Barack Obama went to Elko, Nevada on Wednesday for a rally that was attended by more than 1,500 people, and followed it up with a trip to Las Vegas. This trip marked his 16th visit to Nevada this campaign season. The Elko Daily Press published an article covering the trip, full of quotes from his speech, and followed up with a very positive editorial entitled "Analysis: Obama’s Elko visit more than empty rhetoric" regarding his visit. The editorial focused primarily on both candidates’ plans for the economy.
In a presidential election where both candidates promise change, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called Republican candidate John McCain's promise "an empty slogan."
Critics of his visit to Elko Wednesday said the Democratic nominee did not address specifics, but an analysis of his comments prove otherwise.
Obama's tax plan results in tax cuts for those who make less than $250,000 per year, but substantial raises for those who make more than $600,000.
McCain's tax plan results in tax cuts for everybody, but bigger cuts for those who earn the most.
"John McCain's got a tax cut too, it's just for big corporations ... and he leaves 100 million Americans without a single dime of tax relief. That's not my agenda," Obama said.
In advance of the Elko trip, Elko Republicans held a rally with 75 attendees, which the Elko Daily Press also covered.
A relatively small but vocal group of Republican supporters of John McCain and Sarah Palin held a rally in advance of today's visit from Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, an event which featured several speakers who made comments that ranged from traditional conservative values to the radically false.
Julie Klekas spoke specifically of abortion and while most of her facts might have been accurate, she clearly misspoke when she said Obama is the most liberal of all Democrats on this intense subject that draws so much passion on all sides.
Klekas said the first thing Obama would do if elected president would be to approve the Freedom of Choice Act, "reverse all pro-life legislation ... and (a person) would not even have to be a doctor to perform an abortion."
Obama has never made such a comment.
"It's really unfortunate to hear these fringe comments," said Kirsten Searer, Obama's senior communications director in Nevada. "Obviously her comment is not true and it shows how concerned Republicans have become over Obama's presence in Elko. It's too bad Senator McCain's supporters have taken such low-road political tactics."
Elko is located in northeastern Nevada, and is one of the relatively few stops on I-80 between Reno and Salt Lake City – a largely empty road with beautiful high-desert vistas and a speed limit of 75 mph. Elko is a small town, with a population near 20,000 in the 2000 census, and predominantly white (about 19% Latino and 5% Native American). The economy includes casinos, ranching, and mining, among other things. It’s a conservative area; George Bush won 78 percent of the vote in Elko County in 2000. Obama will win the Las Vegas area big, and Reno is pretty mixed. He’s visited Elko three times now, hoping to pick up some votes among rural Nevadans. Nevada is having early voting that begins October 18. Early voting and absentee ballots are expected to account for at least half of all votes cast in Nevada.
If you’re in California, there are several road trips to Nevada ongoing for door to door canvassing. Some for both Northern and Southern CA are listed here, Bay Area here, So Cal here and here.