reliable and it is a good way for us to start reducing how much gas we are using. It is a good story to tell.
The Obamas sat around the kitchen table with the Fischers, with Michelle serving ice tea and diet soda. The Fischers are worried they'll be forced to move away from their three grown children if he loses his job. Fischer is 53 and his wife, a hospital technician, is 52. They are among the the middle-aged, blue-collar workers both Democrats are targeting. (
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLPqTxd4Fe7e5EymHU-kTUgweRDQD90CCG403)
"I know it means so much to have your folks stay put," Mrs. Obama said. "We live 10 minutes from my mom, who just retired, and there's nothing like having grandma right there."
There was an emotional moment at the Fischer home when Mrs. Obama approached their 19-year-old daughter, Abby Maddox, noting she was pregnant and her husband is about to be deployed to Iraq. The daughter teared up, and the two embraced.
"We are still so close to the lives most Americans are living," said Michelle Obama, who described herself as "a working mom."
"Work isn't a choice it never felt like a choice to me," she said. "Being a good mom, being a good wife, keeping your marriage together, these are the stresses people feel."
"Michelle and I grew up in a pretty modest situation," said Obama, who said both of them understand the pressures facing working families.
"We weren't born into wealth or fame or fortune, and Michelle didn't marry into wealth," he said.
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