Crossposted at The Buckeye State Blog...(for more shots of the rally).
It's 8:30pm, the Senator just left the stage and I'm blogging away to get the Senator's statements, my first thoughts, and impressions online as I sit on the press riser. Senator Barrack Obama spoke for a full 30 minutes - to the point where he went hoarse - showing the buckeye state it's first prezzie love of the '08 campaign. Congrats folks, we're back in campaign season. Holla.
"I'm here - in Cleveland - because we're looking to the general election, and we're going to win Ohio." (Crowd has a heart attack as it goes nuts)
Awesome. Glad to hear it. I'm sure Ohio Chairman 'Fern and a whole host of others would love to get that in writing. Senator Obama, and others, here's a promise back - we'll hold you to that. Gore pulled out, Kerry stuck it out...and in between campaign staffers and strategists across the nation continually whine about the Buckeye State. It's apparent to those that live north of the Ohi-ya' and south of Erie that things are turning around here. Promises to invest in Ohio will go a long way with us ...
"Shut up about Ohio Jerid and tell me what he said"
Impressive delivery, the guy's got passion, no doubt. However, he could use a little more fire out of the gate...he seemed to rely on his openers quite a bit. I'm sure he'll improve there with time He came out after Shaw High school's drum line to a crowing mob that would've stoked the fab four. Thirty minutes later the crowd was still hollerin' away; all the while Obama was doing his best to keep his voice alive.
So what about the speech?
Healthcare, 46 million uninsured...check, sounds like a Dem
College, too expensive, student loans too high...check, definitely a Dem
Energy, it's time for new source and clean tech...check-a-roo, he's all blue
War, ""We're in the midst of a war that should have never been authorized"(crowd goes absolutely nuts)...double check
Economy's changing..., hedge fund managers doing well while the lil' guy suffers...yea, that's my Dem
Support for Darfur...
Bill to bring our troops home within a year...
broadband for economically challenged areas regions..
...All thrown in for good measure, check plus
Trade... "We believe in trading with every country on earth. But we don’t want to be taken advantage of. We don’t want to give tax breaks to companies investing overseas, we want to give them to countries investing right here in America." ...hmmm? What does that mean? Sure, I get the "end tax breaks overseas" part, but what about that trading with every country part - huh? I can usually translate rhetoric pretty well, but that one's got my scratching my chin. I'm not advocating for protectionism here, I just want some clarification.
...And therein lies the Obama-conundrum that many of us are struggling to deal with. Sure, he's a strong Dem...but is he "my kinda Dem", cause a lot of the time he's got me scratching my chinny chin chin.
And even if I don't see eye to eye with Obama on each and every issue or stump, does that mean I can't support him? Because I really like his theme of unity...especially considering where the country's at now. But that same theme - the one that left me scratching my head tonight when he brought up trade and I thought of the 200,000 Ohioans that have lost their jobs due to outsourcing - could cost him votes if people like me decide that he's not in the right spot and we can't look past. Time will tell, and I don't have an inkling of answer here.
Closing the night off the Senator fully hit his groove when he related a story about the night before his Senate victory in '04:
Sometimes I get tired, but everytime I do I'm reminded of a woman I met the night before my Senate win.
I was running against Alan Keyes...it was the day before election...before I was about to go on stage, my staff member came by and said, "listen, theres a woman that wants to meet you; can you give her a handshake and a picture?"
"I said ok."
She said "I'm so happy to meet you You’re my hopes, you’re my prayers."
The exceptional part of all this," Obama relayed" was that this would Marberry Lewis was born in 1899..she was 105 years old that night I met her. When I think about this African American woman, who had been born in Louisiana - born in a time when there were no planes in the sky and no cars on the road - born when an African American being lynched was more common than one being allowed to vote - born in the midst of slavery and jim crow... And when I thought of everything she had been through and seen...World War I, World War II - she had seen her uncles and cousins coming back from fighting that war, but still sitting on the back of the bus. Saw women win the right to vote, but not women like here. Somehow she retained this confidence that the world as it is is not the world as it has to be. When I think bout that... if Marberry lewis isn’t tired, then Im not tired.
If she can work, I can work. If all of us are ready , together we can do this.
I guarantee you Cleveland Ohio, we will have a better America.
I'm proud that folks like Marberry Lewis can look to Senator Obama and see how far we've come. I'm proud that the Senator is trying to unite this country again. And I'm damn pleased that the last leg of his national tour, before he returns home to Chicago, was Ohio. We'll be seeing a lot of Senator Obama in the coming months, I'm sure. Here's hoping the other contenders notice that the buckeye state is already in play.